SPORT NEWS: USC’s Chris Koclanes Hired as Wings Head Coach, Dallas Secures No. 1 Pick in 2025 WNBA Draft.giang

The Dallas Wings announced Monday they hired Chris Koclanes as their next head coach.

Koclanes was midway through his second season as an assistant for the USC women’s basketball team. In Dallas, he reunites with Curt Miller, the Wings general manager who had him on his coaching staff with the Connecticut Sun.

“Throughout our extensive search and interview process, Chris continued to rise to the top and check the boxes of our important pillars,” Miller said. “He is a servant leader who places a high value on connection, collaboration, and a positive and consistent communication style with all those he coaches. Chris is a fantastic teacher of the game and has an outstanding basketball IQ. He is committed to player development and has a forward thinking and innovative mind for the game. He is a tireless worker with a foundation built through preparation.”

The Wings’ reputation precedes them. They have posted a winning record just once since moving to Dallas in 2016, and their rapid decline this past season summed up their general lack of direction.

In 2023, head coach Latricia Trammell guided the team to a 22-18 record and a trip to the second round of the playoffs. The franchise appeared to be on an upward arc. Then the Wings won just nine games in 2024 and subsequently kicked Trammell to the curb.

In his statement, however, Miller cited the factors that point toward a potentially bright future.

“There are so many incredible things on the horizon for this franchise, including a new arena, a state-of-the-art practice facility and the opportunity to select No. 1 overall in the upcoming WNBA Draft,” he said.

In terms of making an immediate impact, winning the 2025 draft lottery is by far the biggest development because the Wings are in a position to take UConn’s Paige Bueckers first overall.

Bueckers is averaging 20.8 points on 56.3 percent shooting along with 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.0 steals as a senior with the Huskies. The 6’0″ guard has the makings to be a generational talent, one who could single-handedly alter the long-term trajectory of a WNBA team.

The Wings have Satou Sabally and Natasha Howard hitting free agency this offseason, while Arike Ogunbowale will hit the open market along with a ton of top names across the WNBA in 2026.

Miller joined the front office before he knew where Dallas would be picking in the first round of the 2025 draft, but he probably assumed he’ll have a lot of flexibility to reshape the roster over the next couple of years.

Regardless of what happens with Sabally and Ogunbowale, Bueckers alone will give Miller and Koclanes a great foundation on which to build moving forward.