Longtime WNBA coach, player Pettis imparts knowledge to Dallas Wings players

With the WNBA notably entering its 20th season, the Dallas Wings, the league’s new Metroplex team, have someone on their side that has seen it all.

Assistant coach Bridget Pettis begins her third year with the team, but Pettis has a league career that goes back to the league’s debut season, when she was drafted seventh overall by the Phoenix Mercury in 1997.

Pettis believes that Dallas/Fort Worth was due for a WNBA team, which relocated last fall from Tulsa.

“Toughest thing in Tulsa for me was that it was going to remain a young team. When the team moved from Detroit to Tulsa, all the veterans didn’t come back,” Pettis said. “That’s tough because you don’t win championships without veteran players. It would’ve been a cycle.

“Sports are so big now and coming out of a bigger city and bigger market, it’ll draw attention of the inter-city youth and the community,” she added. “We also get to link up with other sports like the NFL and the NBA, and it’s just a market that’s needed. It just needed to be in a city like Dallas. It’s a big state for basketball, girls basketball, and now they can come and aspire to be a part of it.”

As a player, Pettis played for the Mercury from 1997-2001 and 2004-06. She scored the first points in Mercury history. She also played for the Indiana Fever in 2002 and 2003.

During her eight-year career, Pettis played in 228 games and scored 1,408 career points.

After her playing career, Pettis served as assistant coach with Phoenix from 2006-2009, winning two WNBA championships. She also served as director of basketball operations from 2010-11 with Phoenix, and an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2013.

“I was part of the Phoenix Mercury for years and it helped that we had the Phoenix Suns and the Arizona Cardinals. Even during the off-season, people got to know about our league,” Pettis said.

The Wings begin the season at Indiana on Saturday. The home opener is May 21 against San Antonio.

With a young team, there’s excitement in the air, especially coming from the backcourt. Skylar Diggins is coming back from a torn ACL in her right knee, and Odyssey Sims is a Dallas native who graduated from Irving MacArthur.

“They went through the grind of it, injuries and a lot of maturing and growing on the bench,” Pettis said. “It’s going to be fun to see. They’re very talented. I see them jelling a lot and communicating. They’ve come a long way and I’m excited for the next step.”

Pettis, a University of Florida graduate, has also seen the growth of the league, with more skilled and athletic players coming up through the college game.

“I know it’s very physical and talent-wise it only can get better. Women are seen as young players and they develop very early,” Pettis said.

This story was originally published May 10, 2016 at 3:32 PM with the headline "Longtime WNBA coach, player Pettis imparts knowledge to Dallas Wings players."