Elizabeth Balogun

Elizabeth Balogun
No. 5 – CB Bembibre
PositionGuard / Forward
LeagueLiga Femenina
Personal information
Born (2000-09-09) September 9, 2000 (age 24)
Lagos, Nigeria
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Career information
High schoolHamilton Heights Christian Academy
(Chattanooga, Tennessee)
CollegeGeorgia Tech (2018–2019)
Louisville (2019–2021)
Duke (2021–2023)
Playing career2023–present
Career history
2023-presentBembibre
Career highlights and awards
  • ACC Freshman of the Year (2019)
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
AfroBasket
Gold medal – first place 2023 Rwanda

Elizabeth Balogun (born 9 September 2000) is a Nigerian basketball player.[1] She played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils[2] and the Nigerian national team.[3] She plays for the Spanish Liga Femenina de Baloncesto side CB Bembire. [4][5]

High school career

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Balogun transferred to Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, Tennessee, in the eighth grade from Lagos, Nigeria.[6][7] She averaged 15.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, and 2.1 assists.[8] She made the ALL-USA Girls Basketball First Team at the end of high school.[9]

College career

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Balogun started as a freshman at Georgia Tech in 2018.[10][11] She left the team for Louisville after being named the 2018–19 Freshman of the Year, having averaged 14.64 points per game in her freshman season.[12] In her sophomore year at Louisville, she was named preseason All-ACC by Coaches and Blue Ribbon Panel and also made the Citizen Naismith Watch List.[12] Balogun later transferred to Duke in 2021.[13]

International career

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Balogun was called up to represent the D'Tigress and participate in the 2019 pre-Olympic qualifying tournament in Mozambique, but she was not released by Louisville.[14][15] She was also called up to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualifiers in Belgrade.[16][17][18] She also participated in the 2024 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments where she averaged 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.[19]

Personal life

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Balogun is the second of 3 children. Her older brother, Ezekiel, played at The Citadel in South Carolina. Her younger sister, Ruth, played at Hamilton Heights and currently plays at the University of Central Arkansas.[20] Her mom, Justina, died of breast cancer before Balogun moved to America, while her dad, Mark, resides in Nigeria, where he is a basketball coach and policeman.[21][8]

References

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  1. ^ "Elizabeth BALOGUN at the FIBA Women's Afrobasket 2019". FIBA.basketball.
  2. ^ "Elizabeth Balogun". goduke.com.
  3. ^ "FIBA.basketball". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  4. ^ "Elizabeth Balogun, a stellar bet for Embutidos Pajariel Bembibre". feb.es. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  5. ^ "Competiciones FEB".
  6. ^ "elizabeth-balogun". ESPN.com.
  7. ^ "Player Bios | Hamilton Heights Basketball". hamiltonheightssports.com.
  8. ^ a b "Recruit's road nearly ended at 'smile mile'". ESPN.com. February 22, 2017.
  9. ^ "ALL-USA Girls Basketball First Team: Elizabeth Balogun, Hamilton Heights Christian". April 10, 2018.
  10. ^ "Elizabeth Balogun". Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. July 11, 2018.
  11. ^ Lerner, Danielle. "Louisville transfers Elizabeth Balogun and Liz Dixon, bonded..." The Athletic.
  12. ^ a b "Elizabeth Balogun - Women's Basketball". University of Louisville Athletics.
  13. ^ "Lawson Announces Signing of Six Transfers for 2021-22 Season". goduke.com. April 30, 2021.
  14. ^ "Nigerian basketball team regroups in Maputo - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022.
  15. ^ Ezekute, Nnamdi (November 4, 2019). "Otis Names Atosu, Akhator, Kalu In D'Tigress' Squad For Pre-Olympics".
  16. ^ "Hughley names 14 players as D'Tigress camp opens February". December 16, 2019.
  17. ^ "Nigeria reveals shortlist for Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade". FIBA.basketball.
  18. ^ "Nigeria - FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments Belgrade, Serbia 2020 - FIBA.basketball".
  19. ^ "Elizabeth Balogun". fiba.basketball/oqtwomen/belgium/2024/. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  20. ^ "Ruth Balogun - 2021-22 - Women's Basketball". University of Central Arkansas Athletics. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
  21. ^ "Road to Tokyo 2020: 14 players to hit D'Tigress camp". January 12, 2020.
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