LYNN — A little more than a year ago, Lynn’s Bella Owumi made the decision to transfer from St. Mary’s to the Tilton School in New Hampshire. Fast forward to the present day, and she is the 2025-26 New Hampshire girls basketball Gatorade Player of the Year, averaging 14.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

After her first year at Tilton, Owumi said she doesn’t regret her decision and is enjoying the new environment in New Hampshire.

“My first year was really good. It was one of the best decisions I could have made just for my skill development,” Owumi said. “I obviously came here with Lily [Norton], but I’ve met some great people there. It’s always good to have your circle outside of basketball, too. I feel like I’ve grown not only as a player, but as a person as well.”

Owumi pointed to getting involved in the community and expanding her comfort zone as things she has worked on this year that have helped her settle in.
“I’m being more involved with a lot of community aspects of the school. I ran for student body president, I lost, but I ended up getting the role of head of student congress,” Owumi said. “I’m just getting involved in different areas outside of basketball to get me out of my shell a bit. I’m really grateful for doing it.”

Living on campus, Owumi credits the faculty for helping her step out of her comfort zone and try things outside of basketball.

“The faculty live at the school and they must have seen something in me that I didn’t. They encouraged me to do a lot of different things. Right now, I’m a proctor in the dorm. I’m a student leader, so I’m a peer counselor and peer tutor on top of leading student congress,” Owumi said. “All of this was encouraged by the faculty. I really wasn’t one to do things outside of basketball at St. Mary’s. I didn’t feel like I was smart enough, but the faculty were really encouraging and it made me a better person. I’m thankful for them encouraging me to do this.”

On the court, Tilton lost in overtime to New Hampton in the Class AAA semifinals, a game Owumi said still hurts today.

“It’s rough because we know we could have pulled out that game. We beat them a week before. It just hurts to know that we didn’t pull through,” Owumi said. “It’s a learning moment for us and we’ll come back bigger, better and stronger this year because of it.”

During the summer, Owumi returned to playing AAU basketball with the MCW Starz, traveling to different showcases.

This summer, the focus was on improving her jump shot and becoming a more consistent shooter.

“I was focusing on my shot this summer. I feel like I showed that in spurts this year,” Owumi said. “I just wanted to be a consistent shooter. I feel like I’ve been getting a little better, and that’s the goal: to be better every single day. It may not have shown with offers, but at the end of the day, I’m going to end up where I’m meant to be. I’m trying to be the best teammate I can be.”

Owumi, who has more than 30 Division 1 offers, said she has been enjoying the recruiting process and has official visits lined up in September.

Although Owumi is keeping the door open to adding one or two more official visits, she is currently scheduled to visit Florida State University, the University of Florida, the University of Central Florida and Duke University.

“I am enjoying the process. I think when you’re younger, it’s a little less stressful because there’s less pressure. At this point, it’s crunch time,” Owumi said. “I’m really enjoying it, though, and now I have my official visits scheduled. I may add one or two more, but I’m not sure yet. I’m excited to get on campus at all these places. There’s a lot of pressure in the decision, but it’s God’s plan, so I’ll end up where I’m meant to be.”

When asked about the four schools where she has official visits scheduled, Owumi said she hasn’t even taken an unofficial visit to any of those schools.

“I haven’t visited those schools yet, which is really crazy because I feel like I would have by now. When I was younger, I thought I was going to go somewhere that I visited unofficially,” Owumi said. “I didn’t think I was going to visit somewhere for the first time and then commit.”

After the visits, her full focus will be on her senior season, and she said she’s ready to close the chapter on top.

“I feel like I got a little sneak peek into college living in New Hampshire. It’s not too far from home, but it’s still living away from home. I’m excited to finish out strong,” Owumi said. “I’ve only been here for a year, but I call this place home. Tilton just has that home feeling, and getting to play for [Tara] Brisson one more time. It’s going to be sad when it’s done, but it’s brought me so much joy and success. It’s probably one of the best moves I made just for skill development, player development and all that good stuff. I’m definitely excited for the year to come, especially to do it next to my best friend Lily.”