The one reason why Paige Bueckers should be excited about the Wings’ new coach originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Wings are set to hire longtime South Florida women’s basketball coach Jose Fernandez — and Paige Bueckers, Dallas’ emerging franchise player, should be plenty amped to work with one of the most respected coaches in the sport.
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The richly-experienced Fernandez replaces Chris Koclanes, who did not boast a head coaching job on his resume, and will become the Wings’ fifth bench boss since 2019. Fernandez is making the jump to the WNBA after spending 25 years in Tampa, where he transformed the USF Bulls into one of the most consistent mid-major teams in the nation. He is poised to take over a young, emerging roster in Dallas; the Wings’ core features former first-round picks Aziaha James and Maddy Siegrist, and they retain the rights to 2021 second overall pick Awak Kuier.
Bueckers’ mid-range jumper could get even better
However, the crown jewel of the Wings’ rebuild is Bueckers, who won Rookie of the Year honors nearly unanimously this year while meriting All-Star and All-WNBA honors. Under Fernandez’s tutelage, Bueckers’ lethal mid-range jump shot is poised to get even better.
Bueckers has often talked about how the late Kobe Bryant inspired her basketball journey, and Bryant’s influence is apparent in how Bueckers plays. From her days at the University of Connecticut, Bueckers’ mid-range jumper has been her go-to move; she can convert it reliably off the dribble, and she doesn’t need much space to drain it.
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Bueckers’ middy translate quickly from UConn to the pros. In her rookie year, Bueckers shot 52.6 percent on shots between 10 and 16 feet, a key weapon in her arsenal as she led all first-year players at 19.2 points per game.
One of the former USF players who worked under Fernandez in Tampa — and with the Connecticut Sun, when Wings general manager Curt Miller was the head coach there — is set to serve as a major inspiration for Bueckers and her new coach in Dallas. That player is Courtney Williams, who is often regarded as having the deadliest mid-range jumper in the WNBA.
If Bueckers can increase her mid-range shot’s efficiency in tandem with her volume, it will open up much more of the Wings’ offense in 2026. Combine that possibility with Fernandez’s lengthy resume as a program builder, and Dallas — armed with another early pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft — has the potential to break out in a major way next season.
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