Wings Coach Urges Players to ‘Take Individual Accountability’ After Loss to Valkyries
After blowing a 20-point lead and losing to the Washington Mystics, the Dallas Wings also struggled against the Golden State Valkyries. They lost the game 76-94, shooting just 34% from the floor and 28% from deep.
Jessica Shepard and Arike Ogunbowale were held well below their season averages, and Azzi Fudd missed the game with a knee issue. The Valkyries, meanwhile, enjoyed efficient shooting from everyone except Janelle Salaün and dominated in the paint and in fast-break situations.
After the game, Jose Fernandez was asked about comments Paige Bueckers had made previously about instilling confidence in her teammates and how he would do the same during this rough stretch.
“Confidence is great,” Fernandez responded, per a video on the Wings’ YouTube channel, “but we also gotta take individual accountability along with that confidence. They gotta get on each other a little bit more. It can’t just be the coaching staff. You can breed all the confidence you want, but, I mean, get down and defend and keep your guy in front of you. Have multiple efforts. Shot goes up, block out.”
This isn’t the first time Fernandez has called out his team in front of the media. After the third game of the season, he said there was “selfishness in the locker room.” The Wings responded by winning four of their last five games in May and establishing themselves as a legitimate playoff team.
With the playoffs approaching, it will be interesting to see how the team responds this time.
The Wings need to bounce back quickly
Fernandez also said, “We got a room of professionals. They understand what’s at stake, and we have to bounce back.”
He’s right about that. While it would take a lot for a new team to climb into the playoff picture and end the Wings’ postseason hopes, they fell to seventh place in the standings and are anything but safe. Plus, home-court advantage can make a huge difference in the playoffs, and you really don’t want to face the Minnesota Lynx or Las Vegas Aces as a young team with little playoff experience in the first round.
The Wings’ schedule will remain tough for a while. Four of their next five games are against the Lynx, Valkyries, and Indiana Fever. They are 0-5 against the Lynx and Valkyries for the season, and Indiana has gotten a lot better since their last meeting in the season opener. If the Wings aren’t at their best in those matchups, they risk stringing together more losses.
After that, the Wings’ schedule eases up a bit with no playoff teams in the last seven games, but none of those matchups can be taken lightly either.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.