Long-time rival of new Dallas Wings coach praises team's hire

The head coach of the Louisville Cardinals may be happy to not play against Jose Fernandez anymore.

Mar 9, 2022; Fort Worth, TX, USA; South Florida Bulls head coach Jose Fernandez motions to his team during the first half of the American Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament semifinals against the Houston Cougars at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Wings officially announced that they would be hiring Jose Fernandez to be the next head coach of the franchise, hoping he can right a ship that has been sailing in the wrong direction for a long time. They haven't had a coach last longer than two seasons since 2018, and Fernandez was at USF for 25 years.

Recently, one of his long-time rivals, Jeff Walz at Louisville, gave the Wings statement about how tremendous of a hire he thinks it is.

"His teams have always been exceptionally well-prepared, disciplined, and tough — a reflection of his leadership and his ability to get the most out of his players," Walz started.

"The Dallas Wings are getting not only a terrific basketball coach but also a genuine competitor and a teacher of the game. Jose has a great understanding of how to get great players to play together and create a culture built on accountability and respect."

We hope you're clearing your summer schedule, you're not going to want to miss this 🌤️ pic.twitter.com/b3OiXmwaC5

— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) October 28, 2025

Walz has been at Louisville since 2007, playing against USF in the Big East and the American Conference back in the days, so he faced off against Fernandez a few times. He's very aware of how great Fernandez's teams can be.

Wals has led Louisville to 16 NCAA Tournaments in his 18 seasons there, including four Final Four appearances, losing in the national championship game twice. Fernandez and Walz faced off against each other 14 times in their careers, with Walz's much more talented teams winning 12 times. They even matched up once in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

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Jose Fernandez Could be Coaching a Former Louisville Player Soon

One of the many free agents that the Wings have available this offseason is Myisha Hines-Allen, the brother of Jacksonville Jaguars star Josh Hines-Allen. MHA played her college career at Louisville under Coach Walz, and now could be playing for Coach Fernandez, as well.

The only issue is, Hines-Allen did not have a great season last year. She averaged 7.6 PPG and 6.0 RPG while shooting 45% from the floor and just 26.7% from three. Of the many needs the Wings have this offseason, they have to get more shooting and better rebounding. They have an otherworldly star in Paige Bueckers, but she isn't good enough by herself to lift an entire professional team.

It wouldn't be surprising at all if they decided to let Myisha Hines-Allen walk this offseason, even though they have a lot of cap space to play with.

READ MORE: Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers to partake in November event with fond memories

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