The Dallas Wings felt changes were necessary after another rough season. Even after landing Paige Bueckers in the lottery, they limped to a 10–34 record. That led the front office to reshuffle once again, bringing in longtime South Florida coach Jose Fernandez. While the details of his system remain unclear, he has made it clear that Paige Bueckers will be the center of the system. 

“Paige is a very good basketball player. She’s one of the faces of the league and the future of the WNBA and also USA basketball,” Fernandez said in an Interview with ‘In Case You Missed It’ with Khristiana Williams. “She wants to be coached. She wants to win. So, that’s plain and simple.”

Last season, it was mostly Bueckers pulling the load. She averaged 19.2 points and 5.4 assists, won Rookie of the Year, made the All-Star team, and earned All-WNBA Second Team honors. She showed poise well beyond her years despite limited support, and her rookie campaign only confirmed that the Wings have the right player to anchor their rebuild.

And just like Bueckers said, a little patience is all we need.

“I remember Steph Curry, before the Warriors became the Warriors, like, he tweeted out, ‘Just stick with us… We’re gonna figure it out.’ That’s the message,” Bueckers had said.

Also, the new coach is wasting no time by learning about what usually slipped between the headlines the past season and how he envisions Bueckers in an expanded role.

On a recent episode of No Offseason, he said, “Yeah, a lot of texts and phone calls and really honest conversations about last year, how she felt last year went. I will be going to Miami and Unrivaled, so that’ll be really good,” Fernandez said. “When the CBA gets done, and that’ll kick off free agency, the expansion draft, and all that other stuff, where I’m sure she’s going to be involved.

“I think really getting a feel for her on what she likes with the ball in her hands, off the ball. I think as we lead into getting everybody here in Dallas for training camp, her and I will be on the same page on what I see on both ends of the floor.”

Fernandez’s resume honestly offers much hope when it comes to Bueckers, who had to deal with a lot of uncertainty in her rookie season. 

At South Florida, Fernandez ran what he described as a Euro-style, pro-inspired offense, which should translate smoothly to the WNBA level. Along the way, he helped develop players like Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, Kitija Laksa, Courtney Williams, and Alisia Jenkins, all of whom went on to play in the league. Williams, in particular, grew into a legitimate star.

Paige Bueckers is already a star in her own right, but she still needs the right structure around her, stronger pieces alongside her, and a clearly defined role night after night. Fernandez has the background and system to help check a lot of those boxes.

So, as he himself assured, “This won’t be the same old Dallas Wings, my brother,” quoting his late colleague at USF, Amir Abdur-Rahim. “Change is coming, and we’re gonna win.”

Another silver lining is that the coach is already familiar with Bueckers.

During his time at South Florida, he went up against her multiple times while she was building her résumé at UConn as a three-time first-team All-American. Fernandez also has a long-standing relationship with UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, which adds another layer of familiarity between him and Bueckers’ basketball background.

Thanks to that, he has also been taking tips from Auriemma. And who knows Bueckers better than him?

“Geno said, ‘If there’s a shot you want her to make, she’ll make it. If there something you’re going to run, she’s going to run it.’ So I think it’s very important, not only developing a relationship with her, but everybody on the roster, where they feel comfortable on the floor in what they like, what they don’t like,” Fernandez revealed.

Beyond that, the new coach is investing just as much energy into an Arike-Bueckers duo, even as rumors continue to swirl.

Jose Fernandez Insists On Pairing Paige Bueckers With Arike Ogunbowale

When Bueckers was drafted, Arike Ogunbowale probably threw a party. “I just fell to my knees. THANK YOU, LORD! 😭😭😭,” Ogunbowale had tweeted. It seemed the two would form a deadly duo that could finally bring the Wings out of the trenches. However, the reality was quite different. Ogunbowale had a career-low season, averaging 15.5 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.1 rebounds. 

Now, the mood in the organisation, as rumors suggest, is to move on from Arike. ClutchPoints reported that it “doesn’t expect Dallas to reach out and make aggressive Ogunbowale trade offers, but the idea of the Wings considering an offer made to them isn’t out of the question.” 

Still and all, Fernandez seems to think differently.

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“Paige and Arike are exceptional guards who can create off the bounce. They both can shoot the three,” he said. “They can get to the free-throw line. It’s them understanding how they’re going to be utilized, and there’s got to be great communication between my staff and both of them on where they feel comfortable on the floor. The success we had at South Florida, our best players got the most touches…A lot of plays were run for them, and that’s not going to change here in Dallas.”

But the bigger question is whether Arike even wants to stick around for yet another rebuild. Free agency could be her chance to jump to a team that’s ready to compete for a title right now. Add in the Curt Miller factor, too. As the GM, he’s going to have strong opinions about holding on to one of the highest-paid players on the roster. And with the expansion draft looming, the whole situation only feels more up in the air.

Besides that, Fernandez is also excited about another No.1 pick that Dallas will have in the upcoming season.

“I can just tell you this, it’s great to have the number one pick because now you control a lot of things. If we didn’t have the number one pick, there are a lot of unknowns,” Fernandez said. “We knew we were going to be no worse than third, but getting the number one now, there are a lot of things that we can control. And I’ll leave it at that.”

Right now, Azzi Fudd is out in front in the race, according to ESPN’s mock draft. Adding fuel to the speculation is the fact that Fernandez made the trip to Connecticut to watch UConn practice and face Ohio State. His ‘very good’ relationship with Geno Auriemma only makes the connection feel more realistic.

“One of my visits [was] to go see a young lady that everybody’s talking about as a prospective draft pick,” Fernandez recently revealed. “I was there for three days, watched them practice, watched them play Ohio State, and spent a lot of time with [Geno].”

Clearly, Jose Fernandez is fully committed to the rebuild that Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings roster deserve.