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The Aces opened the preseason by rolling to a 112-78 win over the Dallas Wings on Friday at Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavilion.
In a return to her alma mater, Jackie Young led the Aces with 28 points and nine assists. Reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson added 19 points and seven rebounds.
Blockbuster trade addition Jewell Loyd, who also played for Notre Dame, made her debut for the Aces with 10 points.
There were plenty of smiles from the Aces during the blowout, from the sideline to the court — a welcome sight for fourth-year coach Becky Hammon after a much less lighthearted 2024 campaign.
“It makes me happy,” Hammon said of the winning energy. “It takes a special kind of human to authentically be cheering and happy for the person next to you. … And I think it’s just special. We know it’s just the beginning, it’s a long season. But as long as we’re committed together, I think the sky’s the limit for this team.”
Here are three takeaways from the exhibition:
1. Young is back
Last season’s 15.8 points per game marked a drop in production and consistency for Young, whom the Aces selected with the No. 1 overall pick in 2019, the year after she won a championship with Notre Dame.
Although Young called the opportunity to return to her alma mater “pretty cool,” she made it clear that her vintage performance wasn’t just for old times’ sake.
“I feel good. Obviously, I wasn’t myself most of last season,” she said. “So I took some time in the offseason to figure that out. I still wasn’t myself at Unrivaled (the offseason women’s basketball league), but I think we’re finally back to where we need to be.”
Young played a game-high 29 minutes. She wasn’t the only starter to log significant time. Hammon didn’t turn to a full reserve rotation until the final four minutes of the fourth quarter, despite the Aces outscoring the Wings 32-11 in the second quarter to establish a 54-36 lead at halftime.
That meant Wilson, point guard Chelsea Gray (13 points, three assists, three steals), Loyd and starting center Kiah Stokes (four points, five rebounds) all played at least 20 minutes.
“We’re trying to get better,” Hammon said. “We’re trying to be the best that we can be. I don’t care about the score.”
Hammon said she would probably have rested her starters sooner in a regular-season game, but that she was focused on honing defensive skills.
2. Nye leads newcomers
Although time was limited for most of the Aces’ newcomers, the team’s top draft pick this year, Aaliyah Nye (No. 13 overall), took advantage of the opportunity as soon as she was subbed in.
The 6-foot Alabama product scored 17 points off the bench on 5-of-8 shooting from the 3-point line, with two steals and a block.
Hammon said she wasn’t surprised by the performance, adding that the Aces sought Nye out in hopes that she would fill a needed “3-and-D” gap for the Aces.
“I think it’s very apparent that I like shooting because it gives space to these other players that can get downhill,” Hammon said. “The other thing about her, though: She just doesn’t make a lot of mistakes defensively. She’s super solid defensively. So she did a great job tonight. One of the best shooters I’ve ever seen.”
Hammon also praised guard Tiffany Mitchell (10 points, including a third quarter buzzer-beater) and forward Crystal Bradford (eight rebounds).
“I’m looking for our bench to be solid contributors,” Hammon said. “And honestly, the way that we want to play, we need a bench because we want to keep that pace and we want to keep that defensive pressure up for 40 minutes. We don’t want any letup.”
3. No Spurs for Hammon
In the wake of San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich stepping down as coach and into a front office position, Hammon, one of his former assistants, was mentioned by multiple national outlets as a potential successor.
Hammon praised Popovich but reiterated her contentment in the WNBA.
“I’m super happy where I am,” Hammon said. “This opportunity for me, I couldn’t pass on it. I bet on myself instead of, maybe waiting it out for a maybe (in the NBA). I’ve enjoyed being back on the women’s side. You guys know I’m effusive about my love for this team and being back in the women’s game.”
Hammon was reportedly in play for the Portland Trail Blazers’ vacancy in 2021, and she has spoken about interviewing for other NBA head coaching openings before she joined the Aces.
“If I were to ever make that jump again, it just has to be the right fit, right time, in front of the right people, with the right team,” she said.
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
