"I rebound and then I go up": Teaira McCowan on battling for boards, friendship with Kalani Brown, fitting on Dallas Wings (Exclusive)

Before the ball even bounces off the rim, Dallas Wings center Teaira McCowan doesn’t just rely on her 6-foot-7 frame to clean the glass.

Wings coach Latricia Trammell observed that McCowan adopts a “go-get-it mentality” that involves studying which part of the rim the ball most likely will bounce off of and positioning her body accordingly. After finishing among the WNBA’s leaders in rebounding in 2019 (second), 2021 (third) and 2023 (fifth), McCowan currently ranks fourth (10.4).

“I typically have been on teams where I’m not the first option. So I’ve always had in the back of my mind that I have to go and grab every rebound,” McCowan said. “I rebound and then I go up. That’s more points for me. I’m rebounding and I’m scoring, so that’s 2-for-1.”

Teaira McCowan interview (Exclusive)

McCowan also spoke to Sportskeeda about the Wings (3-2) adjusting to early-season injuries (Satou Sabally, Jaelyn Brown, Natasha Howard), chemistry with Kalani Johnson and Arike Ogunbowale’s strong start.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.

What’s been your early impressions on how the team has adjusted to its various absences?

Teaira McCowan:

“In basketball, you have to face adversity. So it is something that we knew could happen. It sucks losing so many players. But they’re all getting back healthy. We’re pretty young now. So we’re all going through the growing pains and getting everybody on the same page. I think we have three or four new people. So it’s just about getting them into the system and see how the WNBA is with the speed of everything and adjusting. We’re going through that right now, and we’re trying to figure it out.”

What have you all done to try to figure it out?

Teaira McCowan:

McCowan: “The vets have been stepping up and are implementing more of what we’re supposed to be doing. I think we’ve been doing a great job with learning on the fly. We’ve had a back-to-back, so it can get kind of tough. But we’re figuring it out.”

What do you think Arike has done to raise her game to an even higher level?

Teaira McCowan:

“Arike has definitely been working hard in the offseason. I would call her, and she was always in the gym. She was always perfecting her craft. It’s nothing that she hasn’t worked on before. But it’s her moment, and she’s been doing great with herself. What you see in the game is what she works on every day.”

What do you think about the fact that she’s already getting MVP buzz?

Teaira McCowan:

“It’s good for her. It’s going to pay off. She’s a great player all around. She’s getting what she’s been working for this whole time.”

As you also being one of the key players, what you been doing to hold everything down?

Teaira McCowan:

“I definitely stepped more into a veteran role and tried to lead by being more vocal. I’m not really a loud person. I don’t really talk. So I think that’s elevated my game. In the midst of speaking and telling the group what to do, I’m also having poise and patience with myself. I’m also giving myself grace. A lot of times, I used to get rushed on the court. Now I can’t get rushed because I have to be there for my team because I am the vet. I have to slow down and break down my game while I’m playing, while also breaking down the game to the rookies.”

How have you done that?

Teaira McCowan:

“Noticing when a team goes on a run, I see the team falling apart. So I try to say something to reel them back in. It’s been tough because I don’t talk a lot. This is definitely pushing me in every day. It’s different for me, but I’m taking it one day at a time.”

One thing you’re definitely comfortable with is grabbing rebounds…

Teaira McCowan:

(interrupts) “For sure, that’s something I’ve always done.”

Beyond your height, what explains your consistency in being among the league’s rebounders every season?

Teaira McCowan:

“I typically have been on teams where I’m not the first option. So I’ve always had in the back of my mind that I have to go and grab every rebound. I rebound and then I go up. That’s more points for me. I’m rebounding and I’m scoring, so that’s 2-for-1.”

Trammell said you position your body really well to grab the boards. What’s your approach with that?

Teaira McCowan:

“I like to go to the backside of the rim when people shoot. That’s normally where the ball is coming in through the backside. Only sometimes it comes off the frontside. 3s usually lead to long rebounds, so I try to push my defender under. That way, I can turn and get the ball. It’s really just a mindgame that you have to play within myself.”

Sounds like your answer to Dennis Rodman’s breakdown on “The Last Dance” on how he analyzed angles to grab the rebounds!

Teaira McCowan:

(laughs). That’s kind of sort of like that.”

How do you think that way in real-time when the game is being played at full speed?

Teaira McCowan:

“It’s a hard thing to do. Not many people can multitask. It really comes down to multitasking. You’re tired. You have to think about what you’re going to do next. You have to think about where the ball is going to go off the rim. So you just have to tell yourself, ‘Go get the ball. Go get the ball!’ If you can focus on where the ball is and only the ball, it makes a lot easier.”

Who were your rebounding inspirations from both the W and the NBA?

Teaira McCowan:

“I just worked on my own. I feel like if I focus on myself and perfect my craft, then I can do better. There’s nothing wrong with studying people. I may watch a few games. But it’s not like I watched so then I would say, ‘Let me do this.’ I’ve never been that type of player.”

Trammell also raved about your mentality. How would you describe your mentality?

Teaira McCowan:

“Go get every rebound. Even if it’s way out of my area code, I’m still trying to go at least to challenge it and try to tip it back. I always have a knack to go to the ball.”

Given there’s so much emphasis in recent years to have smaller lineups and shoot a lot more 3s, how do you view your place in the game?

Teaira McCowan:

“I get a lot of feedback about being a low inside player, which a lot of player have lost the art of doing. They don’t play with any bigs anymore. Everybody is playing with five guards out. Having a dominant low-post player is lost. But being there and being able to dominate and bang in the paint and rebound and do all the grunt work, I’ve been sticking around. I have Kalani on my side. So you get two on our team. I like it. I chase people around all the time. But they also have to guard me, so I really don’t care.”

How have you and Kalani forged such a strong bond over the years?

Teaira McCowan:

“We’ve always been friends. The first time we saw each other at Baylor camp, we looked at each other and were like, ‘So there are more girls like us out here!’ Ever since then, we have bonded over our tallness. We’ve been friends ever since.”

Coach has said you two should have a reality show together. What do you think?

Teaira McCowan:

“Everybody says that! People don’t really know our dynamic, unless we post something on social media. We really should have our TV show. But honestly, I feel like we would get pulled off TV. It wouldn’t be bad. But people would think, ‘They’re crazy.’ We’d do stuff and people would be like, ‘What are ya’ll doing?!’ Sometimes when we’re doing stuff, we say, ‘Should we be doing this? No, but we’re going to do it anyway.’”

What fun examples stand out?

Teaira McCowan:

“It’s nothing bad. We’ll go somewhere at like 11 o’clock at night. And we’ll say, ‘Why? For what reason?’ We’d be bored or feel like doing something spontaneous.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider with Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.