New Year’s resolutions for Luka Doncic, Dak Prescott, Mark Cuban and more

In the Dallas area, 2022 brought some sports highs (TCU knocking off Michigan in the College Football Playoff) as well as some lows (another disappointing Cowboys playoff exit).
For many area sports figures and teams, 2023 brings another year of hope and opportunity.
Here are 10 New Year’s resolutions for some D-FW sports teams and athletes.
1. Be less generous to opponents — Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott has been a little too in the giving mood this holiday season. The Cowboys’ QB has 14 interceptions this season and 13 in the 10 games he’s played returning from his thumb injury.
Prescott has already thrown a career-high 14 — and there’s still one more regular-season game remaining. Prescott will need to take better care of the ball if Dallas hopes to make a playoff run in the new year.
Mark Cuban, Dallas Mavericks owner, speaks during the Christmas Day ceremony where the Dirk Nowitzki statue will be unveiled at American Airlines Center South Plaza in Dallas on Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022. (Lola Gomez / Staff Photographer)
2. Keep chasing your dreams — Mark Cuban
Entering the new year, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is already chasing his next big dream.
In an interview with The Dallas Morning News in Dec. 2022, Cuban said he spoke of his Vegas-like vision for Dallas and the Mavericks’ new arena.
“My goal, and we’d partner with Las Vegas Sands, is when we build a new arena it’ll be in the middle of a resort and casino,” Cuban said. “That’s the mission.”
Cuban is the first Texas team owner to publicly declare a desire to partner with a casino for a resort-arena development.
Maybe 2023 will be the year Cuban takes a step toward turning his Vegas-like dream into a reality.
3. Bring Texas back — Arch Manning
Sarkisian’s biggest recruiting catch, star quarterback Arch Manning, arrives to Texas in 2023.
Manning, the top recruit in the nation, comes from a long line of notable quarterbacks. He is the grandson of Archie and nephew of Peyton and Eli.
A Longhorns fan base that hasn’t had a lot to cheer for since a national title appearance in 2009 is expecting a lot from the incoming freshman in 2023. Can Manning alone propel the Longhorns back to college football relevancy?
No pressure, Arch.
New Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom responds to questions during an introductory press conference at Globe Life Field in Arlington, December 8, 2022. deGrom singed a five-year contract until the year 2027. (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)
4. Stay healthy this year — Jacob deGrom
The Texas Rangers made a big splash this offseason by signing former New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom.
Although deGrom is considered one of the top pitchers in the majors, he also has a history of injuries that have kept him from competing at the highest level in recent seasons. Elbow inflammation limited deGrom to 156 1/3 innings pitched over 26 starts over the last two years. A stress reaction in his right scapula forced him to miss the first four months of 2022.
As the face of the Rangers’ revamped pitching rotation, it is imperative for deGrom to stay out of injury trouble if the Rangers want to return to the postseason for the first time since 2016.
5. Enjoy Joe Pavelski’s golden years — Dallas Stars
In his 17th NHL season, age has been nothing more than a number for Stars center Joe Pavelski.
The 38-year-old is third on the team with 37 points (12 goals, 25 assists) and has been a key fixture on a Stars team that is sitting on top of the Western Conference.
In the final stage of his career, Pavelski has played some of his best hockey and the Stars need to keep on tapping the well until it runs dry.
Entering the new year, that’s exactly what the Stars are doing. They announced a one-year contract extension with Pavelski on Sunday, the first day of 2023.
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77), center, leaves the court after being ejected during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Monday, Dec. 19, 2022, in Minneapolis. (Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via AP) (Jeff Wheeler / ASSOCIATED PRESS)
6. Control your temper — Luka Doncic
Technical fouls continue to plague Luka Doncic, which is about the only complaint you can have with his game these days. Doncic is having yet another MVP-caliber season, averaging a league-high 34.2 points along with 8.7 rebounds and 8.9 assists as the Mavericks entered 2023 on a season-best six-game win streak.
However, Doncic has nine technical fouls in just 34 games this season — and that’s not counting the one recently rescinded by the league.
NBA players earn a one-game suspension after their 16th technical foul (and another game for every two techs after that). At this rate, Doncic is on pace to get suspended more than once during the 82-game regular season.
Since entering the league in 2018, Doncic has 55 technical fouls. If he wants to slow down his technical foul rate, Doncic might need to try some different methods in 2023, especially since these Mavs seem to only go as far as he does.
7. Make the most of your opportunity — Sonny Dykes, TCU
In his first year at TCU after leaving rival SMU, Sonny Dykes has taken the Horned Frogs where they have never gone before.
Dykes led TCU to not only the first College Football Playoff berth for the program, but also for any Texas school. And after that, TCU became the first Big 12 school to actually win a CFP game after its stunning 51-45 win over No. 2 Michigan. The Horned Frogs are set to face No. 1 Georgia for the national title on Jan. 9.
While TCU has certainly overachieved this season, but Sonny, why stop here when you can win the whole thing?
With the College Football Playoff on track to expand to 12 teams in 2024, there will be more opportunities for non-SEC teams like TCU to make it to the tournament. However, with more teams comes more games meaning more wins will be needed.
The only certainty for Dykes and TCU is the opportunity right in front of them, and they need to take advantage of it.
The Dallas Wings have announced the hiring Los Angeles Sparks assistant coach Latricia Trammell. She is photographed at the Live! by Loews in Arlington, Texas, November 4, 2022. (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)
8. Help the Dallas Wings take the next step — Latricia Trammell
After making the playoffs for two straight seasons, the Wings got their first-ever playoff win in 2022. However, it wasn’t enough to move past the first round and the Wings declined to pick up the option on head coach Vickie Johnson’s contract.
Now, Latricia Trammell takes over as the Wings’ fourth head coach since 2018. No Wings head coach has lasted for more than two seasons since Fred Williams, who was fired during the 2018 season after five years with the organization dating back to its time as the Tulsa Shock.
If Trammell wants to become the head coach who sticks, she will need to help this young but talented roster take the next step in 2023 by getting past the opening round of the playoffs. Since moving to Dallas, the Wings have made it to playoffs four times — all first-round exits.
Trammell has some solid young weapons, including two-time WNBA All-Star Arike Ogunbowale and 2021 All-Star Satou Sabally. With another year of experience and a talented young roster, Trammell has a chance to build the Wings into a perennial playoff contender.
9. Have more patience — Jesús Ferreira
FC Dallas star Jesús Ferreira’s selection to the U.S. Men’s National Team for the World Cup was a thrill for virtually every soccer fan in D-FW, but the 22-year-old striker had to wait until the knockout stage to get into a game. Many were left wondering why he’d been brought along if he wasn’t going to get on the pitch, especially when the USMNT seemed to struggle with offense throughout the World Cup.
Ferreira ended up starting the knockout round match against the Netherlands, an eventual 3-1 defeat for the U.S., but his effect on the game was minimal and he was subbed off to start the second half.
Ferreira will have to wait four years for another shot on the massive stage that is the World Cup.
The Dallas Mavericks 2011 NBA championship trophy at Mavs Vault where the history of the Dallas Mavericks on full display on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, at Fair Park’s Hall of State in Dallas. (Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer)
10. End the D-FW title drought — Cowboys, Mavs, Stars & Rangers
It has been nearly 12 years since the last championship for one of the area’s core four sports teams.
The Mavericks were the last team from the area to win a title back in 2011.
Since then, some have come close. The Stars made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020, but fell in six games to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Mavs last season made it to the Western Conference finals before falling to the eventual NBA-champion Golden State Warriors.
Others haven’t. The Cowboys haven’t made it past the divisional round since winning their last super bowl in 1996. The Rangers haven’t come close to a World Series berth since failing on two opportunities in 2010-11.
Winning a championship is the common goal for each of these teams. Will 2023 be the year a D-FW team finally breaks through?
The SportsDay staff contributed to this post.
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