The Wings Bulletin: It's go time, and McCowan knows it
After a five-game losing streak, Dallas recieved a lift from a seldom-used role player. She may have corrected the team's current course.
Don’t blink now. You might miss it.
In a five-game losing streak-snapping win over the Phoenix Mercury on Friday, Teaira McCowan, the Dallas Wings’ role-playing center, played a season-high 25 minutes and scored season-high 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field. She was imposing and dominant, aggressive and patient. And it’s no surprise that what followed, after she played well, was the desperately needed 93-88 win.
Her play set Dallas in the right direction — course correction.
Two days later, led by Arike Ogunbowale, who scored 27 points, Dallas won again. This time to the tune of 92-82 to the Los Angeles Sparks. Finally, back at .500.
At 8-8, Dallas stands in a unique position, bursting with talent but crushed by inconsistency, in the middle of the league table with a chance to carve its future. That starts with giving McCowan more opportunities to bring her expertise to the table — allowing her to get comfortable.
“She’s a walking double-double,” Wings head coach Vickie Johnson said on Friday. “She just did a great job for us. I think she’s feeling more comfortable with our team.”
Comfort is the predecessor to success.
Thus far this season, like McCowan, Dallas has struggled to find comfort on the court — leading to inconsistency and resulting in a stretch that has looked inspiring but also felt disappointing in the same breath.
McCowan is averaging a career-low in minutes, rebounds and points in her first season in Dallas. However, her struggles haven’t affected her effort; her tenacity is an example to everyone on the team.
“She’s doing great,” Allisha Gray said. “She puts in the extra work that we don’t see. She’s in before practice, putting in extra work after the game. Overall, she’s been great for us and is a big presence for us in the post. She’s amazing.”
Despite her struggles, McCowan is still working. She’s still striving. She’s still reaching — hoping — to tap into more games like the one she played against Phoenix and less like the one she played against Los Angeles, where she recorded three points and five rebounds.
With her ferocious work ethic, Dallas is still reaching for its untapped greatness as well.
There is another level the Wings can reach. Whether that means Gray finding an additional offensive level or Ogunbowale continuing her ascent into the upper echelon of WNBA stars, Dallas’ future is right now.
McCowan sees it. Her willingness to work is enough proof of that. If Gray is speaking for the sentiment around the team, McCowan’s consistency in her work is aiding the Wings correct course and play like the team they look like on paper.
“Let’s just win the basketball game,” Johnson said. “Let’s not worry about who starts, who finishes, whatever. Let’s just win the basketball game.”
Don’t blink, you might miss Dallas’ rise up the league standings.
More to come from The Wings Bulletin
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