The Dallas Wings took on the Las Vegas Aces in the first preseason game of the 2025 season. The game took place at Purcell Pavilion arena, home of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. It was a homecoming game for Arike Ogunbowale, Jackie Young, and Jewell Loyd. All three players attended Notre Dame during their collegiate careers, with Young and Ogunbowale a part of the 2018 national championship team.
New Look, New Team
Both teams come into the season looking different, especially the Wings. Ogunbowale is one of only three players returning from last season. The other two are Teiarra McCowan and Maddy Seigrist. They finished last season with a 9-31 overall record, which was the second-worst in the league.
During the offseason, they retool their roster. For starters, Natasha Howard left in free agency to sign with the Indiana Fever. They completed a four-team trade with the Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury. The Wings acquired the following players: Ty Harris, DiJonai Carrington, Nalyssa Smith, and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan. They traded Satou Sabally, Kalani Brown, Jaeyln Brown, Jacy Sheldon and Sevgi Uzun.
Myisha Hines-Allen was a key free agent signing for the Wings, adding size and hustle. Not only did the roster get retooled, but the coaching staff got a new look as well. They hired Chris Koclanes to be the new head coach. While this is his first head coaching job, this is not his first stint in the WNBA.
Koclanes was a part of Curt Miller’s coaching staff with Connecticut, then followed Miller to Los Angeles. Then he became an assistant coach under Lindsay Gottlieb, the head coach for the USC Trojans women’s basketball team. Nola Henry and Camille Smith, who were both under Curt Miller in Los Angeles, were added as assistant coaches for the Wings.
In this year’s WNBA draft, the Wings had the number one pick and used it to select Paige Bueckers out of UConn. They also took Aziaha James (NC State), Madison Scott (Ole Miss), JJ Quinerly (West Virginia), and Aaronette Vonleh (Baylor).
A New Era
The Aces finished last season with a 27-13 overall record, which was the fourth-best in the league. They swept the Storm in the first round, but lost in the semifinals to the Liberty. It was the first time since 2021 that they did not make it to the finals.
After the loss, head coach Becky Hammon told the media that the team would look a lot different next season. Typically, when a team that is expected to defend their championship title ends up not doing so, changes have to be made.
During the offseason, they made several moves. For starters, they completed a blockbuster three-team trade with the Sparks and Storm. They acquired Jewell Loyd from the Storm, and sent Kelsey Plum to the Sparks. They also acquired Dana Evans in a sign-and-trade with the Chicago Sky.
Not only did they trade a core starter of the franchise, but the bench went through some changes as well. Kate Martin was taken by the Golden State Valkyries in the expansion draft, and she was not alone as Tiffany Hayes signed with them in free agency. Sydney Colson and Alysha Clark both left in free agency to sign with the Fever and Storm, respectively.
They may have lost some key players, but got some good pickups in free agency. They signed Cheyenne Parker-Tyus to add some much needed frontcourt depth. They signed Tiffany Mitchell, A’ja Wilson’s former college teammate. They also signed Elizabeth Kitley, who they drafted in 2023 but did not play due to injury.
In the draft, they selected Aaliyah Nye (Alabama) and Harmoni Turner (Harvard).
Wings Expectations and Early Impressions
Dallas is expected to be competitive again and get back into playoff contention. With there being so many new players on the team, there are going to be questions about the chemistry and the type of the offense that they will run.
While they lost to Las Vegas in the preseason game, there were a ton of positives to take away from the game. For starters, the rookies quickly put the league on notice.
Aziaha James came off the bench and wasted no time making an impact on both ends of the floor. The Wings needed someone that can generate offense when Arike is off the floor, and that is what James can do. She finished with 10 points and three assists.
Paige Bueckers did a little bit of everything whether that was scoring, facilitating, or crashing the glass. She finished with 10 points and four rebounds. Her playing alongside Arike will be exciting to watch as they work on their chemistry and establish themselves as a potential dynamic duo.
But the real star of the night for Dallas was JJ Quinerly, who led the team with 16 points. She also had two steals and only missed three shots. At one point, she scored on six straight possessions. She made her presence known on both ends of the floor, and grabbed everyone’s attention.
Aces Expectations and Early Impressions
The Aces are expected to make a deep postseason run and potentially get back to the finals. When adding a dynamic scorer like Jewell Loyd who happens to also have championship experience, it is no surprise that they are expected to make a ton of noise.
One of the biggest takeaways in their preseason win against the Wings is that they got a steal in Aaliyah Nye. Nye was taken 13th overall, right behind Aziaha James. She left Alabama as the all-time leader in three pointers made. She finished with 17 points and hit five threes. She also had two rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
Her ability to shoot the three and play defense will be huge for the Aces. She will be a great piece for them off the bench. Tiffany Mitchell is another player who can shoot the ball very well. She can also be another key piece off the bench. She finished with 10 points and made both of her threes.
The starters did nothing but show why they are one of the best teams in the league. Jackie Young led the team with 28 points. She also had five rebounds, nine assists, and three steals. It was no surprise she went off as this was her homecoming game, but it also showed that there is another level to her game that can be unlocked.
A’ja Wilson showed why she’s the reigning MVP and could potentially go back-to-back. She finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks. She also hit a three, which could be another part of her game that would make her even more dangerous when she fully unlocks it.
Chelsea Gray finished with 13 points, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals. This game was just her picking up where she left off after winning the first Unrivaled championship and Unrivaled Finals MVP.
Jewell Loyd made her preseason debut with the Aces and finished with 10 points and two assists. While it was a quiet game for her, there were no issues with gelling with her new teammates. Her, Gray, Young, and Wilson were all teammates in the Olympics, so the chemistry was already there.
