New Dallas Wings head coach José Fernández has his work cut out for him this offseason. Not only is he tasked with continuing the Wings’ rebuild into the 2026 WNBA season, but he also has to manage the on-court career growth of superstar Paige Bueckers.
Fernández has been preparing on all fronts, which includes building a bond with his current players and scouting prospective ones. In an interview with “No Offseason: The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show” podcast on Thursday, Fernández revealed that a trip to UConn to evaluate top draft prospect Azzi Fudd led him to discover details on how to best work with Bueckers.
“[On] one of my visits to go see a young lady that everybody’s talking about, who’s a prospective draft pick,” Fernández started.
“I was there for three days, watched [the UConn women’s basketball team] practice, watched them play Ohio State, and got to spend a lot of time with [head coach Geno Auriemma], and of course, we had conversations in regards to schemes: Paige with the ball inside pick and roll, in the slot, in the middle of the floor, when it comes off the glass, and she gets denied, and someone else brings it up and her off the ball,” he said.
“It was great to get his perspective on things because he cares deeply about her, and he cares deeply about her success in the future,” Fernández added.
Fernández has already publicly discussed his plans to set a new winning standard for the Wings, who finished the 2025 season with a 10-34 record and in last place in the WNBA.
“This won’t be the same old Dallas Wings, my brother,” Fernández said during his introductory press conference in early November. “Change is coming, and we’re gonna win.”
The former USF head coach was on the shortlist of candidates the Wings were considering as they conducted their search. Fernández took over the lead role for USF in November 2000, just seven months after he arrived as an assistant coach, and appeared in 10 NCAA Tournaments while leading the team to 12 20-win seasons. His teams were ranked in the top 25 for a total of 79 weeks over a nine-year span.