Only four Northwestern women’s basketball players have been drafted in the University’s history: Amy Jaeschke (2011), Nia Coffey (2017), Lindsey Pulliam (2021) – and now Veronica Burton.

The Backcourt Burglar has a new home in Texas as the Dallas Wings selected the point guard seventh overall in the 2022 WNBA draft. Burton made a career out of terrorizing opposing offences as a three-time B1G Defensive Player of the Year. The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association also voted her 2022 National Defensive Player of the Year and she was a finalist on nearly every major college award.

In her time at Northwestern, she played in the 2019 WNIT and 2021 NCAAW tournaments and was on the 2020-21 B1G Championship team. Her leadership and work ethic are unmatched, the latter of which she attributes to hearing stories of her late grandfather, and there is no one her teammates trust more with the game on the line.

“I think that the humility really just allowed me to be more motivated and drive me more,” Burton said of what she learned from her time at Northwestern. “We love that underdog mindset.”

Burton joins a young Dallas team, and she’s no stranger to the pressure to succeed. She already has the defensive talent to lock down even the best in the game. Burton will be a crucial defender and playmaker for the Wings. Her game will develop nicely alongside Arike Ogunbowale, who is already an All-Star in just her third year.

For four years, Veronica Burton has come up big for Northwestern basketball day in and day out. Now she has the opportunity to do the same in Dallas. Good news for the Wings though – everything is bigger in Texas. That includes Veronica Burton.