By Dorothy J. Gentry
Sports Editor
Photos: Dallas Wings, WNBA
It’s their time.
The WNBA kicks off its 27th season on Friday, May 19th with the theme: More Than A Game, taking what’s already loved about the WNBA and shows that there’s even more. More passion. More multidimensional. More perfection. More primetime. (View below)
WNBA Season 27 Promo: More than A Game
There will be lots to look forward to this season as the WNBA continues its pace of record growth and viewership forward from last season. Familiar faces like Candace Parker and Natasha Howard have changed teams, while the highlight of the season is sure to be Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner who returns to the league after being detained 10 months in a Russian prison for allegedly smuggling hash oil. She was released in December 2022 in a prisoner swap.
Locally, the Dallas Wings are gearing up for their eighth season in North Texas where they play their home games at College Park Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington.
They will open the season this Saturday, May 20, vs. the Atlanta Dream at College Park Center. Tip-off is Noon, with entry for fans at 10:30 a.m. The game will be broadcast live on ABC.
On Wednesday the Wings finalized their 2023 roster featuring a league-maximum 12 players.
The Wings will be led by two-time WNBA All-Star Arike Ogunbowale, who averaged 19.7 points in 2022, tying her for third in the WNBA. Ogunbowale is joined by newly-acquired forward Natasha Howard, a three-time WNBA champion, two-time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year.
Leading the team is Latricia Trammell who makes her WNBA head coaching debut in 2023 after spending the three previous seasons as the lead assistant coach for the Los Angeles Sparks.
The Wings front court features recently extended 6’7 center Teaira McCowan who is coming off a strong showing during her 2022 year. McCowan, after joining the Wings in 2022, earned WNBA Player of the Month accolades for August. She is joined by 2021 All-Star Satou Sabally, who enters her fourth season with the Wings. The former No. 2 pick in the WNBA Draft enters the 2023 WNBA campaign following an impressive overseas season that included Euroleague and Turkish League Championships.
A breakdown of the full 12-player roster can be found below:
2023 Dallas Wings Roster Last Name First Name Number Position Height Weight EXP College Burton Veronica 12 G 5’9 155 1 Northwestern Dangerfield Crystal 11 G 5’5 130 3 Connecticut DeShields Diamond 88 G 6’1 165 5 Tennessee Dickey Jasmine 23 G 5’9 145 1 Delaware Howard Natasha 6 F 6’2 165 9 Florida State Joens Ashley 1 G 6’1 160 R Iowa State Kuier Awak 28 F 6’4 165 2 Ragusa Lopez Sénéchal Lou 8 G 6’1 155 R Connecticut McCowan Teaira 7 C 6’7 225 4 Mississippi State Ogunbowale Arike 24 G 5’8 165 4 Notre Dame Sabally Satou 0 F 6’4 175 3 Oregon Siegrist Maddy 20 F 6’2 175 R Villanova
The team will be without two of its players as the season starts, however. Rookie guard Lou Lopez Senechal is scheduled to undergo knee surgery next week and will miss approximately six to eight weeks of action. Guard Diamond DeShields will also miss extended time this season as she deals with a knee injury. The team will provide medical updates on both players when appropriate.
