Jose Fernandez Sounds Off on New Dallas Wings Coaching Staff

The Dallas Wings announced some big hires on Friday.

Nov 10, 2024; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; South Florida Bulls head coach Jose Fernandez watches from the sideline as they take on the UConn Huskies at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Dallas Wings announced the full assistant coaching staff for Jose Fernandez on Friday, which has a good mix of college head coaching experience and NBA ties. Even if there isn't much WNBA experience on the staff, there is more than enough basketball knowledge to help the Wings become a much more successful team in Paige Bueckers' second season.

The Wings retained Camille Smith, who was an assistant with the team last year, while bringing in Empress Davenport, Mike Neighbors, and David Adkins. Here's what Coach Fernandez had to say on each coach, per graphics released by the team on X/Twitter.

Introducing the 2026 Dallas Wings assistant coaches 🪽 pic.twitter.com/rkBPDyT1JP

— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) March 27, 2026

Camille Smith

"Her passion for the Wings, her championship experience, and her understanding of what it takes to succeed in this league made it clear we were aligned. I am incredibly impressed with her, and I believe she has an exceptionally bright future in coaching in this league." - Jose Fernandez

This will be Smith's third season with the Wings, as she was an assistant coach with the team last year, and was a player development coach in Dallas in 2020. Prior to joining the Wings last season, she was an assistant with the LA Sparks.

Empress Davenport

"Empress' background in the college ranks, along with her experience under Karen Aston and Yolett McPhee-McCuin, speaks volumes about her preparation and player development abilities. Her character, communication skills, and enthusiasm align perfectly with what we're building here, and I know she'll be a tremendous asset to our players." - Jose Fernandez

Davenport has spent the last two seasons as an assistant/associate coach at Ole Miss under Yolett McPhee-McCuin, where they went 46-23 with two NCAA Tournament appearances. They lost in the Round of 32 this season and the Sweet 16 in 2025.

David Adkins

"Having known David for years, I know firsthand the impact he makes through his connection with players and his player development expertise. Bringing in someone with his NBA experience in development, preparation, and scouting was incredibly important to me, and I can't wait for him to start working with our group." - Jose Fernandez

Adkins was the associate coach for the University of Washington for the last two years, where they went 41-25, making the NCAA Tournament both years. He has worked with several NBA teams, including the Denver Nuggets, LA Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, and Washington Wizards.

Mike Neighbors

"With his head coaching experience at Washington and Arkansas and his familiarity with the WNBA, Mike brings a wealth of knowledge that will elevate our entire staff. I've known him a long time, and his passion, analytics expertise, and understanding of the league's logistics will be extremely valuable to what we're building." - Jose Fernandez

Neighbors was an assistant for the LA Sparks last season, but will mostly be known for his time with Arkansas and Washington, as he was a head coach for 12 seasons, compiling a record of 246-145 with 5 NCAA Tournament trips, including a Final Four appearance in 2016.