Wilson Looks to Showcase ‘Versatility’ in WNBA Training Camp

RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina State University women’s basketball player Dominique Wilson is looking to finally pursue her dreams as the Las Vegas Aces have signed her to a training camp contract. Despite her stardom, the road to the WNBA has not been a straight path. Wilson’s journey would take her across the world and back. Luckily, I had the opportunity to catch up with the Powder Springs, Georgia-native to outline that journey and brings fans up to speed with their favorite guard.

When Wilson graduated from North Carolina State University, she was leaving a women’s basketball program that was in the midst of returning back to glory. She was one of the best Lady Wolfpack scorers to ever step foot on campus in Raleigh. In the 96 games she played, Wilson averaged 14.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. She finished her career ranked in the top ten of points per game (15.6 ppg – 6th) and steals per game (1.9 – 10th) in Atlantic Coast Conference history. 

The Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA recently announced on April 18th that they would be signing Wilson to a training camp contract.

After a few days of rest after a busy overseas season, Dominique was back in the lab working on her craft. When that call was received that she would be invited to a WNBA training camp, the fire was fueled even more. “I immediately started training. I got in the gym and started putting up some shots.” She has been looking to improve her speed, agility, and overall conditioning in these upcoming days before having to report to camp on May 1.

Training camp begins May 5 with the Las Vegas Aces having a preseason game on Sunday, May 26 against the Minnesota Lynx.

Last season, the Aces finished 14-20 and in ninth place, one place away from a playoff spot. The Aces received the number one overall pick for a third straight year. In 2017, Washington’s Jackie Plum was the number one pick. South Carolina’s A’ja Wilson was the lucky number one in 2018 before Las Vegas selected Jackie Young from Notre Dame in the 2019 WNBA Draft first. This will be LV’s third year of action as a franchise.

“It’s hard because you don’t really know what you are walking in to.” Despite her apprehensiveness, Wilson seems adaptive to change. “Going in there, you just have to have an open mind to listen and learn from the coach because you have to pay attention and catch on quick.”

Undeterred by the big challenge at hand, Dominque emphasized that she was ready for the journey.

With a team loaded with promising stars and a bright future, Dominique will look to make an impact on the Aces roster this summer.
When asked why she would make a good fit as a member of the Aces organization, Wilson paused, then replied,
“I am a player that can shoot the ball but will also play hard-nosed defense plus I am versatile. I can bring the ball up and pass to the star player, I have no problems doing that, my ego will not get in the way. If the coach wants me to go out there and shoot the ball, I am perfectly capable of doing that. I just feel like I am a good piece because I am so versatile.”

But versatility hasn’t always been in her game, but it has been a necessary transition to make as a basketball player in order for her to be successful. Her time at NC State really put that in perspective. Wilson was in that first class that NC State head coach Wes Moore had that brought back winning ways to Raleigh.

“When Coach (Wes) Moore came, at first it was hard trying to find chemistry and it took us a while. But when we found it, we were definitely able to have success as a team.”

After her success from 2014-2017, several of Wilson’s former teammates are now continuing the success that was built in that three-year span.

This year, the Lady Wolfpack had a magical season, winning their first 21 games of the season and finishing the season 28-6 before eventually falling to the third-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes in Greensboro in March. The streak of 21-straight wins was the best start and longest win streak in program history.

Referring back to her last game at NC State in which her game-winning floater had been ruled a charging foul that led to Texas defeating the Lady Wolfpack in the final seconds of the tournament. Still slightly disappointed about the way her career in Raleigh ended, Wilson laments on the positive of her exiting moment at NC State. “Our last year in the last game of the NCAA tournament, of course, we can sit and point fingers at the refs but it was a good experience for our team at the time.”

NC State finished 4th in the ACC this season, their third straight time achieving the feat, first accomplished in Wilson’s senior year.

“I think that game sent a message to our younger players at that time that we are good enough and capable of making the NCAA tournament and making a run, and the younger players caught on to that.

Not always able to watch, Wilson keeps up with the Lady Wolfpack via twitter and various highlights on YouTube. Her senior year was played in the freshly renovated Reynold’s Coliseum and emphasized how important that venue was to her. “Renovating Reynold’s was important…our fan base is very motivating, they really care about us a lot so it was always fun playing (in Reynold’s Coliseum).”

After her time in Raleigh, Wilson spent a year in both Sweden and Poland, respectively. She used this time to rebuild her name again. The former Lady Wolfpack star spent three months in Sweden where the rookie managed to average 19.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game with Norrkoping.

After her season, Wilson and a few friends helped out with the Nigerian national team while they were working out in Spain during the summer of 2018. Wilson’s high-level IQ plus dominance on the court as a member of the First Bank Basketball Club in Nigeria led her to be invited by the Nigerian team to participate in their quest for a FIBA World Championship. Due to some visa issues, that heart-warming story turned sour and Wilson would not be allowed to participate in national team activities.

Wilson’s biggest adjustment came from having to be more independent overseas. “In college, you already have a trainer. You have things like a coach…but now as a professional overseas, you have to invest in those things yourself.”

The language barrier did not affect Wilson as much as most, as she was lucky enough to play for coaches who spoke good English. “sometimes the words they are using are not correct, so you have to figure out what they meant.”

Wilson figured it out over the next year. She improved in her second season, averaging 22.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.9 steals per game with Widzew of Poland. Wilson accredited Elmedin Omanic, head coach of the Widzew team her coach’s relaxed style of coaching in allowing her to blossom as a player. Wilson mentioned that Omanic constantly preached to her to “push the ball, try to score and attack, and if it’s not there, run the offense.” She continued on her coach and his ways to encourage and make her feel at home. “My coach would just tell me that (the coaches) just want you to be comfortable and go out there and play.” Being a team player, Dominique still managed to get her teammate involved, improving her assist numbers from the previous season.

Wilson used the time overseas to transition herself from a shooting guard to a more modern point guard which can score and feed other players. “I was able to make mistakes and learn…like, as a point guard, you can’t do this, you might have to make a do things a different way.”

“I was able to make mistakes and then learn from my mistakes which helped me grow as a point guard”

Learning from her mistakes, Wilson can now showcase her knowledge and skill on the big stage in this golden opportunity with the Aces.

There will need to be a balance in rest and work. Wilson stated that she was “trying to find the right level of not going too hard because you want your body to be healthy and have energy during training camp, but also wanting to be in great shape for training camp.”

 

Dominique will look to use her versatility to impress the coaching staff beginning May 5 in hopes of solidifying a roster spot for the preseason game on May 26.

Las Vegas Aces will play the Minnesota Lynx in their first preseason game on Sunday, May 26 at 8 pm EST/5 pm PST.

 

(Cover photo courtesy of Greg Mintel)