The WNBA’s Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever hosted introductory press conferences last Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
Indiana Fever Introduces Sydney Colson
After spending the last three seasons with the Las Vegas Aces, two-time WNBA Champion and guard Sydney Colson was introduced to the press on Tuesday as the newest member of the Indiana Fever.
Colson adds veteran experience to a young Indiana Fever team, led by back-to-back No. 1 overall draft picks Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark. The team also had a busy offseason, bringing in new acquisitions, including Natasha Howard, DeWanna Bonner, and Sophie Cunningham.
“I’m known for my defense and playmaking,” Colson said Tuesday. “I have to come in and do that. People are expecting certain things…so it’s just being a professional, showing up and doing your job so that everything can go together and come with a good attitude so we can make it work.”
Colson spoke highly on how head coach Stephanie White envisions the fitting on the team chemistry and sees it as a value.
“Stephanie [White] just talked to me about how she saw me fitting in as a piece on court for the team, and that was really important to me,” Colson said. “I’ve never been considered a lot in free agency, and so for her to see my value it meant a lot.”
Last season, the Indiana Fever participated in the postseason for the first time since 2016, the last season Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings played for the team before retiring, falling to the Connecticut Sun in the first round after posting a 20-20 record. With COO and general manager Amber Cox’s moves in the offseason, the Fever are one of the championship contenders.
Dallas Wings Welcome New Off-Season Acquisitions: Carrington, Hines-Allen, and Smith
The Dallas Wings introduced their returning players and new acquisitions during an introductory press conference on Wednesday.
General manager Curt Miller introduced forwards NaLyssa Smith and Myisha Hines-Allen, and guards DiJonai Carrington and Tyasha Harris. Harris had played for the Wings for three seasons before getting traded to the Connecticut Sun, where she played for the last two seasons.
Hines-Allen and Smith were already acquainted from playing offseason basketball for Galatasaray in Istanbul. Hines-Allen is thrilled to with Smith in Dallas and talked about Smith’s evolution from her playing days at Baylor to the professional level.
“Just to see her growth from college to now the pros, I’m super excited just to be teamed up with her again,” Hines-Allen said Wednesday. “Like Curt (Miller) mentioned, her rebounding is phenomenal, but I think one-on-one basketball with her is like another player. You just roll out the ball and she can go get a bucket, too. (I’m) so super excited to be teamed up with her again.”
All of the new members also spoke how excited they are to team up with guard Arike Ogunbowale, who is a two-time WNBA All-Star MVP and led the league in steals last season.
“She’s a hooper through and through,” Carrington said. “And she’s one of the hardest people in the league to guard, so [I’m] glad we don’t have to do that anymore.”
The Dallas Wings also hold the No. 1 overall draft pick in this year’s WNBA Draft. UConn point guard Paige Bueckers is projected to be the top pick and has declared.
