The latest player to commit to Stanford women’s basketball for the 2023 class is Courtney Ogden, a 5-star wing out of Westminster School in Atlanta, Georgia. Ogden caught up with CardinalSportsReport.com about why she chose Stanford and what she hopes to bring to the program.
For Ogden, her decision simply came down to wanting what’s best for herself both on and off the court. Stanford’s academic prestige and excellence on the basketball court was a combination that she simply could not turn down.
“I want the best for myself,” Ogden explained. “Stanford won the national championship and is a top ranked program. I want to do that for myself. Just the overall package. Westminster is a top academic program and FBC United 17U is a top ranked AAU basketball program. So, I just wanted to continue [that combination] for myself.”
Looking ahead to her time on The Farm, Ogden is looking forward to winning at a high level and playing with a great group of young women. She’s confident that she’ll play with a group that will push her to be the best she can be in a variety of ways.
“Winning a national championship and playing with a great group of girls,” Ogden said of what she’s most looking forward to. “They complement my game and I complement theirs. Just winning a national championship. Really all of them. The girls I talk to most are the girls that’ll be there when I come in. But I spent two days out there, so I talked to everyone.”
Touching more on her two days at Stanford, it was the atmosphere and overall vibe that resonated with Ogden. Everything that Stanford is about simply clicked with her. She’s not a hundred percent sure what she’ll study, but right now she’s thinking she’ll major in Economics.
“Campus was beautiful,” Ogden said. “It was a great atmosphere. Everyone seemed happy to be there. Every athletic team is top tier. It’s the overall package I wanted for myself. I’m going to study Econ. That might change in the future, but I’m thinking Econ.”
Speaking of her game, Ogden feels she’ll bring versatility and an all-around game to Stanford. Whatever the team needs from her, she feels she’ll be able to bring.
“I think I’m just a versatile, all-around player,” Ogden said. “I can shoot, pass, dribble, rebound, everything. I can do anything on the floor. I can guard anybody on the floor. I’m most comfortable playing the 3, but I also play the 2 and the 4.”
One of the more unique talents that Ogden has is the ability to learn foreign languages. While most high schoolers choose Spanish or French, Ogden has taken on the challenge of learning Mandarin Chinese. She’s been studying for several years and hopes to be able to merge her love of Chinese with basketball, which is a very popular sport in China.
“It’s one of the four languages at my school,” Ogden said. “My dad encouraged me and played a role in that. Almost 2 billion people speak it, big basketball market, I like it’s culture and everything. Just cool to learn to read, write, and speak it. I wanna go to China one day. It’s on my bucket list. Hopefully I go there and put my skills to use!”
In terms of what she wants to accomplish before arriving at Stanford, Ogden wants to do it all. She wants to maximize her potential to win, break records, and pick up as many individual accolades as possible. She’s got an ambitious set of goals on her list but given her skills on the court and ability to learn one of the most challenging languages in the world, there’s no reason to doubt her.
“Obviously McDonald’s All-American, Jordan Brand Classic,” Ogden said of what she hopes to accomplish. “I wanna reach my 1,000 points and break all my school records. Points, rebounds, etc. I want to be a Gatorade Player of the Year for my state. Also, just to win for my high school and AAU.”
When looking at Courtney Ogden as a comprehensive package, it’s clear she’s a perfect fit for Stanford. She brings an elite talent and versatility to the hardwood and a desire to learn and grow intellectually that other Stanford students have. It’ll be fun to see her when she arrives on The Farm and how many of her individual goals she ends up accomplishing.
