After 25 years leading South Florida in the NCAA, Jose Fernandez knows his relationship-driven coaching philosophy works. As he makes the leap to the WNBA level as the new coach of the Dallas Wings, that approach won’t change.
Fernandez was hired to lead the Wings on Oct. 27, and he said at his introductory press conference Thursday that his first priority in Dallas is establishing connections with the key pieces on the existing roster. At the top of that list is superstar guard Paige Bueckers, who Fernandez coached against twice during her prolific college career with the UConn women’s basketball team.
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Fortunately for Fernandez, Huskies coach Geno Auriemma is a longtime close friend, so he had an easy place to begin getting to know what it’s like working with the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year.
“He was very plain and simple with me when he talked to me about Paige,” Fernandez said. “Geno said, if there’s a shot you want her to make, she’ll make it. If there’s something you’re going to run for her, she’ll run it.”
Auriemma called Fernandez “one of the best coaches in college basketball” last week after his hire was officially announced and said he expects success for the Wings under Fernandez’s leadership.
“He’s very sophisticated in the stuff that he does, which fits in well with what’s happening and what’s going to happen in that league,” Auriemma said. “I’m thrilled for him. I’m happy for Paige, happy for all the whole organization, and I think he’ll do great.”
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UConn coach Geno Auriemma endorses longtime friend Jose Fernandez as new Dallas Wings coach
The Wings selected Bueckers No. 1 overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft, and she went on to earn second-team All-WNBA honors in her rookie season. While Dallas had a difficult year as a team finishing in last place in the league with a 10-34 record, Bueckers shined, averaging 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. She was the only player in the WNBA to record a 40-point game last season when she dropped 44 against the Los Angeles Sparks to tie the rookie scoring record set by Cynthia Cooper in 1997.
Fernandez said the young talent on Dallas’s roster was one of the biggest factors that drew him to the WNBA opportunity after more than two decades at USF, and he believes Bueckers fits well into the system he wants to run.
“Paige is special, the Rookie of the Year and one of the faces of the league,” Fernandez said. “I like her with the ball in her hands and with the ball not in her hands … Great players want to be coached, and she wants to be coached and held accountable. I think the things we’re going to do in the half court and the open floor are going to suit her, so I’m really excited to get to work with her.”
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The Wings have the chance to add another young star in the 2026 WNBA Draft, where they have the best odds to win the lottery for the No. 1 overall pick. Fernandez said he and Dallas general manager Curt Miller will visit Storrs to watch UConn practice and play against Ohio State at PeoplesBank Arena on Nov. 16, where he’ll be able to scout two potential first-round picks in redshirt senior guard Azzi Fudd and senior forward Serah Williams. Fudd is almost universally projected as a lottery pick in 2026, while Williams is currently considered a late first to early second rounder. WNBA teams have already had eyes on the Huskies one game into the 2025-26 season — representatives from the Washington Mystics, Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty were all in attendance for UConn’s opener against No. 20 Louisville on Tuesday at the U.S. Naval Academy.
