Former South Florida Bulls coach Jose Fernandez has been named the new head tactician for the Dallas Wings. This comes after the Wings fired Chris Koclanes last month. In his lone stint with Paige Bueckers and the rest of the Wings, Koclanes led the franchise to an abysmal 10-34 record and missed out on the playoffs.
In an Instagram post by @overtimewbb on Thursday, it is detailed that Bueckers’ former college basketball mentor and UConn Huskies coach, Geno Auriemma, has deep ties with Fernandez that stem from when UConn and the Bulls were long-time Big East conference rivals.
“I know Geno gonna make sure his girl Paige straight 😭 @paigebueckers (h/t sportsfan6718/X),” @overtimewbb on Instagram captioned with a crying emoji.
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Women’s basketball fans online showed their disappointment with Fernandez becoming Bueckers‘ new head coach on social media.
“Who the hell is that?” one user questioned with a GIF.
“The Dallas Wings are fumbling the best players,” another user wrote.
“Great, another coach for her fans to blame,” another shared.
“Would have really liked to see them hire a woman as coach! There are plenty of them out there,” a user exclaimed.
Other users defended Fernandez, asserting that he will be a great mentor for Bueckers in the professional league.
“He’s the man. Great basketball mind and wants to better the sport. Paige-approved,” one fan claimed.
“Home run hire for Dallas. Will miss him down here at USF but what an opportunity deserved for him to go chase!” another fan posted.
“So, we can’t find a f*cking female coach for the W? That’s my first impression. The guy may be good,” a fan said.
In her final year of collegiate hoops under the tutelage of coach Auriemma, Bueckers won her only national championship in the 2024-25 college basketball season. The Huskies accomplished this by defeating the 2024 national champions, the South Carolina Gamecocks, 82-59, in this year’s NCAA championship game. Bueckers was then chosen by the Wings in the 2025 Draft with the first overall pick.
Also Read: Geno Auriemma Complains about Paige Bueckers After Sending a Birthday Wish to Wings Star
Geno Auriemma Recently Shared What Kind Of Coach The Dallas Wings Should Be Aiming For
In the same post by @overtimewbb on Instagram, the third slide shows a snippet of Geno Auriemma at his media availability during the 2025 Big East conference media day. Auriemma shared his thoughts on what kind of coach the Wings franchise should be looking for. The UConn coach said Dallas’ next coach should be in line to tap into the potential of a player like Bueckers.
“ If they get a coach that doesn’t believe and doesn’t have a collaboration with Paige, then that would be a difficult journey,” Auriemma explained.
Coach Jose Fernadez will be expected to lead the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year to a higher level next year and hopefully make the 2026 playoffs.
Read More: “Badly Wanted Her to Get Paige Bueckers”: Fans React As Sandy Brondello Set to Coach WNBA’s Expansion Team Toronto Tempo
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