The Dallas Wings announced Jose Fernandez as their new head coach on Monday.

“Jose is one of the most respected veteran coaches in women’s basketball,” Dallas Wings general manager Curt Miller said in a statement. “He is a proven winner and has built sustained success for over two decades at USF. Jose consistently produces professional players and is regarded as an excellent developer of talent. His colleagues from across the country constantly credit his teams for their preparation and grit, while continuously raising the bar for success on the court. He is known for putting his players in a position to succeed. Lastly, as the game and WNBA continue to become global, no coach in this country has recruited and successfully coached international players better than Jose. I can’t wait to partner with Jose and support his vision for our Dallas Wings.”

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Fernandez, 53, has spent the past 25 years in charge of the University of South Florida women’s program. Last week, the school announced Fernandez had informed the Bulls he would be leaving for an opportunity in the WNBA.

SB Nation was the first to report Fernandez’s move.

The Wings fired head coach Chris Koclanes last month after the team finished 10-34 following the addition of No. 1 overall draft pick Paige Bueckers. Dallas currently owns the top odds in the 2026 WNBA Draft lottery.

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Fernandez was reportedly a finalist in the Wings’ coaching search last year before hiring Koclanes.

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Since November 2000, Fernandez had coached the University of South Florida women’s basketball team. He led the Bulls to 10 NCAA tournament appearances, a WNIT title in 2009 and two American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships. A two-time AAC coach of the year, he leaves as the program’s all-time winningest coach with a 485–317 career record.

Fernandez will be the Wings’ fifth coach in the past eight seasons, with no hires since 2018 lasting more than two years.

The Wings have missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons and have advanced out of the first round only once since 2009 when they were the Detroit Shock.

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Now that the Wings have their coach it leaves the New York Liberty and Seattle Storm as the remaining two openings in the WNBA.