Jose Fernandez, the new Dallas Wings head coach, meets JJ Quinerly, Grace Berger, Myisha Hines-Allen, Maddy Siegrist, Diamond Miller and Ty Harris at Reunion Tower. (Photo: Mason Garcia | The Podium Finish)
DALLAS — Jose Fernandez’s smile said it all as he stood before reporters inside Reunion Tower, overlooking the Dallas skyline. The longtime University of South Florida coach, known for transforming the Bulls into a perennial NCAA contender, now steps into one of the WNBA’s most intriguing situations, leading a young, hungry Dallas Wings team with championship aspirations.
Fernandez, who spent over two decades at South Florida and amassed more than 400 wins, inherits a roster rich with talent and potential. The Wings’ mix of seasoned pros and ascending stars, including Paige Bueckers, Maddy Siegrist, Diamond Miller, Aziaha James, Myisha Hines-Allen, Grace Berger, JJ Quinerly, Arike Ogunbowale, Luisa Geiselsöder and Li Yueru, offers a foundation built for sustained success.
The new head coach made it clear Thursday that his first priority isn’t installing a playbook or reshaping schemes. Instead, it’s about relationships.
“Immediate priorities are getting to know everybody on the roster,” Fernandez said. “That’s the most important. Building relationships. It doesn’t matter how, you know, we can practice really hard. We can prepare, scouting reports can be on point, player development can be great. But if this team’s not connected right, and we don’t have great respect for one another and accountability, you’re not going to be successful.”
Fernandez spoke with an easy confidence, honed from years of turning overlooked players into standouts. His message echoed what many around the league have long admired about his coaching, a focus on culture and cohesion as much as X’s and O’s.
“There’s a lot of great teams,” Fernandez continued. “But when the locker room is not good and there’s not great connection with the staff, and the staff doesn’t have a great voice and a together voice, and the players and the coaches are not on the same page, you’re not going to be successful. So that’s my biggest thing right now leading up to March, getting to know each and every one of them personally.”
For a Dallas team that’s flirted with contention but struggled to break through, Fernandez’s approach may be exactly what’s needed. The Wings finished the 2025 campaign with flashes of brilliance yet inconsistency, often leaning on individual performances rather than a fully synchronized attack.
As Fernandez transitions from the college ranks, his pro-ready system, one he developed and refined at South Florida, could seamlessly fit the WNBA’s evolving pace and spacing. When asked how he plans to maximize the talents of his versatile core, Fernandez outlined a philosophy built on adaptability and trust.
Paige Bueckers, the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year, looks to evolve her craft with new head coach Jose Fernandez. (Photo: Mason Munn | The Podium Finish)
“It’s getting in the gym and spending time with them, with player development and workouts leading up to training camp,” Fernandez said. “Once we get into training camp, looking at what our roster has, make no mistake, if you’ve seen us play at the University of South Florida, it’s a pro-style and it has a lot of Euro influence in the amount of things that we do offensively — with different actions, with screening, with player movement, with ball movement.”
Then came the line that likely resonated most with his players.
“Our best players are going to get the basketball,” Fernandez said. “We’re going to play with great pace and great spacing. But it’s making sure you put the entire five on the floor where they’re comfortable and they believe in what we’re running.”
It’s a simple yet powerful statement — one that reflects Fernandez’s balance of empowerment and structure. His teams at USF were known for discipline, precise execution, and unselfish play, traits that could elevate Dallas’s offense around its core scorers.
As for that roster, it’s an intriguing blend. Bueckers, entering her sophomore WNBA season, gives the Wings a poised, high-IQ guard capable of running the floor and creating mid-range magic reminiscent of former Fernandez star Courtney Williams of the Minnesota Lynx. Siegrist, one of the league’s most efficient scorers, continues to evolve into a reliable offensive anchor.
Miller brings explosiveness on the wing, while James and Quinerly add dynamic guard depth and energy. Yueru, the 6-foot-7 center acquired from the Seattle Storm during the 2025 WNBA season, provides interior size and touch.
For Fernandez, that variety presents opportunity rather than complication. He emphasized the importance of crafting a system that accentuates individual strengths within a collective framework.
“The most important thing is making sure all five players on the floor are comfortable,” he said. “They have to believe in what we’re running. That’s how you build something that lasts.”
Those words carry weight for a franchise eager for consistency. Since moving to Dallas in 2016, the Wings have cycled through coaches and roster shake-ups, often showing flashes of potential but never fully realizing it. Fernandez’s arrival marks a chance to stabilize by creating an identity rooted in culture, accountability and offensive flow.
The parallels between his collegiate success and Dallas’s current stage are striking. At South Florida, Fernandez built a reputation for developing guards into efficient playmakers and establishing a culture of trust that translated into postseason runs. Now, he inherits a WNBA roster primed for similar growth, and the resources to make it happen.
As Curt Miller, GM of the Dallas Wings, said about Jose Fernandez, “We’ve got our guy.” (Photo: Mason Garcia | The Podium Finish)
Beyond strategy, Fernandez’s demeanor stood out. He greeted media members warmly, responding in English and Spanish when appropriate, setting a tone of approachability and mutual respect. Reporters noted his attentiveness and willingness to engage thoughtfully with each question, even as he laid the groundwork for a demanding new chapter.
The challenge ahead is steep. The WNBA’s Western Conference remains loaded with championship contenders, from the Las Vegas Aces to the Minnesota Lynx. But Fernandez’s track record suggests he welcomes the grind.
In a league built on parity and player empowerment, success often hinges not on talent alone but on the bonds that sustain it.
On a Thursday morning filled with promise at Reunion Tower, Fernandez lingered after the press conference, chatting briefly with players and staff. It was a small gesture, yet symbolic of his message.
Championships, he’s often said, aren’t built overnight. They begin with trust, time, and the shared belief that everyone has a role in something greater.
For Dallas, that journey starts now under Jose Fernandez.
Editor’s Notes
Mason Garcia contributed directly onsite from Reunion Tower in Dallas, Texas.
