The Dallas Wings are working on a deal to hire South Florida women’s basketball coach Jose Fernandez, according to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.
Philippou reported an agreement could be in place by Friday.
USF athletics CEO Rob Higgins announced Fernandez is leaving “to pursue an opportunity to coach at the next level in the WNBA”:
This is another example of how the timing of the WNBA and college seasons can make for a tough situation when a team is losing its head coach.
USF plays Florida International in its opener on Nov. 3, and now the program is in need of a new leader on the sideline. Higgins appointed Michele Woods-Baxter as the interim coach.
And regardless of when Fernandez left, he was always going to cast a big shadow when he had been with the program since the 2000-01 season. He had a .605 winning percentage and guided the Bulls to 10 NCAA tournament appearances.
Philippou reported the Wings wanted “a candidate with significant head coaching experience and a proven track record for sustained success, as well as someone with an international reach.”
Fernandez checks those boxes, and the Atlanta Dream’s success after hiring Karl Smesko eased some of the concerns over how a long-tenured college coach would adapt to the WNBA.
In Paige Bueckers, the Wings have one of the league’s brightest talents. The No. 1 overall pick averaged 19.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists en route to winning Rookie of the Year.
The fact Bueckers is on a rookie contract for three more years gives Dallas a big advantage from a roster perspective, too. When salaries are set to skyrocket, having a star player make between $80,000 and $100,000 will provide a ton of cap flexibility.
Still, Fernandez’s hiring might be met with some skepticism if only because of the Wings’ inability to maintain much consistency from year to year.
Brian Agler, Vickie Johnson and Latricia Trammell all lasted two years as the head coach. Chris Koclanes wasn’t afforded much patience despite coaching a WNBA team for the first time. He got the axe after one year and a 10-34 record.
Perhaps Fernandez can break the trend.
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