After a disastrous 2025 season where the Dallas Wings finished last in the league with a 10-34 record under Chris Koclanes, it was clear that Paige Bueckers was worthy of the hype. In the immediate aftermath of the season, Dallas picked Jose Fernandez from South Florida to lead the team and develop Bueckers into the franchise’s star. The Athletic’s insider Brian Hamilton revealed how Fernandez reached out to Bueckers’ UConn head coach Geno Auriemma for advice and used it as a blueprint to establish the Wings culture under him.

Fernandez had ample success coaching the Bulls team, but had never dealt with a star like Paige Bueckers. So he went to Storrs, Connecticut, to personally meet Auriemma and understand how the legendary college basketball coach ran things.

“Geno told Jose, ‘Look, if you’re worried about ruining your relationship with her by being too hard on her, don’t. You will ruin your relationship with her if you’re not hard on her. If you’re not holding her to an extraordinarily high standard,'” Hamilton said on the No Offseason: The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show.

Bueckers has a winner’s mentality. She has been consistent in saying that she wants to be challenged and be held accountable to the same standard that all of her teammates were. Even during the stretches that the Dallas Wings have struggled, Paige Bueckers has taken responsibility and expressed the need to stay grounded.

“We’re trying to stay grounded. We’re trying to stay present, and we’re trying to stay positive. Every team hits a rough patch… It’s about how you respond to it, and how you are resilient through it and how you just respond to a challenge,” Buecker said when the Wings registered a 94-88 win against the Tempo and stopped their three-game skid.

Fernandez visited Auriemma at the UConn practice facility. Frenandaz wanted to pick the brains of UConn’s legendary coach on how to coach his franchise player who had played for half a decade under him. And Geno Aureiemma knew that Jose Fernandez would be a good fit for Bueckers.

“He thinks wide and wants to try new things, which is great for a player like Paige. And his temperament will be really, really good for her. He doesn’t lose his s—. He stays pretty calm on the sideline, which is probably a welcome relief to her. They see things the same,” Auriemma said about Fernandez coaching Bueckers, as per The Athletic.

Fernandez took the highest-level job without any experience in the WNBA. But he didn’t lack confidence in his methods and won the trust of top stars in the league. The Wings won their first three games of the season. However, things quickly turned bad, and the Wings lost seven of their next 10 games.

However, Fernandez stayed firm with his methods, and the Wings recovered. They have made the playoffs for the first time since 2023. It’s a new sunrise in Dallas, and the head coach could barely hide his emotions.

Jose Fernandez was honest about leading Dallas to a successful season

The Dallas Wings are one of the few teams in the playoffs with the least expectation of winning the title this season. But given how bad they have been in the last few seasons, this season is a success for them. A whole lot of credit goes to Fernandez and his brutal coaching style.

“You gotta have an inner confidence in yourself in what you’re doing. A belief that you’re gonna be successful when you’re doing it,” Fernandez said, per The Athletic.

“I really could give a s— when people talk about me and what they think of me. If you’re worried about what people are saying about you and what they’re talking about, you’re going to end up being where they’re at. Not coaching this team.”

That confidence has paid off throughout the season. The Dallas Wings got off to a rocky start under Fernandez but kept on improving, making it all the way to fourth in the standings ahead of the All-Star Game on July 25.

Paige Bueckers and company did see a slump when play resumed following the All-Star break. Azzi Fudd also suffered a season-ending injury, and the Wings slipped to eighth place as the losses mounted, but unlike last year, the Wings recovered and clinched their playoff berth.

They are currently on a three-game winning streak, with the seeds yet to be finalized among the eight qualified teams. The question is whether they can climb the rankings far enough to avoid facing league leaders Minnesota Lynx or No. 2 New York Liberty in the first round of the 2026 WNBA postseason.