Jul 22, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale (24) pumps her fist during the first half against the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Arike Ogunbowale's college coach is big fan of Wings' new head coach

Originally posted on Dallas Wings on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Oct 30, 2025 11:45 AM ET

The Dallas Wings announced earlier in the week that they would be hiring Jose Fernandez to be the next head coach of the franchise. He's one of the most well-respected coaches in college basketball after spending 25 years at the University of South Florida, and leading them to easily the most successful tenure of the program, making 10 NCAA Tournaments, including 9 in the last 13.

Dallas has posted plenty of statements on Twitter/X from coaches around college basketball since making the hire, one of them being from Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey, who was the associate head coach at Notre Dame when Wings star Arike Ogunbowale was playing there.

"Congratulations to my good friend, Jose Fernandez, on being named the head coach of the Dallas Wings! Jose is one of the brightest minds in the game, with an unparalleled passion, energy, and basketball IQ. His leadership will undoubtedly elevate the team, and I'm excited to see how he continues to inspire greatness on and off the court. Best of luck, Jose — this is just the beginning!"

This is just the beginning, stay tuned pic.twitter.com/dEmRN8o321
— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) October 28, 2025

Ivey, who is the mother of Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey, was the associate head coach for the Fighting Irish from 2015 to 2019, left to become an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies for one season, and then came back to Notre Dame to be the head coach in 2020. She's gone 117-38 in her time as the head coach, making three straight Sweet 16s. When she was an associate, she helped lead them to a national championship in 2018 with Ogunbowale.

Wings Have Decision to Make on Arike Ogunbowale

Arike Ogunbowale is undoubtedly the biggest free agent of the 10 they have available this offseason. She's a four-time All-Star, and was even in the All-Star Game MVP in 2024, but last season was the worst season of her career, averaging just 15.5 PPG after never averaging less than 19 PPG in her first six seasons.

Dallas had opportunities to trade her last season, and despite fans clamoring that it may be for the best to trade her, they decided to hang onto her, believing that they could bring her back this offseason. They also seem to believe that Chris Koclanes' system may not have been the best fit for Ogunbowale and Paige Bueckers, and that Fernandez can come up with an offensive system that can fit both stars.

This article first appeared on Dallas Wings on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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