Podcast Summary: "How Will The Wings Use the No. 1 Pick?"

Podcast: No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
Hosts: Zena Kada, Sabrina Merchant, Ben Pickman
Date: November 25, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of "No Offseason" dives deep into the fallout from the 2026 WNBA Draft Lottery, focusing on the strategic implications of the Dallas Wings nabbing the top pick for a second consecutive year. Discussion ranges from evaluating head coaching changes—most notably Chris DeMarco's hiring by the New York Liberty—to a comprehensive mock draft breakdown, trade speculation, and larger conversations about diversity in WNBA coaching ranks. The show closes on a lighter note with a Thanksgiving-themed basketball segment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. New York Liberty Head Coach Hire: Chris DeMarco (01:51–10:29)

• Background & Rationale

  • Chris DeMarco, Warriors assistant since 2012 and Bahamas men’s national team coach, is named the Liberty’s new head coach.
  • The Liberty's GM Jonathan Kolb sought someone "innovative" and "adaptable" (03:02), with recent experience in NBA systems.
  • DeMarco's lack of WNBA/women’s coaching experience is widely discussed.

• Key Concerns and Potential Advantages

  • Discussion about DeMarco’s strengths in player development, defense, and translating the Warriors' offense (Stephen Curry parallels) to a team with Sabrina Ionescu at the helm (05:01).
  • How crucial assistant coaching hires will be to support DeMarco's transition (06:04).
  • Reference to successful transitions: Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix Mercury), Becky Hammon, Sandy Brondello—all former WNBA players, which makes DeMarco's lack of W play/history more pronounced.

• Memorable Quote:

  "It's just a very, very hard thing to do in your first season... We've seen Becky Hammon and Sandy Brondello do it, and that's about it." – Sabrina Merchant (06:04)

2. Coaching Diversity and WNBA Representation (10:29–19:29)

• Diversity Patterns & Concerns

  • No current Black female head coaches remain in the WNBA (10:29).
  • Conversation on the coded language in hiring, e.g., "innovative" often equated with white, analytic-minded coaches (12:53).
  • Comparison to Unrivaled league: 5 of 8 head coaches are Black women due to intentional hiring approaches.

• Structural Challenges

  • The lack of reliable pathways for Black women to ascend the coaching ranks.
  • Noted that Black women, even when hired, have shorter leashes—less time/support to develop into top head coaches (15:22).
  • The psychological risk for top assistants: accepting a bad “first shot” can permanently derail a promising career.

• Memorable Quotes:

  "It's worth calling out the pattern that somehow, whatever those unique needs are, Black women are not meeting those needs to a standard enough to be hired as head coaches in a league that's made up predominantly of women who look like them." – Zena Kada (10:29)

  "Not only are the black women not getting the jobs, but when they do get the jobs, there just isn’t the investment and support behind them to actually help them develop into good head coaches." – Sabrina Merchant (17:50)

3. College Basketball Check-In: UConn vs. Michigan Thriller (22:20–27:39)

• Game Recap (UConn 72–69 Michigan)

  • Ben’s “Ben’s Balance” top 6 teams: UConn, UCLA, South Carolina, Texas, LSU, Michigan.
  • Detailed breakdown of UConn’s comeback from a 22-5 deficit, Michigan’s resilience, and strategic switch to a 2-3 zone (22:34).

• Personal Anecdotes

  • Student journalism highlighted—a special moment between Gino Auriemma and Michigan Daily reporters.

• Memorable Quote:

  "[Michigan] were down 22 to 5. They looked unsettled... then we saw them settle down... and their offense got hot on the other end. They played the game at their pace. I thought that was so impressive." – Ben Pickman (22:34)

4. 2026 WNBA Draft Lottery Breakdown (30:10–33:45)

• Lottery System Explained

  • Five teams in lottery based on combined two-year records.
  • Dallas secures #1, followed by Minnesota (via Chicago), Seattle, Washington, Chicago (via Connecticut).
  • Expansion teams (Portland, Toronto) get picks 6 and 7; order TBD.
  • Frequent back-to-back #1s discussed (e.g., Dallas, Indiana).

• Draft Process Quote:

  "If you're surprised that the Dallas Wings won the number one pick, you shouldn't be... It's very common." – Sabrina Merchant (32:04)

5. Mock Draft + Prospect Deep Dive (33:45–64:54)

Sabrina Merchant’s Mock Top 5 (33:45–34:17):

1. Dallas: Awa Fam (19-year-old center, Spain)
2. Minnesota: Olivia Miles
3. Seattle: Azzi Fudd
4. Washington: Lauren Betts
5. Chicago: Flau’jae Johnson

• Discussion on “Optionality” & Best Player Available (34:17–38:02)
  • Some GMs may factor free agency into their draft, others (like Sabrina) believe lottery = draft best available, regardless of fit.

Spotlights on Prospects & Fits

• Awa Fam (“Fluid, physical, high ceiling international center”)

  • “Her footwork… she rolls to the basket with physicality and a presence and just a fluidity in how she moves...” – Ben Pickman (39:25)
  • Dallas’ scouting focus, international trend, and forging a potential super dynamic with Paige Bueckers (41:19).

• Lauren Betts

  • Could slide due to team fits; challenges of accommodating a traditional 6’7” center.
  • Shakira Austin’s status in Washington as a key factor (46:21).

• Azzi Fudd

  • UConn-to-Wings or UConn-to-Storm reunion potential.
  • Importance of on/off-court chemistry explored (especially regarding her rumored relationship with Bueckers and Dallas’s top pick) (50:26).

• Flau’jae Johnson

  • Downshifted on boards as LSU’s early non-challenging schedule limits current evaluation.
  • “She’s never been the number one option on a team... just haven’t had that opportunity.” – Sabrina Merchant (54:05)

• Olivia Miles

  • Transferred to TCU, looked at as a floor-setting guard with major upside.
  • Potential to play herself into a higher pick with a strong senior season.

• Potential Draft Risers

  • Te-Hina Paopao, Gabrielle Hawkes, Gianna Kneepkens: Possibility to sneak into the top five if teams have specific immediate needs (60:28–63:18).

Trade Scenarios & Team Strategies (55:27–64:54)

• Trading top picks has become more likely given the murky order behind #1.

• Minnesota (#2) and especially teams with "win-now" outlooks (Chicago, Washington) likely to take/make calls for pick swaps.

• Quote:

  “In past years people knew you get number one, don’t waste my time. I’m not trading it... Whereas this year, those calls are not a waste of time necessarily.” – Ben Pickman (57:29)

• Expansion means first round picks (now potentially up to 15+) may lose exclusivity/impact, causing teams to reevaluate their draft asset strategies.

6. Thanksgiving Segment: “Favorite Food as a Player” (67:49–73:10)

Playful comparisons:

• Zena: Mashed potatoes = Audie Crooks (“solid, reliable, feeds the family, holds down the paint”) (69:30)
• Sabrina: UConn = The turkey (“People [may] have a lot of feelings about turkey... but inevitably, you have a Thanksgiving dinner and there's turkey in the middle of the table. That's how I feel about UConn.”) (70:18)
• Ben: Chicago Sky’s mascot “recipe” = Trying too hard with new “chef” influences; sometimes best to stick with the basics (72:45).

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “[Chris DeMarco] is a player’s coach through and through, really great defensively... but has never coached high level women's basketball before.”
  — Zena Kada (01:51)

• “Why is it that more Black women aren’t finding themselves aligned with the team's vision of a future head coach?”
  — Zena Kada (10:29)

• “If you have the number one pick, that means you’ve been pretty bad the last two years. I don’t think you should be focusing your draft decision on who you sign in free agency.”
  — Sabrina Merchant (36:52)

• “Her footwork... she rolls to the basket with like a physicality and a presence and just a fluidity in how she moves... she’s poised to have a really high ceiling.”
  — Ben Pickman on Awa Fam (39:25)

• “She is the best two-way guard available... that counts for something”
  — Zena Kada on Flau’jae Johnson (54:39)

• “In past years people knew, you get number one, don’t waste my time. I’m not trading it... Whereas this year, those calls are not a waste of time necessarily.”
  — Ben Pickman (57:29)

• "If you're surprised that the Dallas Wings won the number one pick, you shouldn't be... It's very common."
  — Sabrina Merchant (32:04)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Chris DeMarco hire & implications: 01:51–10:29
• Coaching diversity discussion: 10:29–19:29
• UConn vs. Michigan game recap: 22:20–27:39
• Lottery system breakdown: 30:10–33:45
• Mock draft & prospect analysis: 33:45–64:54
• Thanksgiving “food as player” segment: 67:49–73:10

Summary Takeaways

• The Dallas Wings face no obvious “must-pick” at the #1 spot, creating intrigue and optionality for both draft and trade possibilities.
• Chris DeMarco’s hire marks a dramatic shift for the Liberty and underscores larger issues of representation and opportunity in the WNBA coaching pipeline.
• Collegiate talent remains robust, with unique international prospects and NIL-driven player movements keeping draft boards in flux.
• Mock drafts this year feel far less certain; external moves (FA, expansion, trades) will reshape both the draft order and the prospects’ fit.
• The WNBA’s ongoing expansion will change the valuation of “first-round” picks and alter how teams build their rosters going forward.

(End of Summary)