Dallas head coach Latricia Trammell and her players have kept hope alive behind a competitive spirit despite a plague of injuries.
DALLAS — It’s been a season filled with changes for the Dallas Wings.
There are new faces on the roster, seven sold-out games, unprecedented player injuries and a 15-year deal designed to bring the WNBA team to Dallas at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
The Wings — like the rest of the WNBA — are growing in popularity. Moving to Dallas from the College Park Center in Arlington can help the team attract more fans.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our organization, fantastic for our fans, and most importantly it provides our athletes with resources they need to play at the highest level in the most competitive league in the world,” said Dallas Wings President and CEO Greg Bibb in a Thursday press conference.
The Wings return from the break on August 16 at home against the Connecticut Sun. Despite their 6-19 record Bibb believes there’s still a chance the team can clinch a playoff run.
“I believe that we can still get ourselves into the playoffs if we have our roster together,” Bibb said. “Turning over the ball has been a big issue for us and we need to correct that moving forward.”
Satou Sabally, who missed all 25 games before the break with a shoulder injury, just finished competing for her home country of Germany at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris .
“I’m excited to get Satou back and in the game wearing a Dallas Wings uniform and making the kind of impact she makes as one of the best players in the world,” Bibb said.
He also said Sabally will be evaluated this weekend to determine a timeline for her official return to the Wings.
“Our plan has always been that we will have her available for the final 15 games of the season to make a run and try to get ourselves into the playoffs,” he said.
Along with Sabally, Maddy Siegrist, Natasha Howard and Jaelyn Brown have missed at least 12 games due to injuries.
Their return could complicate things for Odyssey Sims and Monique Billings as they both signed hardship contracts as injury replacements.
“We are a capped-out team financially,” Bibb said.
Each time an injured player returns, Sims or Billings will have to be released. The Wings would have to wait 10 days to re-sign either player, but salary cap issues could complicate those returns.
“Odessey has played beyond expectations,” Bibb said.
Sabally is expected to make a return “early in the second half,” and Siegrist is expected to be cleared from a finger injury and hit the hardwood against the New York Liberty on Aug. 20.
Meanwhile, Arike Ogunbowale, who set an All-Star Game record with 34 points and received her second All-Star MVP award, leads the Wings at 22.3 points per game making her the third-leading scorer in the entire league.
“I never seen a more consistent worker than Arike. Whether it’s August or December it’s the same approach every day,” Bibb said.
Ogunbowale’s leadership has also taken shape on and off the court.
“This is clearly her team and I think she has embraced that role and watched her put her arms literally and figuratively around our younger players,” Bibb said.
When asked if the Wings would ever play in another Texas city, Bibb says never say never.
“We take great pride in representing the state of Texas and that means all of Texas whether it’s Austin, Houston, or San Antonio. We have fans everywhere and I don’t think it’s out of the question that you could potentially see a preseason game involving the Dallas Wings in Austin.”
Don’t count the Wings out this season as the team is expected to fight like hell to ensure a playoff run.
“There’s work to be done,” Bibb said. “Despite the record, despite the challenges, despite the injuries – our locker room is still together. Our locker room still believes that the playoffs are a possibility.”