Marta Suárez starred for the TCU women’s basketball team last season, helping the Horned Frogs reach a second straight Elite Eight. Now, she’s in what she calls a “redshirt year” in the WNBA.
Suarez, a 6-foot-3 forward from Spain, signed a developmental contract with the Phoenix Mercury after she was waived by the Golden State Valkyries in the preseason. Suarez was selected by the Seattle Storm with the No. 16 overall pick in the second round of April’s draft, then immediately traded to Golden State.
The developmental contract was created by the WNBA to help young players who otherwise wouldn’t make the regular roster, allowing them to practice while receiving stipends and other benefits from the team and the league. It comes with stipulations, including that those signed can only play 12 games in a season and must have fewer than four years of experience. Contracts are limited to two players per team.
Suarez did not play in the Mercury’s 85-70 loss to the Dallas Wings on Thursday in Arlington, but she spoke about coming back to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and the whirlwind journey she has been on.
“Last time I was here in DFW was like at the very beginning of all of this stuff,” she said. “From that moment, from draft weekend, and all that came afterward, it’s been a lot of stuff. It’s been a lot of blessings first of all, but I’m very happy to be here.”
Suárez sees her development continuing with the Mercury, along with adjusting to playing her rookie season in the WNBA.
“I’m looking at it as kind of like a redshirt year, you know?” she said. “I’m learning how the system works, which I think sometimes we overlook, kind of like making everything click, the travel, the relationships, the meetings and how to pay attention.
“The schedule is very different from college. We travel a lot, so adapting to all of that and then meanwhile, like, whether I’m playing or not, I can take it as an offseason. Getting my body ready, catching up to the speed of the game, and you know, hopefully getting small [improvements] here and there.”
Suárez has played in three game this season, averaging 2.0 points and 1.3 assists. In her lone season at TCU after transferring from California, she averaged a career-high 17.1 points and 7.4 rebounds and shot a career-best 37% from 3 to earn first team All-Big 12 honors.
Suarez said learning from the Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner and Kahleah Copper is invaluable.
“I love to just look at them and how they read the [defense] and see how they move us,” Suarez said. “I’ve learned that defense is a lot more than you think. [Bonner], it’s amazing to see her 17 years [in the league] and she’s the heart of the team, and the way she defends, the way she fights and rebounds, and then the motor that [Thomas] has. Me being a big that is versatile, she’s a tremendous player to look at. Kai is a different situation, because, man, she’s just like body gifted, just a pleasure to see her, but then also the way that they’re stepping into the leadership position.”
Suárez’s former teammate Olivia Miles is taking the WNBA by storm, which comes as no shock to the Spaniard. Miles set the WNBA rookie record for 3-pointers in a game and has been a major contributor to the Minnesota Lynx, the league’s top team.
“It doesn’t surprise me much, but it’s great to see,” Suarez said. “And she was the one [TCU] player to come to the league and make an impact from the beginning. She’s like that, and she’s a baller, so just excited to see what’s in [store] for her, I think she’s doing a great job leading that team, and they’re very fun to watch.”
Rangers ▶
June 5 Rangers 3, Cleveland 2
June 6 Cleveland 6, Rangers 0
June 7 Rangers 10, Cleveland 0
June 9 Kansas City 5, Rangers 3
June 10 Rangers 6, Kansas City 4 (10 innings)
June 11 Rangers 4, Kansas City 2
June 12 at Boston, 6:10 p.m., CW
June 13 at Boston, 3:10 p.m., RSN
June 14 at Boston, 6:20 p.m., NBC, Peacock
June 15 vs. Minnesota, 7:05 p.m., RSN
June 16 vs. Minnesota, 7:05 p.m., RSN
June 18 vs. Minnesota, 1:35 p.m., RSN
Wings▶
May 28 Wings 95, Las Vegas 87
June 1 Wings 79, Seattle 56
June 5 Wings 104, Los Angeles 96
June 9 Minnesota 100, Wings 76
June 11 Wings 85, Phoenix 70
June 13 at Portland, 7:30 p.m., KFAA
June 15 vs. Las Vegas, 7 p.m., KFAA, USA
June 17 at Golden State, 9 p.m., KFAA
June 20 vs. Chicago, 7 p.m., CBS, Paramount+
June 22 at Seattle, 9 p.m., KFAA
TCU Football ▶
Aug. 29 vs. North Carolina (at Dublin), 11 a.m., ESPN
Sept. 12 vs. Grambling State, 7 p.m., ESPN+
Sept. 19 vs. Arkansas State, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Sept. 26 at Central Florida, TBA
Oct. 24 vs. West Virginia, TBA
Nov. 6 at Arizona, 9:15 p.m., ESPN
Nov. 14 vs. Kansas State, TBA
Nov. 26 at Texas Tech, 7 p.m., ESPN
Cowboys ▶
Sept. 13 at N.Y. Giants, 7:20 p.m., NBC
Sept. 20 vs. Washington, 3:25 p.m., Fox
Sept. 27 vs. Baltimore (at Rio de Janeiro), 3:25 p.m., CBS
Oct. 4 at Houston, 12 p.m., Fox
Oct. 8 vs. Tampa Bay, 7:15 p.m., Amazon Prime Video
Oct. 18 at Green Bay, 7:20 p.m., NBC
Oct. 26 at Philadelphia, 7:15 p.m., ESPN, ABC
Nov. 1 vs. Arizona, 12 p.m., Fox
Nov. 8 at Indianapolis, 12 p.m., Fox
Nov. 15 vs. San Francisco, 3:25 p.m., Fox
Nov. 22 vs. Tennessee, 12 p.m., Fox
Nov. 26 vs. Philadelphia, 3:30 p.m., Fox
Dec. 7 at Seattle, 7:15 p.m., ESPN, ABC
Dec. 20 at L.A. Rams, 3:25 p.m., CBS
Dec. 27 vs. Jacksonville, 7:20 p.m., NBC
Jan. 3 vs. N.Y. Giants, 12 p.m., Fox
Jan. 9 or 10 at Washington, TBA
World Cup ▶
All local matches at AT&T Stadium
June 14 Netherlands vs. Japan (Group F), 3 p.m., Fox
June 17 England vs. Croatia (Group L), 3 p.m., Fox
June 22 Argentina vs. Austria (Group J), 12 p.m., Fox
June 25 Japan vs. Sweden (Group F), 6 p.m., FS1
June 27 Argentina vs. Jordan (Group J), 9 p.m., Fox
June 30 Round of 32: Group E runner-up vs. Group I runner-up, 12 p.m., Fox
July 3 Round of 32: Group D runner-up vs. Group G runner-up, 1 p.m., Fox
July 6 Round of 16: Teams TBD, 2 p.m., Fox
July 14 Semifinal: Teams TBD, 2 p.m., Fox
FC Dallas ▶
May 2 FC Dallas 2, NY Red Bulls 0
May 9 FC Dallas 3, Salt Lake 1
May 13 Vancouver 3, FC Dallas 2
May 16 FC Dallas 3, San Jose 2
May 23 FC Dallas 2, Colorado 1
July 22 at Portland, 9:30 p.m., Apple TV
July 25 at San Diego, 8:30 p.m., FS1, Apple TV
Texas Motor Speedway ▶
June 13 NASCAR Racing Experience
June 20 Team Texas – David Starr’s Racing School
July 11 NASCAR Racing Experience
July 11 Hearts in High Gear