Wings hire USC assistant Chris Koclanes as head coach
Chris Koclanes, a former WNBA and current USC assistant coach, has been hired as the new head coach of the Dallas Wings, the team announced Monday.
With Koclanes at the helm, the Wings -- who boast the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft -- will look to return to the playoffs after finishing second-to-last in the standings in 2024. They previously fired Latricia Trammell after the team went 9-31 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
Koclanes takes over the role after spending eight seasons in the league working under Wings general manager Curt Miller, who previously coached the Los Angeles Sparks and Connecticut Sun. Known for his defensive focus, Koclanes served as defensive coordinator under Miller in both Connecticut and Los Angeles and is also well-regarded for his work in player development.
Miller has previously called Koclanes "one of the elite assistant coaches" and "best and brightest" in the WNBA.
"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."
During Koclanes' time in Connecticut (2016-22), which included a pair of WNBA Finals appearances and four straight semifinal berths, the Sun emerged as a perennial defensive power in the WNBA. The Sparks also ranked top-four in defensive rating in Koclanes' sole year there, 2023. The Wings haven't finished higher than eighth (out of 12) in defensive rating since the franchise moved to Dallas in 2016 and were last in the league in that metric in 2024.
Koclanes has spent the past two seasons as an assistant under Lindsay Gottlieb for the Trojans, who have seen a revitalization in that span behind the arrival of star JuJu Watkins.
The Wings are amid a critical transition with the hiring of Koclanes and of Miller this offseason as general manager (previously team president and CEO Greg Bibb served as GM). The organization further bolstered its front office by promoting Travis Charles (senior vice president of basketball operations and assistant GM) and Jasmine Thomas (vice president of basketball operations and assistant GM).
The team, which plays at UT Arlington, will move to Dallas in 2026, where it will call home a larger and newly renovated arena that's part of the redeveloped Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. The Wings are also building a standalone practice facility in Dallas.
In addition to having the No. 1 pick -- widely assumed to be UConn star Paige Bueckers -- the Wings return four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale and have six others under contract. Former first-team all-WNBA selection Satou Sabally, who was injured most of the 2024 campaign, is an unrestricted free agent, as is three-time WNBA champion Natasha Howard, who previously announced she will not be returning to the team.
The franchise originated as the Detroit Shock, which won three WNBA titles in the 2000s before relocating to Tulsa and later Dallas. Since then, the Wings have won only one playoff series, in 2023, but were afterward swept by the eventual champion Las Vegas Aces.