Latricia Trammell promised the Dallas Wings players she will give her all for them next WNBA season. Trammell, announced earlier this week as the Wings' new coach, addressed the media Friday, with young Dallas stars Arike Ogunbowale and Satou Sabally on hand.
Trammell said relationship-building was a key priority in taking over the Wings. Dallas was 18-18 this past season and won a playoff game for the first time since the franchise moved to Dallas in 2016. But there reportedly wasn't always the best relationship between the previous coaching staff and players. Dallas opted to part with coach Vickie Johnson after she went 32-36 and made playoff appearances in 2021 and 2022.
Trammell, who has coached at the pro, college and high school levels, joins Dallas after four years as an assistant with the Los Angeles Sparks.
"I just want you to know I will work my tail off for you and the rest of this roster. Let's do this. Let's get it done," Trammell said, addressing Ogunbowale and Sabally. "I'm a players' coach. I'm very passionate about what I do. I believe in players having a voice and a seat at the table."
Trammell will be the Wings' fifth coach since 2018. Fred Williams was let go late in that season, and former WNBA player Taj McWilliams-Franklin finished 2018 as interim coach. Brian Agler, who had won WNBA championships in Seattle and Los Angeles, coached the Wings in 2019 and 2020, during which time Dallas went 18-38 and didn't make the playoffs. He was replaced by Johnson.
In Los Angeles, Trammell specialized in defense, and the Sparks were in the top three in the league in defensive net rating for three of her seasons there. Trammell, who was born in Oklahoma, won two NAIA championships while at Oklahoma City, where she went 85-10 before moving to the WNBA in 2017.
"When I first arrived in the league," Trammell said, "I had someone tell me, 'I know you're about relationships and you spend a lot of time with your players. Don't do it. This is a business. Get in, get your work done and get out, because players come and go.' Thank God I did not listen to that and stayed authentic and true to myself."