The Atlanta Dream will tip off its first season under head coach Nicki Collen on the road against the Dallas Wings on Sunday, May 20 as part of #WNBAAllDay and WNBA Tip-Off powered by Verizon, according to the 2018 WNBA schedule, which was released Thursday by league officials.
Collen and the Dream, along with the recently returned Angel McCoughtry will make their first appearance at home on Saturday, May 26 beginning at 6 p.m. against the Wings, at McCamish Pavilion on the Georgia Tech campus.
“I’m excited about my first year as a head coach in the best professional league in the world,” Collen said. “The nature of the condensed schedule makes this season daunting for every team in this league. The are no nights off in the WNBA. Playing 34 games in 92 days will be a challenge to us, and will require a discipline to scouting, recovery, and will put a premium on having a deeper bench.”
The WNBA schedule was reworked in 2016 to create a more balanced look as teams will now play each other a minimum of three times, regardless of conference affiliation. This year, the Dream will play four games against Tiffany Mitchell and conference rival the Indiana Fever.
“This team will have to take a Road Warrior mentality into the front half of the season as we play 10 of our first 16 games on the road,” Collen added. “I think this team is veteran enough to understand the importance of stealing wins on the road.”
The 2018 home schedule includes nine games against Western Conference opponents and 10-weekend dates, including a pair of games against Diana Taurasi, Sancho Lyttle and the Phoenix Mercury (June 3/July 8). The Dream will also host their only home against Lawrenceville, Ga., native Maya Moore and the reigning WNBA Champion Minnesota Lynx (May 29) at McCamish Pavilion.
Fans will also have one chance to see Candace Parker and the Los Angeles Sparks at McCamish Pavilion on Thursday, August 9.
Some other must-see contests include a pair of games against Coach Collen’s former team, the Connecticut Sun (June 5/June 22) and a pair of contests against Sue Bird and the Seattle Storm (July 6/July 22).
“Fans should be excited about us having seven home games in July with many of them being on the weekend,” Collen said. “We plan to make McCamish Pavilion a true home court advantage and will need our fans during this time.”
2018 Atlanta Dream season and group tickets are on sale now by calling 877-977-7729 or by visiting www.AtlantaDream.net.
The Atlanta Dream, who is celebrating its 11th season in the WNBA in 2018, will play its home games in McCamish Pavilion on the Georgia Tech campus. Atlanta has qualified for the playoffs seven times, winning conference titles in 2013, 2011 and 2010.