Maddy Siegrist’s New York homecoming draws a crowd and lots of praise from Dallas Wings teammates

Over 400 of Siegrist's family, friends and former teammates were in the stands to watch Siegrist play for the Dallas Wings against the New York Liberty on Sunday.

Former Villanova star Maddy Siegrist, now of the WNBA's Dallas Wings, with nearly 400 friends and family members after Sunday's game against the New York Liberty.Read moreDallas Wings

by Jonathan Tannenwald

Published Jun. 11, 2023, 5:41 p.m. ET

NEW YORK — Maddy Siegrist’s family and friends weren’t going to miss the Hudson Valley native’s return to her home state. And if it was up to them, they weren’t going to let anyone else miss it either.

So hopefully it didn’t catch New York Liberty fans too off guard when some huge roars went up for the visitors during the Dallas Wings’ visit to the Barclays Center on Sunday.

Siegrist’s mother, Ginna, led a charge to buy nearly 400 tickets across two sections near the Wings’ bench, and they showed up in force. From their hometown of Poughkeepsie and another family bastion in Queens, there was a mass of Siegrist t-shirts, neon-yellow thundersticks, and a big cutout of the former Villanova star’s head to get on the national TV cameras.

“It’s so exciting — I know I’m fortunate, and there’s so many people who have helped me get here today,” Maddy said after the Wings’ 102-93 loss. “So to see them all like that, you know, it wasn’t the result we wanted in terms of winning the game, but…”

She gave a shout-out to a 10th-grade teacher in whose class she called for WNBA players to get paid more. The teacher responded that he hadn’t been to a game before, and wouldn’t go unless Siegrist played in it. Lo and behold, there he was in the stands.

“I told you, I kept my word,” he relayed in a text message after the game.

That was one of many messages Siegrist got throughout the weekend. In a phone call Saturday night, she warned her parents that she might not play much, if at all.

The response, she said, was a loving reminder: “They were like, ‘You’ll get in; it will be fine.’ They’re not here to see you play; they’re here to see you. So that always makes you feel good.”

‘She doesn’t back down’

As the game unfolded, Ginna recalled when a seventh-grade-aged Maddy met veteran superstar Breanna Stewart, now of the Liberty.

“I was just showing my sister a picture,” Ginna said, “and now years later she’s playing against her. It’s just amazing, really.”

Stewart, as she does, went off for 32 points on 15-of-20 shooting, nine rebounds, and five assists. Late in the game, Wings coach Latricia Trammell asked her bench if anyone would volunteer to guard her. Siegrist promptly said yes to a task that few players envy, new or old.

“She already had 32 — what’s the worst, she scores a few more times?” she said. “At least I’ll be like a gnat. I’ll just, like, face-guard her. I think she got a basket. But just trying to make it tough, make her work for ‘em.”

A professional’s attitude if ever there was. Her teammates appreciated it, and it’s not the first time they’ve seen it.

“She doesn’t back down from anything,” star guard Arike Ogunbowale said. “Whatever challenge it is, she’s going to attack it. I loved when she raised her hand and said she would do it.”

On the offensive end, Siegrist had six points and six rebounds in 20 minutes on the floor. There were more intangibles than tangibles, but her breakout game was already in the books. In last Wednesday’s win over Phoenix, she had 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and eight rebounds.

‘The right direction’

“I don’t care if she plays two minutes; I don’t care if she plays 11 minutes, 15 minutes — she is going to be ready,” Trammell said. “She knows that she’s a rookie, but she doesn’t embrace that title. … She already has impacted our team and our game, and she’s going to continue to be a great professional player.”

Trammell also praised Siegrist’s interactions with Dallas’ veterans.

“She’s not shy to ask for help or guidance, and that’s something that I think that she has done,” she said. “When I walk into practice and I hear Natasha Howard, talking about, ‘If you need a home-cooked meal, come over,’ you know you’re heading in the right direction.”

A three-time champion, two-time MVP, and one-time defensive player of the year is indeed a good role model. Howard was Dallas’ big offseason trade acquisition, coincidentally from the Liberty, and added her own praise for Siegrist’s tenure so far.

“Her confidence — she’s coming in ready to bring that energy and her scorer mentality as well,” Howard said. “I’m just guiding the rookie in the right direction when it comes to being professional, and also on the court.”

A few sections over from the Siegrist horde, Villanova’s women’s basketball team had their own prime seats, with attire appropriately split between Siegrist’s past and present homes.

As Wildcats coach Denise Dillon took everything in, she knew Siegrist’s impact on the Main Line is far from over. For Villanova to have a star succeed in the WNBA is a big deal for the program, and potentially for the City Six as a whole.

“It’s just emotional, actually, watching her live and seeing her do what she does best out on the floor,” Dillon said. “She wanted her team to be great, so she did everything she needed to. And it was a great example for our current players, and then those that will come.”