DHJ Quick Take: The Battle for the Final Spots
- The Size Mandate Continues: The addition of Kyla Oldacre (6-foot-6) and Grace Sullivan (6-foot-4) reinforces the “Wall of Dallas” philosophy. Oldacre, a Texas Longhorns standout with a program-record .339 Win Shares, provides the exact rim protection Curt Miller has prioritized to insulate Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd.
- The Proven Hardship Star: Amy Okonkwo isn’t a typical invitee. After averaging 11.0 PPG for the Wings last season and dominating in Turkey, the former TCU star is the frontrunner to secure a permanent bench role as a versatile scoring threat.
- International IQ: Costanza Verona brings eight years of pro experience from Italy and the EuroLeague. As a proven initiator, she offers a steady backup option for Paige Bueckers, ensuring the Wings‘ offense doesn’t stall when the starters rest.
- The “Fernandez” Connection: Bringing in Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu shows head coach Jose Fernandez values system familiarity. Having coached her at USF, Fernandez knows exactly how to deploy her 6-foot-3 frame in his defensive schemes.
- The Sellers Redemption: After a monster season in Israel (21.9 PPG), Shyanne Sellers is looking to prove she belongs in the league. Her ability to create her own shot makes her a dark horse to disrupt the backcourt rotation.
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Wings have completed their training camp roster, signing center Kyla Oldacre, forward Grace Sullivan, forward Amy Okonkwo, guards Costanza Verona and Shyanne Sellers, and forward/center Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu to training camp contracts.
The additions come on the heels of the most transformative offseason in franchise history. Dallas selected Azzi Fudd No. 1 overall in Monday’s WNBA Draft, pairing her with Paige Bueckers in the backcourt. The Wings also signed Alanna Smith to a three-year max deal, added Jessica Shepard and veteran guard Lindsey Allen, re-signed Arike Ogunbowale on a seven-figure deal, brought back Awak Kuier, retained Li Yueru and Grace Berger as restricted free agents, signed three-time champion Alysha Clark, and selected Tennessee forward Zee Spearman in the third round of the draft.
General manager Curt Miller summarized the organizational mandate plainly after the draft.
“There was intentionality this offseason to get longer and improve defensively in the post,” Miller said. “On the first day of free agency, we signed 6-foot-4, 6-foot-4, and 6-foot-6 players. Now we’ve added more length through the draft.”
The six training camp signees are the latest additions to that vision.
Kyla Oldacre
Oldacre arrives in Dallas after finishing one of the more decorated careers in recent Texas program history. The 6-foot-6 center from Ohio averaged career-bests of 10.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game during her senior campaign, helping lead the Longhorns to the SEC Tournament Championship and the program’s second consecutive NCAA Final Four appearance. She leaves Austin with a 70-8 overall record and departs as the program’s all-time leader in Win Shares Per 40 Minutes (.339).
Oldacre began her collegiate career at the University of Miami (2022-2024), where she was a member of the program’s first-ever NCAA Elite Eight appearance squad, before transferring to Texas for her final two seasons. At 6-foot-6, she fits the organizational blueprint Miller has described repeatedly — long, mobile, and capable of protecting the rim at the professional level.
Grace Sullivan
Sullivan brings a prolific scoring résumé from the Big Ten. The 6-foot-4 forward from Illinois began her collegiate career at Bucknell University (2022-2024) before transferring to Northwestern, where she starred in her final two seasons (2024-2026). As a senior, Sullivan averaged career-highs of 21.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game, earning Second Team All-Big Ten (media) and Third Team All-Big Ten (coaches) honors. She finished the season ranked fourth in the Big Ten and 13th nationally in scoring.
Sullivan recorded 18 games of 20 or more points during her senior campaign, including a seven-game scoring streak from Nov. 17 through Dec. 14 — the longest by a Northwestern player since the 1990-91 season. She set the program’s single-game record with 17 made field goals and tied the school record with 37 points against Ohio State on Dec. 7, 2025.
Amy Okonkwo
Okonkwo is the rare training camp invitee who has already proven she belongs. In eight games with Dallas last season on hardship and rest-of-season contracts, the 6-foot-2 former TCU standout averaged 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per contest — scoring in double digits five times, including a career-high 20-point performance against the Phoenix Mercury on Sept. 11. The Wings know what she can do. The question at this camp is whether she can earn a permanent spot.
She didn’t slow down during the offseason. Competing with Turkish club Beskitas in the KBSL, Okonkwo averaged 14.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game — numbers that suggest her WNBA debut was no fluke. A two-time Olympian with Nigeria and two-time FIBA AfroBasket MVP, she led Nigeria to back-to-back continental titles in 2023 and 2025. The international résumé, the production overseas, and the familiarity with Dallas’ system give her one of the strongest cases in this training camp group.
Costanza Verona
Most training camp invitees are entering professional basketball for the first time. Verona has been doing it for eight years. The Italian national team’s starting point guard has spent the last five seasons with Schio — one of European women’s basketball’s most decorated clubs — winning five Italian Cups (2022-2026) and three Italian Supercups (2022, 2023, 2026) while posting averages of 8.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game this season in Serie A1.
At the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico in March, Verona led Italy in assists at 3.5 per game across five games as the Italians punched their ticket to the 2026 FIBA World Cup. For Dallas — a team that will lean heavily on Paige Bueckers as its primary initiator — Verona offers a proven backup option at point guard with EuroLeague-level credentials.
Shyanne Sellers
The 2025 WNBA Draft didn’t work out as planned for Sellers. Selected 17th overall by the Golden State Valkyries out of Maryland, she went through training camps with the Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream without securing a regular-season roster spot. What she did next says more about her than the draft position.
Sellers took her game to Maccabi Haifa in Israel and became the team’s leading scorer, averaging 21.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.3 steals over 23 appearances — a breakout professional season that looks nothing like a player who couldn’t stick in the WNBA a year ago. Her Maryland career — three consecutive First Team All-Big Ten selections (2023-2025), All-Big Ten Defensive Team in 2023, Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year in 2022, and AP All-America Honorable Mention as a senior — already reflected a player with legitimate professional potential. The Maccabi Haifa season confirmed it.
Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu
For Fankam Mendjiadeu, coming to Dallas is a homecoming of sorts. The 6-foot-3 forward/center from Cameroon played for Jose Fernandez at USF, where she earned AAC Co-Player of the Year and First Team All-AAC honors in 2023 and helped the Bulls win the AAC regular season championship. Fernandez’s decision to bring her to Dallas reflects the trust he has built with players who have been in his system — the same instinct that shaped this entire offseason.
Originally drafted 21st overall by the Seattle Storm in 2023, Fankam Mendjiadeu appeared in 41 games across two seasons in Seattle before heading overseas. Her most recent stop was Serbian club Crvena zvezda, where she averaged 16.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game and helped guide the team to a Serbian Cup title. She arrives in Dallas a more seasoned player than the one Fernandez coached in Tampa — and one he clearly believes is ready for another shot at the WNBA level.
The Bigger Picture
The six training camp signees join a Wings franchise that has been comprehensively rebuilt around Bueckers and Fudd. With Ogunbowale, Smith, Shepard, Kuier, Maddy Siegrist, Clark, Allen, Yueru, Berger, and Spearman also in camp, the competition for roster spots behind Dallas’ established core figures is as intense as any training camp in franchise history.
The Wings begin the regular season on the road against the Indiana Fever on Saturday, May 9, at 12 p.m. CT.
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- ‘Ecstatic To Add Her’: Curt Miller Breaks Down Azzi Fudd As No. 1 Pick For Dallas Wings
- Dallas Wings Select Azzi Fudd No. 1 Overall, Reuniting Her With Paige Bueckers
- Rebecca Lobo On Azzi Fudd Going No. 1 To Dallas Wings: ‘She Has WNBA All-Star Potential As A Rookie’
- Evaluating Top Options For Dallas Wings At No. 1 Overall In 2026 WNBA Draft
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