Apr 12, 2023 - Sports

The Dallas Wings are getting ready to soar

Two women hold up a blue jersey that says Dallas — WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and Lou Lopez Sénéchal pose for photos after Lopez Sénéchal was selected fifth overall by the Dallas Wings. Photo: Mike Lawrence/NBAE via Getty Images

The Dallas Wings ended up with three of the top five picks in the WNBA draft Monday night.

The big picture: The Wings are trying to build around star player Arike Ogunbowale, whose oblique injury kept her out of last year's playoffs.

State of play: The Wings finished sixth in the league last season. The team's newly drafted players are fueling hopes for a successful 2023 season, which begins in May.

Yes, but: The team's decision to give up future first- and second-round draft picks to acquire No. 4 pick Stephanie Soares from the Washington Mystics surprised people.

Soares has torn her ACL twice in a 27-month period, per Sports Illustrated.

Zoom in: Soares grew up in Brazil and spent most of her college career at an NAIA school. She played in 13 games at Iowa State before her season-ending ACL injury in January.

No. 3 pick Maddy Siegrist was left off the middle school A-team. That night, her dad remembers her turning on the driveway lights and "putting up shots until it was time for bed," per NYT. In the end, rejection may have been the best thing that ever happened to her because she went on to play for Villanova.
No. 5 pick Lou Lopez Sénéchal was born in Mexico and began playing basketball in France and Ireland. After reaching out to 208 schools, she ended up at Fairfield and then UConn.

Abby Meyers, the No. 11 pick, led her high school to a Maryland state championship alongside her two sisters.

What's next: The Wings' May 20 season opener, a home game against the Atlanta Dream, will be broadcast on ABC.

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The Dallas Wings are getting ready to soar

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