Dallas Wings head coach Jose Fernandez calls in a play during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Phoenix Mercury at College Park Center on Thursday, June 11, 2026, in Arlington, Texas.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
Jose Fernandez knows how to work with a lot of moving parts.
The Dallas Wings coach and his wife, Tonya, raised five daughters and currently house eight rescue dogs. In 25 years as the women’s basketball coach at South Florida, Fernandez took the mid-major to the NCAA Tournament 10 times.
Through 13 games, he’s made turning around a struggling Wings team look rather simple.
Article continues below this ad
Dallas, 8–5 entering its Monday night contest with the Las Vegas Aces at College Park Center, won just 10 games in 2025.
Fernandez’s hire was part of a larger rebuild — namely around 2025 No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers — that also included 2026 No.1 overall pick Azzi Fudd, the return of All-Star guard Arike Ogunbowale and the signing of top talent in free agency, such as forward Jessica Shepard.
Related: It’s early in the 2026 season, but this Dallas Wings team already looks radically different
Despite working with a new-look roster that has a young core, Fernandez has helped the Wings ascend up the WNBA standings and make a name for themselves in a saturated Dallas-Fort Worth sports market.
Article continues below this ad
“He brings a confidence and instills a confidence on this team,” Wings general manager Curt Miller told The Dallas Morning News after a recent practice. “One of the things that’s been apparent from Day 1 of training camp is that there’s accountability. He’s not afraid to have tough, truthful conversations.”
On Day 1 of training camp, Bueckers likened Fernandez to legendary UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma, who she won a championship with in 2025.
“[He’s like Auriemma] in terms of discipline and structure and the culture that he wants to build,” Bueckers said. “The no BS mentality, where he doesn’t let anything slide. He’s very detail-oriented.”
Related: Jose Fernandez calls out Dallas Wings for ‘selfishness’ in the locker room
Auriemma and figures throughout the women’s basketball world have given Fernandez, who has served as a USA basketball assistant and is president of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, their stamp of approval.
Article continues below this ad
The Wings gig, which includes coaching two of the most popular faces in women’s basketball in Bueckers and Fudd, has put Fernandez under perhaps the biggest spotlight of his career.
He’s already had a few clips from pre and postgame news conferences go viral, at times facing scrutiny from an ever-growing Wings fanbase.
Those moments don’t tell the full story of who Fernandez is.
Dallas Wings head coach Jose Fernandez motions as guard Azzi Fudd (35) works against Phoenix Mercury forward Noemie Brochant (1) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game at College Park Center on Thursday, June 11, 2026, in Arlington, Texas.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
From Miami to D-FW
In a sense, Fernandez’s basketball journey started in the outfield.
Article continues below this ad
“You’re a young Latino boy, they put a baseball glove and a hat in your hand,” Fernandez, who hails from Miami, told The News after a recent practice. “I was bored. I was out there in right field throwing the glove up in the air. It wasn’t for me.”
But he took a liking to basketball, which he played in high school. Fernandez admits he wasn’t good enough to hoop in college, so he always saw the game from a different lens.
After he graduated from high school, Fernandez became a student assistant for the men’s team at Miami-Dade College’s Kendall campus. He spent the next decade as a men’s and women’s assistant head coach at the collegiate, high school and AAU levels.
Fernandez took over as the women’s basketball coach at South Florida in 2000. In his 25 seasons with the program, he earned nearly 500 career wins and developed more than 100 athletes into professional basketball players.
Related: Jose Fernandez building a ‘detail-oriented’ culture as Wings training camp begins
Article continues below this ad
South Florida had seven WNBA draft selections under Fernandez, including star Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams. One of his former USF players Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, who transferred into the program, spent time with the Wings in 2026 on a developmental contract.
“He’s always been good to me… I admired him from afar,” Fankam Mendjiadeu recently told The News before being waived by the Wings earlier this month. “He knows the game, that’s for sure… He loves his players.”
Fernandez stayed at Tampa-based South Florida for as long as he did in part because of his family. He has five daughters — Sydnie, Alex, Taylor, Brianna and Brooke — and two of them lived in Miami.
“Family came first,” Fernandez said. “But even when they became grown, I was supported at the University of South Florida like a Power Four, Power Five institution. … There wasn’t a reason for me to leave. And I don’t like the cold weather.”
The shifting college sports landscape, along with the opportunity to coach some of the best players in the world, made the Wings job appealing to Fernandez, who replaced first-year coach Chris Koclanes after a 10-34 season with the team.
Article continues below this ad
Fernandez became a first-time WNBA coach during a period of historic growth for the league, with rising attendance and viewership and a new landmark collective bargaining agreement.
“I’ve seen the growth firsthand,” Fernandez said. “It’s unbelievable now with the CBA being done and the amount of games that are on TV and how the players are being compensated. And it’s only going to continue to grow.”
Related: ‘I’m seeing the new WNBA’: Arike Ogunbowale reflects on $1.2 million contract with Wings
More eyes on the league has led to more coverage. Fernandez said while he’s grateful the game has more exposure, he wishes he was asked more basketball questions.
“I just think if we can make our narrative talk more about strategies and development and schemes, rather than a lot of other things, then our game would be [more respected],” Fernandez said.
Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale (24) talks with guard Aziaha James (10), head coach Jose Fernandez and guard Azzi Fudd (35) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Phoenix Mercury at College Park Center on Thursday, June 11, 2026, in Arlington, Texas.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
Life off the court
Wings GM Miller said Fernandez is never really off the clock, but he has a life off the court.
When Fernandez arrives at his home in Midlothian, he’s met with eight rescue dogs: three huskies, a Samoyed, a Pomsky, a couple of hounds and a pit.
Rescuing animals became a passion for his wife, Tonya, after they took in one so their daughter could do volunteer hours. Fernadez said Tonya is very involved with rescues in Florida and hopes to continue that work in D-FW.
The coach said the dogs are still adjusting to Texas.
“With our pool getting done now, the backyard’s kind of crazy, but they have a lot of land to run around,” Fernandez said.
Related: Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers opens up about challenges of being in the public eye
When he’s not coaching or loving on his dogs, you might find Fernandez with wine or bourbon, a cigar or a fishing rod in hand. He’s enjoyed exploring the D-FW food scene and loves to travel in the offseason.
Based on the Wings’ early success under Fernandez, the offseason might come later for Dallas than it has in previous seasons.
“This won’t be the same old Dallas Wings,” Fernandez said at his introductory news conference in November. “Change is coming, and we’re going to win.”
That has so far been the case.