Dallas Wings GM explains how having Paige Bueckers led to coaching change

Curt Miller realized now that Chris Koclanes was not the right coach for the team they had in Dallas.

Aug 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Dallas Wings coach Chris Koclanes talks with guard Paige Bueckers (5) against the LA Sparks in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Dallas Wings made the decision to move on from Chris Koclanes after his one season as the head coach of the franchise, opting instead for Jose Fernandez from the University of South Florida. The team went just 10-34 under Koclanes, which isn't acceptable when you have a superstar like Paige Bueckers, and a 4-time All-Star like Arike Ogunbowale, who had her worst season as a pro.

Wings general manager Curt Miller appeared on the "In Case You Missed It" podcast with Khristina Williams, where he discussed what went into that decision to move on after one season.

"One of the things that we found out was while we were young, the expectations when you have a player like Paige Bueckers and the expectations that are now on the Dallas Wings, I probably missed and underestimated that a veteran coach was probably needed, and we didn't have, necessarily, the runway for a young coach with a young team," Miller started.

"And so in this coaching search, the premium was... certainly a veteran established winning coach that has had sustained success was really important to us. And you know, people, it's out there. You know, Jose [Fernandez] was very much down the road with us in the first year of the search, but the timing didn't work out for him to leave South Florida last year. This year, we got to the finish line. We had another extensive search, even opened up the bucket even more in the NBA bucket silo, continued to have really, really strong candidates, but really excited about Jose and the veteran presence that he brings."

But Curt Miller also realizes that while having a talent like Bueckers is tremendous, it comes with a lot of pressure.

"...One of the things through the whole process that you know I've shared with a lot of people is this job is hard... Like if Paige plays on the ball, people are going to want her off the ball. If you play Paige off the ball, people are going to want her on the ball. You get her 15 shots a game like the last staff did, people are going to want her to take more shots."

Mar 17, 2023; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Florida Bulls head coach Jose Fernandez directs his team against the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

It was interesting to hear that Curt Miller and the Wings explored the NBA coaching circles as well. That's what the New York Liberty did, as they hired Chris DeMarco, who had been an assistant with the Golden State Warriors for 13 years. The Portland Fire did the same when they hired Alex Sarama, who was an assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In the end, they opted for someone who had a lot of success in college, and I don't think it's an accident that he happens to be a good friend of UConn's Geno Auriemma, who coaches Paige Bueckers in college.

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