Mar 2, 2020; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; South Florida Bulls head coach Jose Fernandez reacts to the referee s as they take on the UConn Huskies in the first half at XL Center. UConn defeated South Florida 80-39. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images David Butler II-Imagn Images

New Wings coach details emotional decision to leave USF for WNBA

Originally posted on Dallas Wings on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Oct 27, 2025 10:03 PM ET

The Dallas Wings officially announced on Monday that their new head coach would be Jose Fernandez, who spent the last 25 years at the University of South Florida, leading them to 9 NCAA Tournaments in the last 13 years. That's a hard thing to do at a program like USF, and now he'll try to apply that to the WNBA.

USF released an article on Monday evening thanking Fernandez for his time at USF, where he talked about how emotional this decision was for him, even if he was a finalist for the job last year.

"It's something every coach aspires to," Fernadez said. "This is professional basketball, the highest level. If you're ever going to make a move like this, it's the right time. It was not an easy decision by any means, but I am excited, and I am at peace.

"I'm leaving a USF program that I've led for 25 years. USF is an incredible place, and it has been so good to me and my family. We won a lot of games, and we were going to win a lot more. So, this decision is not one that was taken lightly.

"Were there emotions? Of course there were emotions. Some of the things that you feel, it's difficult to put them into words.''

Fernandez was USF's coach for longer than 50% of the program's existence, but he's also responsible for 100% of their NCAA Tournament appearances, and they had just three winning seasons before he got there. He had 19. That's why the Wings are so confident that he can be the one to turn this franchise around.

Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Paige Bueckers Should Feel Familiarity With Jose Fernandez

Jose Fernandez has always relied on his stars, so Bueckers should still have the ball in her hands a lot, but there is going to be more familiarity between player and coach.

Fernandez is great friends with Bueckers' college coach, UConn's Geno Auriemma. "We have become really, really great friends," Auriemma said back in 2020. The two coaches went against each other a lot between the Big East and the American, so Fernandez probably spent a lot of time trying to find weaknesses in Bueckers' game.

Some people question whether or not his style of play will translate to the WNBA, but he has the credentials to make it work, especially with his history of being a program and culture builder.

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

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