Poughkeepsie native Maddy Siegrist picked third by Dallas Wings in WNBA Draft

Maddy Siegrist smiled, hugged her family and approached the stage Monday evening, greeted by WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

The Poughkeepsie native appeared calm and poised, as she typically does, but loved ones insist the excitement was bubbling beneath the surface. Because this moment, for her, was the fulfillment of what once seemed like a far-fetched childhood fantasy.

"I'm so excited," Siegrist said, minutes after she was selected third overall in the WNBA Draft. "It's a dream come true... I didn't start thinking this was possible until recently."

But after leading the NCAA in scoring this season, the former Villanova University star didn't have to wait long at Spring Studios before learning that the next step in her incredible basketball journey will lead her to the Dallas Wings.

"I'm super proud," said her father, George Siegrist Jr. "You're always excited for your kids when they set a goal and reach it. She was a little girl playing for St. Martin de Porres (CYO) and saying, 'I wanna be in the WNBA,' and it actually happens."

South Carolina center Aliyah Boston went No. 1 to the Indiana Fever, then Maryland guard Diamond Miller to the Minnesota Lynx, before Engelbert's announcement of Siegrist kicked off a celebration about 80 miles north in her hometown.

Siegrist joins a short list of Dutchess County products who have reached the pinnacle of professional basketball. Rich Rinaldi was drafted by the NBA in 1971, then Tyler Lydon and Elijah Hughes in recent years. Siegrist is the highest-drafted Villanova basketball player and the first woman from the Hudson Valley region to be selected by the WNBA since Ossining's Saniya Chong in 2017.

“It’s a surreal feeling for everyone right now,” Maddy’s brother, George Siegrist III, said. “It’s like, ‘Whoa, I can’t believe this is really happening.’ But it’s a great, exciting moment for our family and the entire community that has been supporting her.”

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The 22-year-old was accompanied to the draft by her parents, Virginia and George Jr., and younger siblings George III, Caroline and Patrick. More than 100 other relatives, friends and former coaches were set up at a draft party near the Manhattan venue, waiting for her to join them afterwards in celebration.

"I’ve been surrounded by such good people and good teammates," Maddy said. "I wouldn’t be here without them."

Relatives said Maddy veiled her nervousness throughout the day and appeared stoic even as her name was called during the event.

But, George III said, “once she was off camera, that’s when all the excitement and emotions came out.”

The offseason is short for incoming players as WNBA training camps open April 30 and the regular season begins May 19. Maddy will have two weeks to prepare for what her dad called an "intense" jump in competition, along with a move halfway across the country.

The Wings went 18-18 and lost in the first round of the playoffs. Their hope is that Maddy eventually will work well in tandem with Arike Ogunbowale, who is a dynamic scoring guard. Dallas had multiple first-round picks and also selected Lou Lopez-Senchal (UConn) and Abby Meyers (Maryland), and acquired Iowa State's Stephanie Soares in a trade.

"I think I have a high motor, so I'm constantly moving without the ball," Maddy said of how she imagines her game fitting in with the Wings. "I can rebound, do all the little things."

She averaged 29.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 51% from the field and 36.1% from three. Maddy led Villanova to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2003, earning along the way All-American honors and the Katrina McClain Award as the nation’s best power forward. She also was a finalist for national player of the year.

The 6-foot-2 forward holds the Wildcats career scoring record with 2,896 points and averaged 24.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in four collegiate seasons.

Maddy envisions herself being a hybrid small forward/power forward at the WNBA level, and continuing in her “stretch four” role. With her perimeter skills and outside shooting ability, she could present matchup challenges for opponents. But, she said, she'll play "any position they need me to play."

“I do try to enjoy these things in the moment and reflect on how far I’ve come,” she said, “but it’s hard to when you’re in the grind and working toward what’s next. But I know when I have some time, I’ll look back and be able to fully appreciate it.”

Now, picture that

There are brief moments of reflection, rewinding way back. One of those memories always will be vivid, as she remembers well that blend of nervousness and excitement, the eagerness she felt in that instant.

She called to Rachele Fitz, hoping the Marist College basketball star would notice her and, perhaps, fulfill a request. Maddy was a little girl then and Fitz “was the best player I knew,” so getting a photograph with her meant the world.

As Maddy ascended to collegiate basketball stardom and embarks now on a professional career, the details of that exchange have stuck with her. It serves as a reminder of the impact a role model can have in influencing the paths of youngsters, and she often sees herself in the children who approach her for pictures or autographs.

She knows that, for many young girls in and around her hometown, she will be their basketball inspiration. And it’s a responsibility she welcomes. Those "Siegrist" Wings jerseys could soon become as common as a school uniform in Poughkeepsie.

“I’ve been in their shoes, looking up to an athlete, and I know how much it means,” she said. “It’s also part of the game growing and there being more interest and attention to women’s sports. It’s an honor to be a part of that.”

Height and an aptitude for basketball were essentially inherited. Her father was a 6-foot-6 forward who played at Marist. His cousin, Eric Siegrist, played at Saint Bonaventure and Marist. So, it figured that Maddy would be inclined to play the sport.

But her passion for it really blossomed watching women’s basketball in the late 2000s, which coincided with her hometown Marist being on a run of 11 consecutive conference titles, capturing her imagination.

That photograph with Fitz, and the pair of sneakers the forward gifted her, gain more sentimental value over time, as Maddy looks back at that little girl who attended the youth basketball camps at Marist and dreamed of one day being good enough to play at that level.

“I never could’ve thought it would be like this,” she said of the position she is in now. “Not in my wildest dreams.”

Not only has Maddy crafted a reality that exceeds some of what she once imagined, but she's gone much farther than most projected even a few years ago.

“She had college interest, but not a lot of big teams,” said Al Viani, her coach at Our Lady of Lourdes High School. “A lot of times college coaches see you as a junior and formulate an opinion, but then your game evolves as a senior. Maddy didn’t take 3-pointers her first three years. Then, senior year, she had that shot, and you could see that she had the potential to be a great college player.

"I'm incredibly proud of what she's accomplished and the person she is. She just continues to get better, year after year.”

As recently as a few months ago, though, Maddy didn’t believe the WNBA was a certainty for her. It wasn't until she broke a few more records, pushed the Wildcats into the national conversation and made herself a name regularly mentioned on highlight shows that she began to think the league was within reach.

Her brother was convinced a little earlier. When she scored 41 points, breaking the Villanova single-game freshman record, George Siegrist III believed big sis was beginning what would be a remarkable ride.

“That made me say, ‘Wow, she can play at any level,’” the UPenn senior said. “I’ve never seen her where she wasn’t one of the best players on the floor. She’s always improved, so I expected her to do the same, but the fact she was that good as a freshman made me realize how much potential she had.”

Maddy and George III starred on their respective basketball teams at Lourdes in Poughkeepsie. Their one-on-one games were competitive back then, with George’s three-inch height advantage and athleticism countering her post moves and shooting ability.

But her skill level and fitness now make the matchup lopsided.

“These days,” her brother said with chuckle, “she’d kick my (butt).”

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Basketball: Maddy Siegrist picked third by WNBA's Dallas Wings