{"id":1352260,"date":"2021-04-17T14:18:06","date_gmt":"2021-04-17T18:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1352260"},"modified":"2021-04-17T14:18:07","modified_gmt":"2021-04-17T18:18:07","slug":"charli-colliers-father-launched-her-dallas-wings-wnba-career-with-a-dying-wish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/charli-colliers-father-launched-her-dallas-wings-wnba-career-with-a-dying-wish\/","title":{"rendered":"Charli Collier's Father Launched Her Dallas Wings WNBA Career With a Dying Wish"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Dallas Wings haven\u2019t posted a winning record since 2015, when the WNBA<\/a> franchise was still located in Tulsa, but they bolstered their roster in a hurry this week by making the first two selections of the annual draft. The Wings grabbed centers Charli Collier from the Texas Longhorns and Awak Kuier from Finland, then continued their overhaul by picking Arkansas Razorbacks guard Chelsea Dungee at No. 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charli Collier stayed closer to home and overcame uncertainty<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Charli
Charli Collier of the Texas Longhorns celebrates the lead late in the fourth quarter against the Maryland Terrapins during the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 at the Alamodome. Elsa\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

RELATED: Draymond Green \u2018Really Tired\u2019 of WNBA Players Complaining About Pay, Then Takes Some Heat<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

University of Texas women\u2019s basketball coach Karen Aston offered Houston prospect Charli Collier a scholarship before she even started eighth grade, and Collier expected to enroll there until reopening her recruitment as a freshman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naturally, UConn coach Geno Auriemma<\/a> came calling, and Collier soon became the first recruit in the Huskies\u2019 2018 class. However, she made that decision seven months after her father died in April 2016. As time went on, Collier realized she wasn\u2019t ready to move so far from home, and she re-committed to the Longhorns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collier started just one game as a freshman and then blossomed into an All-Big 12 center as a sophomore by averaging 13 points and 10 rebounds. But just as she thought she was finding her footing, the pandemic canceled the NCAA Tournament and the school did not retain Aston.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collier contemplated a transfer, which her mother opposed. She told ESPN<\/a> that a moment of clarity emerged upon seeing a 2021 WNBA draft projection that had her going as the No. 8 overall pick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I'm like, what did they see? In my head, they see potential. I'm not even where I'm supposed to be yet. So, what happens when I put all the pieces together?”<\/p>Charli Collier<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The No. 1 WNBA draft pick is a gamble for the Dallas Wings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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NUMBER 1. \ud83e\udd29Enough said! #GodsPlan<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/zgMSDuSiBE<\/a><\/p>— Charli Collier\u2122 (@charlicollier) April 16, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>