Arlington, Texas – The Dallas Wings finished wrapped in an injury-riddled season Sunday with a loss to the Seattle Storm – their fourth in a row.
Despite ending with a 10-24 record and missing the playoffs, players and coaches are optimistic about the future, which will feature new players and a healthier roster.
First-year coach Brian Agler, who spent the previous four seasons at the helm of the Los Angeles Sparks, won’t be in the playoffs for the first time in a while. But he laid a good foundation in Dallas this year. The veteran coach said it was refreshing to coach a youthful team, but also challenging.
“I thought we made a lot of strides, I thought we learned a lot. I would probably say the best thing about this year is the learning experience,” Agler said.
The Wings were a completely different team from when he first took the job, as they lost Liz Cambage in a trade and were without their star point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith as continues to work her way back from giving birth to her first child. They were without guards Tayler Hill and Moriah Jefferson and forward Azura’ Stevens, who were all injured and missed most of the season.
When players return, and with super-rookies Arike Ogunbowale and Megan Gustafson readying for their sophomore years in 2020, the Wings are looking ahead.
Veteran forward Glory Johnson said she changed her style of play to accommodate personnel absences, and took advice in doing so from a famous fellow Tennessee alum.
“Tamika Catchings told me that once you start to extend your outside game, you extend your game and the play that you have left,” Johnson said. “It takes a toll on your body but when you develop an outside shot you can last a lot longer in any league.”
Dallas was the youngest team in the league for the 2019 season since there were many of the veterans that were sidelined this season. Diggins-Smith, who was on the sidelines at most games, said she was impressed by the team’s relentlessness.
“I was proud of the effort the girls gave,”Diggins-Smith said. “When you come into this league you don’t really have time to prepare as a rookie and get ready. Our young players have been able to make a splash and that’s a blessing in our foundation.”
The rookie that has probably had the most to learn on the fly was Ogunbowale. The former Notre Dame standout was shifted to the point guard position, which she hadn’t played in college, and she held her own. Ogumbowale finished the season as the third-highest scoring rookie in league history. But despite her personal success, she said she wishes the Wings had earned more wins.
“Next year we’re going to be really good once we get some of our best players back and draft a nice core player,” the Wisconsin native said. “Whatever happens in the off season we’re going to come back stronger, I’m excited for the future.”