ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Wings fired coach Chris Koclanes on Tuesday after going 10-34 in his only season, even with No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers winning WNBA Rookie of the Year honors.
“As we enter a pivotal point in our team’s future, we felt a change in leadership at this time was best for our organization,” Curt Miller, the team’s executive vice president and general manager, said in a statement announcing the move.
Miller, who just completed his first season with the organization, said the Wings are well-positioned for future success with new team facilities being built, a youthful roster and the rights to three first-round draft choices over the next two years, including a lottery pick next spring.
The Wings will have their fifth coach in a seven-season span. Koclanes had replaced Latricia Trammell, who was let go after going 31-49 in two seasons, including 2-3 in the playoffs. The Wings went 9-31 in 2024, ending a run of three consecutive postseason appearances.
Koclanes had been on Miller’s coaching staff in Connecticut from 2016-22 and helped the Sun reach the WNBA Finals in 2019 and 2022. He was in his second season on the staff at Southern California when hired by the Wings, about six weeks after Miller became their GM.
Dallas began this season 1-11, and had a 10-game losing streak that was its longest this year before winning its finale at Phoenix to avoid a second consecutive nine-win season. The Wings matched Chicago, which beat them in all three meetings, for the WNBA's worst record.
Bueckers was still the runaway choice for Rookie of the Year after one of the best debut seasons in league history. She received 70 of the 72 votes from sports writers and broadcasters in that balloting.
She was also the AP Rookie of the Year after averaging 19.2 points on 47.7% shooting along with 3.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.6 steals. Eight days after leading UConn to its 12th national championship, Bueckers was drafted No. 1 overall on April 14.
Her 692 points and 194 assists were the third most by a WNBA rookie, even while missing eight games because of a concussion, an illness and later a sore knee. She scored 44 points in a loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Aug. 20.
Dallas didn't have any player appear in every game this season, adding up to well over 100 games missed due to injury or absence. There were several times they had to sign players to hardship contracts just to have the league minimum of eight players available for games.
Among the injured was four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale (right knee), who played only 29 games.
The Wings and the city of Dallas just last week broke ground on a new practice facility that is expected to open before next season. But their move to a renovated downtown arena has been postponed at least a year because of construction delays, and they will continue to play games on the University of Texas at Arlington campus next season.
The team has played in Arlington since moving from Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the 2016 season.
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