Dallas

Wings

While there’s been a recent trend for the WNBA to look to the NBA assistant coaching ranks to fill head coaching vacancies, the Wings have chosen the college route for the franchise’s next head coach. Fernandez moves to the professional ranks after a highly successful run at the University of South Florida, leading the Bulls to 11 NCAA tournament appearances in 25 seasons. USF has won at least 19 games in 14 consecutive seasons, and Fernandez led the program to 12 20-win seasons. He’ll now be asked to lead a rebuild in Dallas featuring WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers, and the Wings will also have a high lottery pick in the 2026 draft.

Late on Tuesday afternoon the Wings announced that they had relieved Koclanes of his duties as their head coach. After just one season at the helm, Koclanes led the Wings to a league worst 10-34 record with a young roster and limited availability from their veterans who either were hurt or were traded mid-season. Koclanes becomes the third WNBA head coach to lose their job in the past few weeks with both the Seattle Storm and New York Liberty relieving both Noelle Quinn and Sandy Brondello of their roles respectively. Now with Koclanes out of the picture, there are five open head coaching positions going into the 2026 season. In addition to the Storm, Liberty and now Wings, the league’s two expansion teams starting play next season in the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire also continue to search for their franchise’s first head coach.

While her team struggled, Bueckers had an exceptional rookie campaign. The Wings guard averaged 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 88.8 percent from the foul line. Bueckers, who led all rookies in points and assists (totals and averages), was named an All-Star Game starter and won three WNBA Rookie of the Month awards. She received 70 of the 72 first-place votes, with Washington’s Sonia Citron receiving the other two. Bueckers is the third Rookie of the Year winner in Shock/Wings franchise history, with Cheryl Ford winning in 2003 and Allisha Gray in 2017.

Okonkwo has been one of the most interesting stories for the Wings toward the end of this season. Not many expected the former TCU Horned Frog and Nigerian National team star to become a reliable scoring option for the Wings while they were down as many as five different players toward the end of the regular season. She reached a new career high in scoring, field goals made and made three-pointers and steals. Okonkwo scored at all three levels, hitting five three-pointers in addition to a trio of shots at the rim and a 13-foot mid-range pullup.

James was two points short of tying her career high in scoring on Thursday night and she earned her second 20+ point performance of her rookie season. She overwhelmed the Mercury defense with her speed getting out in transition in addition to her ability to slash to the rim. She tied her career high in rebounds using her length to grab the basketball and push the ball in transition. She was in the right place to grab the boards off some of the Mercury’s missed three-pointers which resulted in longer rebounds.

Bueckers led her team in scoring for the Wings’ final game of the season. She shot over 50% from the field in her fourth straight game, hitting a pair of three-pointers in addition to eight shots in the paint all within 10 feet of the basket. She created her offense on and off the ball, including off the dribble driving the ball while cutting off the ball and scoring. Bueckers dished out seven assists in her second straight game. On Thursday night she dished out passes to four different teammates for scores including hitting a cutting Haley Jones on pick-and-rolls, getting the ball out to Aziaha James and Amy Okonkwo in transition and finding Myisha Hines-Allen to exploit a mismatch.

With her second seven-day contract expiring on Wednesday, Williams was released before agreeing to a rest-of-season deal that ensures her availability for Thursday’s season finale against Phoenix. The 5-foot-11 guard has logged rotation minutes in her three appearances for the Wings, averaging 5.0 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 13.7 minutes.

The Wings released Petty from her seven-day contract on Monday to sign the forward/center to a deal that ensures she’ll be available for Thursday’s season finale against the Mercury. She’s only made one appearance for Dallas thus far, playing three minutes in a September 7 loss to the Sparks.

Siegrist’s double-figure scoring performance on Sunday marked her 11th consecutive game with at least 12 points scored — she got to this number despite limited three-point production and no points from the free-throw line, but still finished as one of three Dallas players to register at least 10 points. The third-year forward contributed some defensive statistics, too, to help make her final stat line look a little richer. And although Siegrist’s Sunday outing was an unspectacular one, she’ll have a chance to bounce back on Thursday against the Mercury in the Wings’ season finale.

Hines-Allen did a little bit of everything for the Wings on Sunday in Los Angeles. Although she shot inefficiently, she was one of two Dallas players to score at least 15 points. She tied a team-high in assists, made one of the team’s five three-pointers, and led the Wings in rebounding. In the end, Hines-Allen earned her third double-double of the season as she continues to close her eighth WNBA season with productive play.