“It’s one game at a time. It’ll improve,” this is exactly what Chris Koclanes and the Dallas Wings locker room believes in. With a 0-3 on the rankings so far, the journey with the Wings has not been easy for the newly inducted head coach. While the absence of All-Stars Natasha Howard and Satou Sabally is difficult on the Wings, team captain Arike Ogunbowale is still getting used to her new reality. With a revamped roster including Paige Bueckers and Tyasha Harris, the Wings are still fighting on, desperate to land a first win in their basket as they step on the Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta today.

Ahead of the match against Atlanta Dream, the Wings HC, Chris Koclanes sounded intimidated in the interview regarding thoughts on facing the power-packed roster, in the wake of what went down between the to-be opponents and Indiana Fever. On being asked about the things Dream does well against guards, Koclanes was in awe of the team. Observing how all the Dream guards carry a potential to protect the rim and act out their physicality, knowing that they have other players to take care of their messes, he praised the size and physicality of the Atlanta Dream guards like Rhyne Howard who has an excellent shooting prowess along with a height and weight advantage.

Talking on the Grant Afseth podcast during the pre-match interview against Atlanta Dream, Koclanes said, “Well, they’ve got some big size and good physical guards with with Rhyne and then they have great rim protection. So, their guards can be physical out there knowing that their size behind them to clean up any messes.” He brought up a major concern that a team like Dream can use their physicality against the Wings because they are capable of doing so. Also, other players on the roster can build around their size.

This is the very concern that even Indiana Fever HC, Stephanie White raised after their first regular season against the Dream, when two of her players, Natasha Howard and Aliyah Boston came under the opponent’s radar. Atlanta guards like Brittney Griner and Rhyne Howard isolated the Fever players and used their physicality to their advantage. They scored consecutively for the team while the Fever failed to fight the undersized issue. Meanwhile, Chris also raised a warning sign to watch out for.

He cautioned the team against Dream’s tactics and openly suggested that if Dallas Wings team focuses on more mid-range jump shots and spreads in paint, instead of huddling close to the rim, they will be able to prevent what the Dream did with Fever roster. “We’ve got to try to move that size away from the rim and then we just got to go in there. And in the paint, look for the middies if we can’t get all the way to the rim. But then again, try to collapse and and spread but we’ve got to dominate the paint,” Chris advised Paige & Co. ahead of the match against Dream. He told the team to dominate the paint without getting too desperate. He also indicated steering clear from the rim. But will Dallas Wings be able to follow his advice or is it too late?

Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, has already shown her worth, posting a double-double (12 points, 10 assists) against the Minnesota Lynx on May 21, becoming just the third rookie in league history to notch that feat within her first three games. “I’m just trying to contribute to winning, whether I’m making or missing shots,” she said post-game, showing the poise Koclanes needs against Atlanta’s pressure.

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Dream was successful in breaking Caitlin Clark’s record of scoring a three-pointer. Clark had a successful 140-game streak, where she had scored at least one three-pointer shot in every match. The streak that began during her collegiate years with the NCAA, came to a drastic end in her sophomore run with the Indiana Fever on May 22, 2025. ESPN’s official Instagram account broke the news on Friday with a caption that read, “Caitlin Clark’s incredible streak of 140 straight games with a made three, including NCAA and WNBA, came to an end vs. the Atlanta Dream.” While Clark’s streak of a three-pointer in 140 games spanned over 1,225 days, her streak came to a halt three years ago when the Fever faced Purdue Boilermakers Women’s Basketball team on January 22, 2022.

On the other hand, with a previous close-call match against Minnesota Lynx with a score of 81–85, seems like the Dallas Wings have found their footing and are gradually returning in their original and dominant form. As Arike led the team with all her efforts against the Lynx and Bueckers scored a double-double, Wings also boasts of a revamped roster including players like Myisha Hines-Allen, Paige Bueckers, Tyasha Harris, NaLyssa Smith, and DiJonai Carrington. And with a losing streak so far, all HC Chris and the team can aspire is to give their everything in the upcoming matches.

HC Chris Koclanes all-praise for Myisha Hines-Allen

“She’s just a dynamic player who makes other people around her better,” HC Koclanes answers when asked about his thoughts on the impact of forward player, Myisha Hines-Allen on the team. “She just impacts the game in a variety of ways but offensively her ability to facilitate. So she makes simple plays from the post position and she can get other people shots. She just helps our offence.”

Further praising her ability to identify gaps in the paint, Chris remarked, “She’s a good connector- when things break down, she can get us into another action quickly and again she can also get a piece of paint and then spread it. So, yeah, she’s just a dynamic player who makes other people around her better.” Even Chris cannot deny the fact that Hines-Allen is an all-rounder who can facilitate and propel the team into the right direction.

As her first stint in the Dallas Wings this season, the six-feet-one Hines-Allen is an exceptionally versatile forward who has established her prowess in the regular season with an average of 3.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in five games so far. With a high basketball IQ coupled with on-court alertness, Myisha is an asset for the Wings roster.

Prior to joining the Wings, the 19th overall pick was drafted by Washington Mystics in 2018. Hines-Allen established her scoring and rebounding prowess in the pros with an overall average of 8.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. She even shot 48.9% from the field and 35.9% from three-point range during her four-year stint with the Mystics. She tried her luck in the Minnesota Lynx in 2024 before joining the Wings’ roster.

With such a promising talent on the roster, Chris is hopeful that the team will grab their first win of the season. But given his advice against the Atlanta Dream, can Dallas Wings sustain their wrath or use their agility, swiftness, and mid-range and long shots against the powerful Dream roster?

The Atlanta Dream is an unstoppable force on the hardwood, devouring every single team that comes in their way. With a determined locker room that is focused on clinching the 2025 WNBA championship title, it is a tide in front of a lopsided team like the Dallas Wings. While it would be exciting to see who survives the storm, the Dallas Wings HC sounds positive with fans hoping to witness Bueckers and Ogunbowale create magic on the hardwood.