'Build on the Foundation': Dallas Wings Adjust in Practice as Luisa Geiselsöder Joins Ahead of Seattle Storm Game

Koclanes praised Geiselsöder’s basketball IQ, physical presence, and ability to operate effectively in the paint and on the perimeter.

“I think IQ, I think size, and I think stretch,” he said. “She has the ability to shoot the ball, so you’ve got to guard her at the arc. But she’s also an inside presence. Anytime you have somebody with that size who can play inside-out, it just adds another versatile tool to the toolbox.”

Tyasha Harris Naering End for Minutes Restriction

Tyasha Harris, on a minute restriction during the opener due to a knee injury, finished the game with five points, two rebounds, and three assists in 14 minutes of action. Despite the limited playing time, Harris made her presence felt off the bench, and she is expected to see increased minutes moving forward now that she is back to full participation in practice.

“It was good. Everything’s fine—my injury is fine,” Harris said. “Just trying to be smart about it. Like I said, it’s a long season, so there’s no need to rush and play 30 minutes in the first game when we’ve got 43 others. I trust my coaches, they trust me, and we’re putting in that work.”

Koclanes confirmed the plan to lift restrictions throughout the week.

“She felt really good, so I anticipate that restriction being lifted. I’m going to look to get her more and more involved,” he said.

Harris spoke clearly and assuredly about her role on this year’s revamped Wings roster, embracing her veteran presence and ability to provide stability off the bench.

“I feel like I can come in and be a spark off the bench. I’m a poised point guard,” she said. “Every year is different—sometimes I start, sometimes I come off the bench. I always tell my AAU players: being a role player is not a bad thing. Every great team has role players. That’s where longevity comes in—knowing your role and perfecting it.”

She also offered insight into her on-court chemistry with No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers, highlighting their ability to interchange roles and create scoring opportunities for each other.

“If she’s got the ball, go ahead. I’ll run the wing. If I’ve got the ball, she can run the wing,” Harris explained. “It gives Paige a chance to play off the ball, and she’s a great scorer and shooter. Sometimes as a point guard, you take a back seat. So when I come in and let her be aggressive from the two-guard spot, it opens everything up.”

Dallas Wings Learning from the Opener, Preparing for the Seattle Storm

The Wings are using the season-opening loss as a reference point for improvement. Koclanes said the team struggled with tempo and post-entry execution but emphasized the importance of learning and cohesion.

“I just appreciate how intentional [Paige] is on both sides of the ball. Defensively, she’s really buying in and trying to help those around her get to good spots,” he said. “Offensively, credit to Minnesota—they disrupted us. I didn’t like our speed or tempo. But I thought Paige was extremely comfortable, got off the ball at the right times, and found her groove in the second half.”

Bueckers finished her debut with 10 points, seven rebounds, and two assists in 30 minutes of action. Postgame, she acknowledged the need to build on the team’s foundation and not overreact to the result.

“You gotta have a starting point, so you gotta have a foundation to build on,” Koclanes said. “We don’t want to overreact to the loss, but we also know there’s a lot of things we have to clean up and get better at.”

Facing the Storm will pose another physical challenge, particularly against a frontcourt that includes Nneka Ogwumike, Ezi Magbegor, Dominique Malonga, and Li Yueru.

“This league—there’s no easy night. You’ve got All-Stars all over the place,” Koclanes said. “We saw [Napheesa] Collier first, now we get Nneka. So we’ll learn from what happened with Collier and try to make it a tougher night for Nneka.”

He also noted the need for greater frontcourt size against a matchup against Seattle, suggesting that Teaira McCowan could see more minutes. McCowan struggled in the opener and logged only five minutes of action, adding just three rebounds.

“It’s huge. Just having Teaira and what she brings is really important,” Koclanes said. “She’s each and every day buying in and committing to just competing at a high level and giving great effort. And so the more she continues to do that, like she’s just going to have an impact for us on the floor.”

Dallas will host Seattle at 7:00 p.m. CT on Monday at College Park Center. The game will be broadcast locally on WFAA and nationally on NBATV. Geiselsöder is listed as probable pending FIBA clearance.

With Harris at full speed, Bueckers gaining rhythm, and the frontcourt rotation evolving, the Wings will look to secure their first win of the season and continue laying the foundation for the season.