BREAKING: Veronica Burton selected 7th overall by Dallas Wings in 2022 WNBA Draft

Dallas isn’t ready for the Backcourt Burglar.

After four memorable years at Northwestern, Veronica Burton was selected as the seventh overall pick by the Dallas Wings in the first round of the 2022 WNBA Draft.

The 27th-ranked guard in the high school class of 2018, Burton started every contest her freshman year in the purple and white. She would remain a starter for all but one game her entire career, leading the Wildcats to a Big Ten regular season championship in 2020 and a NCAA Tournament berth in 2021.

Though she put up significant numbers each season, Burton’s senior year was undoubtedly her most successful. The Newton, Mass., native put up 17.8 points, 6.4 assists — good for sixth in the nation — and 5.5 rebounds per game. Additionally, she led the nation with four steals per game, a testament to the defensive abilities that earned her a third-consecutive Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award.

Burton has a host of other accolades to her name, including All-Big Ten First Team honors and placement on the AP All-American Third Team her senior year as well as two Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watchlist appearances. She also earned a spot on the 2021 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup team, representing the USA in Puerto Rico last summer.

The Backcourt Burglar joins a very young Dallas roster coming off a 14-18 season. She’ll play alongside former Notre Dame standout Arike Ogunbowale, who led the Wings with 18.7 points, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game last year. Burton, Ogunbowale and the rest of Dallas’ young core will now go to work to win their franchise’s first title since they won the WNBA Championship as the Detroit Shock in 2008.