The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544920
JUNE/JULY 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 41 2026 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE played AAU basketball for Lady Rivals 3SSB. "I chose the University of Michigan because of the team culture," Ayo said. "The academics at the university are amazing and so is the basketball, but the culture I experienced on my visit was a huge reason I picked Michigan. I am super excited to be part of this program." KBA said: "Fope is different than anyone we have. She's 6-5 and has tre- mendous length. She's going to be a great complement to the other pieces that we have in our program and the dynamic guard play that we have. She can pro- tect the paint. She can affect the game on both sides of the ball, and her in- side presence is just something that we haven't had in a minute. Besides all that, she's an unbelievable human, just the greatest person, the greatest family and someone who is really going to excel at this university. "I want to thank her AAU program and her AAU coach, who long ago told me that Fope would be a perfect fit in- side this Michigan program, and we are thrilled to welcome her here." INCOMING TRANSFER COURTNEY OGDEN 6-1, GR., GUARD/FORWARD Ogden, who has one season of eligibil- ity remaining, has played in 97 career games with 734 points at Stanford. She spent her first three years at Stanford and averaged 12.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in 30.8 minutes per game this season, shooting 51.3 percent from the floor. She scored in double figures 23 times this year, including a 26-point perfor- mance in the season finale against BYU on March 26. The former McDonald's All-Ameri- can from Atlanta was the No. 10 over- all recruit in the 2023 class, also add- ing Jordan Brand Classic All-American and WBCA High School All-American marks to her prep résumé. Ogden was the MaxPreps and Gatorade Girls Bas- ketball Player of the Year in Georgia in 2023, averaging 22.1 points, 8.8 re- bounds, 3.1 assists and 2.7 steals dur- ing her senior year. She also won a gold medal with USA Basketball at the FIBA U18 Women's Americas Championship in 2022 Ogden's pledge makes her the fifth McDonald's All-American ever to sign with the U-M program. KBA said: "Courtney is a player that I recruited from her days in high school and with FBC, her AAU program. She's a phenomenal basketball player, a phe- nomenal student and a phenomenal per- son from an unbelievable family. I have watched her continue to develop, get better and improve. She has a chance to make an immediate impact on our program. She's got a chance to be a pro and a draft pick next year. We are excited about her versatility and all the differ- ent things she can do on the basketball court. I think she adds to our team that already has a ton of versatility. She gives us another piece and some more depth that we certainly will need." ❑ Fope Ayo, a 6-foot-5 center who averaged 22.3 points, 17.3 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game as a senior, earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors in Massachusetts. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY Grad transfer Courtney Ogden averaged 12.9 points per game on 51.3 percent shooting and 4.3 rebounds in 30.8 minutes per game as a guard/forward for Stanford this past season. The former McDonald's All-American appeared in 97 games and scored 734 career points during her time in Palo Alto. PHOTO COURTESY STANFORD ATHLETICS