ATLANTA (August 16, 2017) – It’s been almost a year since the 2016 Olympics, and a certain Atlanta Dream player is still feeling the affects of the XXXI Olympiad. For 3rd-year veteran Damiris Dantas, playing for her home country of Brazil in Brazil was a “dream” that she was honored to fulfill.
Dantas says the “intensity” of play is the biggest difference between Brazilian and American basketball. However, the differences should be no problem for Dantas. Head Coach Michael says, “Her basketball IQ is so high and so good, sometimes she can just watch stuff and know what’s going on.”
For Dantas, nothing is more beautiful than her country in celebration, and she brings a small piece of that rich culture to Atlanta.
She brought back more than just her dancing skills this season. Dantas is currently averaging a career-high 8.5 ppg while playing fewer minutes than her first two years in the league. She also recorded a new career-high 22 points off the bench in the Dream’s 91-86 win over the Seattle Storm on June 13.
Dantas’ contributions extend far beyond the score though. “She’s a matchup nightmare,” according to Coach Cooper, “If you play her with a four, she has the ability to drive-by and if you play her with a three, she can post up. Her perimeter shooting gives us another threat on the floor to hopefully open up the middle for us.”
Although she misses her family and the food of Brazil, she really enjoys America and finds happiness in the people she works with on the team.
