Dallas Wings basketball is officially back this week! The new-look Wings will be back in action this Saturday at noon as they take on the Atlanta Dream at the College Park Center in Arlington.
Despite a revamped roster, expectations for this Dallas team are still relatively high. In their power rankings on May 8th, ESPN tabbed the Wings as the fifth-best team in the WNBA.
With the excitement for women’s basketball in DFW at an all-time high, let’s preview the Dallas Wings 2023 season.
It All Starts with the Head Coach
After the Wings announced that Vickie Johnson would not be back for the team’s eighth season in Arlington, GM Greg Bibb got to work trying to find her replacement.
Insert former LA Sparks assistant Latricia Trammell to be the fourth head coach in Wings history.
After four seasons as an assistant for LA, Trammell will finally get the chance to lead her own team in Dallas, and it’s clear that the front office sees her as the right leader to take the Wings to the top.
Upon her hire, Bibb said, “Coach Trammell has proven to be a winner at every level of basketball she has coached, including the WNBA. I have long admired Latricia’s approach to coaching, which includes exhaustive preparation, an emphasis on communication and relationships, and a continual desire to learn and grow her craft. I’m excited to watch Latricia lead our talented roster as we continue our on-court growth in pursuit of a WNBA Championship.”
The New PG1
Following the last three seasons as the starting point guard of the Dallas Wings, Marina Mabery will seek to break out in her new home with the Chicago Sky along with her fellow former Wings teammate Isabelle Harrison.
With the search for a new point guard nearing an end, the Wings decided to go with a (sort of) familiar face.
Delino DeShields played center field for the Texas Rangers from 2015-2019, and now it’s his little sister Diamond’s turn to play professional sports in DFW.
The former member of the Phoenix Mercury will bring a 13.1 point, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assist stat line to Dallas. If the Wings want to have success this season, Diamond DeShields will need to be a big part of it.
New Leader in Town
After longing for a veteran presence for so many years, the Wings finally got one with something that no Dallas Wing has…. A WNBA championship.
Natasha Howard comes over to the Wings after nine years of WNBA experience. Howard averaged 15.1 points and 7.3 rebounds with the New York Liberty last season.
With Arike Ogunbowale and Satou Sabally both returning to the team, it looks like the Wings will have three all-star caliber players leading their squad. If Howard can play at the level that she did last season, this Wings team could make the jump from a good team to one of the best in the league.
The Usual Suspects
Multiple critical pieces from the Wings team last season will join forces with the new faces to try and create a winning culture in Dallas. Arike Ogunbowale, Satou Sabally, and Teaira McCowan will return most of the Wings production from last season.
Both Arike Ogunbowale and Satou Sabally have been WNBA all-stars in the past, and if they can return to that form this season, the sky’s the limit for Dallas.
McCowan broke out last season for the Wings averaging 11 points and 7 rebounds per game. Her presence was huge in keeping the team afloat when Arike and Satou were out with injuries. If McCowan can make another step forward this season, Dallas will have a dominant force down low.
The Rooks
For much of the decade, the Wings have been one of the most draft-active teams in the WNBA. 2023 was no different, as Dallas added six first-year players to their roster.
The headliner of the class is Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist. Last season with the Wildcats, Siegrist averaged 29.2 points per game and became the fifth men or women D1 player to score 1,000 points in their career.
The former NCAA standout should have no problem scoring at the next level. Although she’s just a rookie, look for Siegrist to play a significant role with the Wings this season.
You can catch the Wings’ first game of the season this Saturday at noon live from the College Park Center. Limited seats in the lower bowl remain, so act fast. If you can’t make it out, you can catch the game on ABC.
Overall, the Wings are set to have one of the best teams in the WNBA this season. Make sure to come out to the College Park Center to catch all the action this summer.
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