Braxton Ogbueze. Photo by Ben Coon.
Home is where the heart is.
For Braxton Ogbueze, Charlotte became his home.
To begin, Ogbueze derives from an athletic family. His father, Godwin, played soccer at Clemson where he ranks eighth on the all-time goal scoring list. But Dad didn’t pressure Ogbueze to test his skills on the pitch.
“I gave him an open option of playing whatever he wanted,” Godwin told the Charlotte Observer back in 2014.
It was after a streetball exhibition, otherwise known as And-1, that Ogbueze decided to play basketball. With the flare that the street players brought to the game, it’s easy to believe why Ogbueze wanted to score points instead of goals.
“After that [And-1 exhibition], all Braxton wanted to do was play basketball,” Godwin said.
The Greensboro native moved to the Queen City his freshman year of high school, where he would attend nearby Vance High School. After playing his first two years at Vance, Ogbueze transfered to United Faith Christian Academy in southeast Charlotte.
During his time at United Faith, Ogbueze became a household name on the recruiting landscape. After averaging 20 points, five assists and leading United Faith to the state championship game, the nation’s most prestigious schools had Ogbueze on their radar. He went on to have a statistically better senior year by upping his point total and shooting percentage. By season’s end, Ogbueze was four-star recruit and the fifth-best point guard prospect in the nation.
Ogbueze’s streetball influence was as much a part of his game as the fundamentals were. That is what made Ogbueze stand out.
“I had a lot of offers coming out of high school,” Ogbueze said. “A lot of the ACC, some of the SEC and a little bit of the Big-12. I had a lot of looks.”
Kansas, Baylor and Virginia; to name a few schools that offered Ogbueze a scholarship out of high school. Charlotte, too, eyed Ogbueze.
“Charlotte was on my mind because it was close to home, but it was not one of my finalists,” Ogbueze said. “I wanted to see what it was like to travel far away. I thought I could become a man more quickly by doing that,” Ogbueze told the Charlotte Observer in 2014.
Travel far he did. Ogbueze went onto the University of Florida to play for Billy Donovan. Despite an appearance to the Elite Eight, Ogbueze didn’t receive the playing time he expected. Ogbueze only tallied 19 points, 13 rebounds and six assists during his lone season as a Gator.
Donovan granted Ogbueze’s request. He was later released from the team which allowed the point guard to explore his options.
After going through another round of recruiting, Ogbueze opted to do the exact opposite as he did in high school. He came back home to Charlotte.
“The deciding factor was to come back home and be closer to my family and attend a great university,” Ogbueze said.
Braxton Ogbueze gears up on defense. Photo by Benjamin Robson.
As Ogbueze sat out a season due to NCAA transfer rules, he watched as his new team defeat Michigan, the team that eliminated Florida in the Elite Eight, to win the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The following year, Ogbueze regained his eligibility. Ogbueze went on to start all 32 games for the 49ers and scored in double-figures in 15 of those games.
Now, Bo, as Niner Nation likes to call him, is looked upon as a leader for the young 49ers squad. The values he learned during his time in Gainesville, Fla. transitioned to Charlotte.
“[Learned] what it takes to win, seeing it first hand and the hard work that goes into it,” Ogbueze said on his knowledge gained as a Gator. “We have to have each other’s back and we have to put our brother’s interest before our own.”
This type of unselfishness has led to success for the fabulous freshmen: Jon Davis, Andrien White and Curran Scott. The three are combining to average 34 points per game, while Joseph Uchebo is averaging a double-double and already broke the single-season rebounding record in Conference USA.
Braxton Ogbueze. Photo by Benjamin Robson
As Ogbueze sets the standard of team-play, he still manages to get his own. While leading the team in minutes, Bo averages 14 points on 43 percent shooting from behind the arc. But, there’s only one thing on his mind.
“Championships,” Ogbueze said. “I’m gonna work my hardest to help my team win championships in my final two years.”
The last time Charlotte won a conference championship was in 2001, when Charlotte native Jobey Thomas shot the 49ers into the NCAA tournament. With his leadership ability and scorer’s mentality, Ogbueze could be next in line to deliver a championship back home.
Glory or not, Charlotte will always be a special place for Ogbueze.
“The city of Charlotte has been great to me,” Ogbueze said. “It’s definitely a place that I can call home and a place that I want to be.”
Sometimes you have to leave home to know what home is.