The Dallas Wings are in the middle of a head coaching search after dismissing Chris Koclanes, who was only given one year to lead the Wings. And that one year was a bad one, as the Wings went just 10-34, finished tied for the worst record in the WNBA despite Paige Bueckers making an All-WNBA Second Team after a historic season.
That leaves the Wings with the best odds to land the first overall pick for the 2026 WNBA Draft, but they still need to hire a new coach first. A few names have been thrown out as options, including two-time champion Sandy Brondello, who was recently fired by the New York Liberty.
However, Ben Pickman of The Athletic revealed that two college coaches could be options for the Wings: Nicki Collen at Baylor and Jose Fernandez at South Florida.
“Baylor head coach Nicki Collen has WNBA and collegiate head coaching experience and has known general manager Curt Miller for decades —they worked together at Colorado State in 2001. South Florida’s Jose Fernandez has been with the Bulls since 2000 and is among the most respected names in college basketball. Fernandez was a finalist for the Wings job last year before Dallas decided to hire Chris Koclanes, and Fernandez could be in the mix again.”
This report at least back up the notion that the Wings are searching for someone with head coaching experience through the next era, and hopefully they can find someone who will last longer than two seasons, which they haven’t had a coach do since 2018.
Mar 8, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Baylor Lady Bears head coach Nicki Collen looks on during the first half against the Oklahoma State Cowgirls at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Amy Kontras-Imagn Images / Amy Kontras-Imagn Images
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After being an assistant for a long time, Nicki Collen is finally a head coach, and she has done very well at Baylor, going 102-36 in four season, making the NCAA Tournament every year, and reached the Sweet 16 in 2024.
She started as an assistant with Colorado State in 2001, but has also been with Ball State, Louisville, Arkansas, Florida Gulf Coast, the Connecticut Sun, and was also the head coach for the Atlanta Dream from 2018 to 2020.
The Dream were great in her first year, going 23-11 and making the WNBA Semi-Finals, but they struggled in the two years after that, going just 15-41.
Jose Fernandez was an option last year, and it makes sense with his resume. He’s turned USF into a solid, well-respected program in his 25 seasons in Tampa, making the NCAA Tournament 9 times in the last 13 seasons.
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