Veronica Burton is familiar with Wintrust Arena, but only some of the memories are good.
In her four years at Northwestern, Burton’s Wildcats never beat DePaul on its home court. Her first time leaving Wintrust with a victory came in her rookie season. It was also her first start in the WNBA.
She had eight points, nine assists and three steals in the Dallas Wings’ 84-78 win last August. Now in her second year, Burton’s role has changed. She’s no longer an option at point guard — she’s the Wings’ starter.
“She’s a great voice and a great leader,” Wings coach Latricia Trammell said. “She can get her teammates in offenses. One of the things I noticed was her defense when I first arrived.”
Trammell has earned a reputation as one of the best defensive minds in the WNBA. Burton has gained some defensive notoriety of her own. The All-American was a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and was named the Defensive Player of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association in 2022.
Burton is working to develop into that same type of player as a pro. In her rookie season, she averaged 2.6 points, 1.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 15.2 minutes. She was in a guard rotation that featured Allisha Gray, Marina Mabrey and two-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale. With Gray being moved to the Atlanta Dream in a trade and Mabrey to the Sky in a sign-and-trade, the space has opened up for Burton in the Wings’ starting rotation.
“It’s a blessing to be in this position,” Burton said. “Having an opportunity to make an impact, whatever that role may be, I’m looking forward to it. I have that starting role right now, but I’m taking it game by game. It’s nice to know my teammates and coaches trust me in that position.”
Burton had four points and two assists in the Wings’ season opener. She had nine points and four assists in their second game.
In her second season, Burton is working on her pace and improving her shooting percentages. She shot 32.9% from the field and 27.9% from three-point range last season.
“Knocking down shots, being consistent in that area is a huge growth area,” said Burton, who had two points and six assists Sunday.
No DeShields
Former Sky guard Diamond DeShields didn’t travel with the Wings to Chicago after the team announced this month that she would miss an extended period with a knee injury.
The Wings acquired her in a trade with the Phoenix Mercury this offseason.
“She hates that she’s not here,” Trammell said. “She’s hating that she can’t play and help her team. At home, she’s been that voice for them in practice and film sessions. She’ll be the calm in the storm.”
Injuries
Morgan Bertsch (ankle) and Rebekah Gardner (foot) are out, but that’s all coach/general manager James Wade would share. He had no timeline for their return.
Both went down in the Sky’s loss to the Washington Mystics on Friday, Bertsch in the second quarter and Gardner in the final seconds. The roster is down to nine available players, qualifying the team for an emergency hardship exception. The exception, which has to be approved by the league, can be used when a team falls below 10 available players.
“I’ve asked for the hardship exception,” Wade said. “We’ll see. There are some players on the market, but a lot of teams are in our predicament. We’ll figure it out.”
