Dallas, TX
Juanyeh ‘extremely explosive’, high bar set for 2024
FRISCO, Texas — Anyone paying attention to how the Dallas Cowboys’ roster is constructed knows it’s one flooded with talented young players, and Juanyeh Thomas has made sure to not only stand out amongst them, but to also show that, when given the chance, he can be more than just a capable defensive player in this league.
As his 2023 film readily confesses, Thomas is a starter in the making.
Having spent the entirety of his rookie season in 2022 on the team’s practice squad with the goal of developing for whenever, if ever his number was called, his hard work and humility paid off in spades when head coach Mike McCarthy and then defensive coordinator Dan Quinn looked to him in stretches as a Year 2 talent — on one of the best defenses in the league.
As he heads into Year 3, the expectations are much different than they were for him 12 months ago, however, but that’s precisely what he’s been working toward over the last two seasons:
More and higher expectations.
“I have a chance to really expand my role and touch up on things that I really didn’t get right last year,” said the former undrafted free agent in an exclusive interview with team reporter Nicole Hutchison. “So having an opportunity in my third year, it’s really a chance to up my role and show what I can do in Year 3, for real.”
McCarthy sees the trajectory of Thomas, and all that fuels it.
“I thought he made a big jump last year,” he said of the 23-year-old who climbed from the ranks of the practice squad not so long ago to potentially being a full-time starter in 2024. “He’s been dynamic on special teams and what you want, particularly this time of year, is to see young players in a different light. And Juanyeh just has so much personality. He’s such a bright light.
“When he was given an opportunity at safety, he stepped up. Juanyeh is clearly a great example of a young player that’s excelled with the opportunities he’s been given. It’ll be awesome to see him take another step.”
Thomas logged only one start last season but played in 16 games, contributing on with his physical style of coverage and heavily on special teams as well — racking up 190 snaps on defense and 315 snaps (75%) for John “Bones” Fassel.
Being tutored by defensive backs coach (and now also assistant head coach) Al Harris has effectively shortened his learning curve at the NFL level and, for his part, Harris beamed when giving an assessment of Thomas’ progression to this point.
“Yeh, man, he’s an extremely, extremely explosive athlete,” said Harris. “I think he’s gonna do a really, really good job moving forward. HIgh hopes for [him].”
It goes without saying that a much more confident Thomas also carries those very same high hopes for himself as he prepares for this third Cowboys’ training camp in a few weeks, understanding nothing will be given in a safeties room that also features the return of his good friend Markquese Bell to the position.
Bell, who was moved to linebacker full-time last season due to injuries at that position, carries a lot of versatility in his toolbag but, now more than ever, so does Thomas.
“I showed last year that I could play every spot,” he said. “I played corner, I played nickel, I played safety, I played [line]backer. Just really showing the coaches and showing everybody my versatility to be able to play down, back and guard everybody.”
For the first time in his young career, Thomas is getting a taste of what a regime change looks like in the NFL, with Quinn taking the mantle for the Washington Commanders and former Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer returning to try and make the defense worthy of a Super Bowl.
But what exactly does that mean for Thomas, Bell and other veterans like Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson, Sheldrick Redwine and Israel Mukuamu, or rookies like Julius Wood and Emany Johnson?
“I’m just curious to see, going into camp, where I’ll be [placed] and how it’ll play out with the new scheme,” said Thomas. “It’s gonna be a lot of opportunities for a lot of people, and I wanna be one of those guys, so I’m just curious to see.”
One thing is for certain, and it’s that the former Yellow Jacket isn’t afraid to make his presence felt on the field in-between smiles.
After all, that’s why he’s drawing so much … buzz.
Paige Bueckers on the Wings season
WNBA star Paige Bueckers joins Sports Seriously to talk about the how her Dallas Wings are performing this season, as well as her partnership with Verizon.
Sports Seriously
HARTFORD, CT — UConn women’s basketball legends Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd returned to the state that made them champions.
Then the pair experienced something they were used to at PeoplesBank Arena — winning — but it took a comeback of epic proportions.
Bueckers and Fudd helped the Dallas Wings defeat the Connecticut Sun, 86-83, on Thursday, July 2, before a near sellout crowd of 14,579. The Wings rallied from a 24-point deficit to stop the Sun’s two-game win streak.
“It was (a) great crowd, it was a great environment,” Bueckers said of the fans, who cheered loudly as the Wings made their comeback. “It felt like a home game in a sense.
“It’s great to play back here in Connecticut. I love it here.”
UConn played half of its home games at the Hartford arena. Bueckers lost just one game and Fudd two over their careers here. They both wore UConn gear for their pregame tunnel fits.
The Wings outscored the Sun 51-40 in the second half. Bueckers had 11 of her team-high 25 points in the fourth quarter. She added seven rebounds and seven assists. Fudd had both her baskets in the frame and finished with four points, four rebounds and five assists.
Bueckers said the adjustments at halftime were pretty simple.
“Making shots, sometimes it’s as simple as that,” Bueckers said. “We were shooting just about 30% at the half and we felt very confident in the shots that we were getting. … Just sticking with what works.
“We got a lot of people step up, take open shots, be aggressive and get to the free-throw line more in the second half.”
Bueckers had two and-ones down the stretch that fueled the comeback.
“The first one … (Leila) Lacan jumped a pass on the inbound, so I was just trying to create something. … I just felt contact and kind of threw it up,” Bueckers said “The second one, my teammates just did a really good job of spacing the floor and just me just trying to be aggressive, hunt for a shot.”
Fittingly, Bueckers scored her first 3-pointer of the game off an assist from Fudd. Several former UConn teammates showed up to cheer on their friends. Fudd shared before the game that Jana El Alfy braided her hair before the game. Allie Ziebell, Ashlynn Shade and Gandy Malou-Mamel were also in the crowd.
“The five years we both had (at UConn), they showed up every single night,” Fudd said of the fans, including her former teammates. “It just was such an incredible experience … they’re part of the reason that it’s the basketball capital of the world.”
The basketball capital has produced many of the best players in the W. Bueckers’ popularity has continued to skyrocket since her time at UConn. In her second season in the WNBA, she was voted an All-Star starter on Thursday. Bueckers was the leader in fan balloting with 1,045,051 votes. Former Huskies Breanna Stewart and Gabby Williams were also voted starters for the All-Star Game, which will take place in Chicago on July 25.
This could be the final game for Bueckers and Fudd in Connecticut. The Sun will be relocated to Houston next season. Bueckers suggested the Wings play an exhibition game at Gampel Pavilion, in Storrs, Connecticut, in the future.
“It’s just like a family, this whole entire state supporting us … loving women’s basketball, loving everything about it,” Bueckers said. “We feel the support across the world, too.
“This will always be a second home.”
Ross Tower, a 1.1 million-square-foot, 45-story tower at 500 North Akard Street, appears to be up for sale.
Matt Murphy, the director of Cushman & Wakefield’s Texas office advisory group, said in a LinkedIn post that the tower is being marketed to investors. Ross Tower has recently undergone a modernization through a $14 million capital improvement program that upgraded the building’s elevator system, improved common areas and replaced the cooling tower, according to the post.
The building is 60 percent occupied, according to Murphy, and features tenants like the Dallas Regional Chamber, CoStar, Munsch Hardt and Grant Thornton, according to the Dallas Morning News. The asking price wasn’t listed by Murphy in the LinkedIn post, and the outlet noted that the Dallas Central Appraisal District pegged the property at upwards of $99 million for tax purposes.
Recent bets on Downtown Dallas properties cite their proximity to Uptown, where the city is seeing a flourishing financial district. A key enticement for prospective buyers looking to bolster the tenant roster, according to the post, is that the in place rents are 15 percent below market.
In the post, Murphy said that the combination of lower rents for class A space, available square footage with companies exiting downtown, and the thriving Uptown Dallas area just a few blocks away, give the tower solid fundamentals for the right buyer.
The tower is currently owned by a partnership that includes Bandera Ventures of Dallas, HPI Real Estate and Second City Real Estate. The joint venture purchased the tower in 2015, and it was renovated in 2018, according to the post.
The tower was named Lincoln Plaza until 2013, and was formerly the headquarters of multinational oilfield products company Halliburton. Ross Tower is the 14th tallest building in the Dallas skyline.
As Uptown’s Y’all Street continues to grow, building owners are beginning to look at cashing in on the influx of new companies as an option. Hillwood Urban is currently exploring a sale of Victory Commons One, who just signed Scotiabank as a new tenant.
— Hunter Cooke
Read more
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DALLAS – After Norway won on Tuesday at Dallas Stadium, its star player has one more stop to make before heading out of town.
Erling Haaland and his teammates visited a Western wear store in the West End.
It’s already changing things for the store owner.
Y’all can kiss my Dallas
What we know:
Just hours after the Norway’s star striker helped his team advance in the World Cup, Haaland had one more goal in Texas – becoming a cowboy.
He and several of his teammates visited Wild Bill’s Western Store in Downtown Dallas.
The store’s owners Cody and Julie Newport told FOX 4 they got a heads-up about the special guest and had part of the floor roped off when Haaland walked in.
He ended up buying multiple hats. He traded cleats for cowboy boots and swapped his jersey for a shirt that says, “Y’all can kiss my Dallas.”
What they’re saying:
“Did he know anything about cowboy hats?” FOX 4’s Peyton Yager asked the store’s owners.
“No. He knew nothing,” Cody Newport said. “Actually, he was sitting in this chair. And we had someone fit him for a cowboy hat.”
Wild Bill’s owners said Haaland and his teammates gravitated to some of their beautiful exotics.
Haaland also purchased a buckle with a longhorn for his belt and branded his initials and jersey number onto his purchases.
“He was saying this is literally the only time I have and the only time in Dallas,” Julie Newport recalled. “He had an amazing time, and we gave him that.”
“We exude the Dallas welcome, the southern hospitality. For him to want to come in and hang out is everything,” Cody Newport said.
Big picture view:
Haaland shared photos of his visit to Wild Bill’s on social media, earning millions of views and likes.
That “Y’all can kiss my Dallas” shirt is nearly sold out in the store, with many of Haaland’s fans snagging gear of their own. And online sales are rolling in.
The store expects a new shipment of the shirt on Thursday to replenish the racks.
The owners said that normally their customers are 90% tourists. But after Haaland’s post, they are starting to see customers come in from North Texas.
The Source: FOX 4’s Peyton Yager gathered information for this story by interviewing the owners of Wild Bill’s Western Store in Dallas.
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