The Dallas Wings have hired USC assistant Chris Koclanes as their new head coach the club announced on Monday.
Koclanes has previous experience at the WNBA level having worked with Curt Miller for 8 seasons in Connecticut and Los Angeles. The former Trojans assistant replaces the departed Latricia Trammell who was let go by the club this offseason.
Dallas currently owns the number 1 pick in the upcoming WNBA draft, and is widely expected to select UConn star Paige Bueckers, whom USC narrowly edged out 72-70 on Saturday. Koclanes is widely regarded as a “defensive specialist” and will be counted on to help turn around the Wings uneven defensive play in 2024.
“We are thrilled to welcome Chris Koclanes as the new head coach of the Dallas Wings,” said Miller in a statement. “Throughout our extensive search and interview process, Chris continued to rise to the top and check the boxes of our important pillars. 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.”
“In addition to his proven on-court skill, Chris possesses values that align perfectly with the Dallas Wings, including a shared focus on positively impacting the community and developing our players off the court. 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, and we are confident Chris is the right person to lead this team into a new era of Dallas Wings basketball.”
The Wings struggled to a 9-31 record last season, good for second worst in the league. However, much of that can be attributed to a variety of injuries to key personnel which ravaged their roster at various points in 2024.
The club will be returning 4x All-Star Arike Ogunbowale as well as 6 other players from their current roster, adding some veteran stability to the team.
In addition to hiring Miller and Koclanes this offseason, Dallas has also promoted Travis Charles (senior vice president of basketball operations and assistant GM) and Jasmine Thomas (vice president of basketball operations and assistant GM) as part of their revamped management team.
The Wings will also be moving from UT Arlington to Dallas in 2026, and have green lit plans for construction on a new stand alone practice facility as well.
Photo: Dallas Wings