Geno Auriemma’s Honest Take on Paige Bueckers’ New Wings Coach Speaks Volumes
When speaking with the media on October 21, UConn Huskies legendary head coach Geno Auriemma asserted that his former star player, Paige Bueckers (who now plays for the Dallas Wings) should play a role in Dallas' search for their next head coach after parting ways with Chris Koclanes.
"I told Paige this the other day: A great player can play for any coach—if they want to. Now, if they get a coach that doesn't believe and doesn't have a collaboration with Paige, then that would be a difficult journey," Auriemma said. "There are a lot of coaches out there that would be really, really good for [Bueckers]. And she would be good for them. But it's got to be someone that there's mutual trust. And I always say, 'You've played one year of professional basketball.'
"Embrace what the pool is, talk to all of them, whoever they are. "And it's like recruiting. Recruit the person you want that has the qualities," Auriemma continued. "But at the end of the day, whoever the coach is, you can make it work for them, or you can make it not work for them, provided there's a good roster around you."
It's unclear whether Bueckers had any say in the Wings' hiring of former University of South Florida head coach Jose Fernandez to lead the team, which was announced on October 27.
But what's for sure is that Fernandez is enthusiastic about the opportunity to become Bueckers' and the Wings' next head coach, which he conveyed by saying, "I want to thank Curt Miller, Greg Bibb, and the entire Dallas Wings organization for this Incredible opportunity. We will be relentless in our pursuit of excellence, approaching everything we do with elite standards and a championship mindset.
"I couldn’t be more excited to serve as your Head Coach and will work tirelessly to lead this organization to a level of success that both the Wings and the DFW community can be proud of," he added in a statement, per Joey Mistretta.
Geno Auriemma's Jose Fernandez Opinion Speaks Volumes
Back in June of this year, Fernandez began a two-year term as president of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
And this prompted Auriemma to speak kindly about the man who would go on to become Dallas' next head coach, saying, "I think he's a tremendous coach, obviously, as everybody knows, but he cares deeply about the game itself. He puts in the time and effort," per an article from the University of South Florida team website.
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said new Wings coach Jose Fernandez has been one of his closest friends for decades, according to this piece from June.
— Myah Taylor (@t_myah) October 27, 2025
"I think he's a tremendous coach,'' said Auriemma, who coached Wings star Paige Bueckers at UConn.https://t.co/n6ooH7qucJ
It will be interesting to see what sort of relationship Bueckers and Fernandez can build with each other ahead of the Wings' 2026 season.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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