Arlington, TX (Oct. 27, 2025) – The Dallas Wings have named Jose Fernandez as the team’s next head coach. A veteran leader, Fernandez brings nearly 35 years of coaching experience to Dallas, with the last 25 years spent as head coach of the University of South Florida women’s basketball team. Fernandez helped build the Bulls into one of the most consistently successful programs in the nation.

The Wings will host a press conference on Nov. 6 in Dallas to formally introduce Fernandez. Additional details for the event will be announced in the coming days.

A proven winner and established leader in player development, Fernandez earned nearly 500 career wins at USF while guiding more than 100 players into professional basketball careers worldwide. Under Fernandez, South Florida has had seven WNBA Draft selections, including current active players Courtney Williams of the Minnesota Lynx and Kitja Laksa of the Phoenix Mercury. In total, nearly 30 of Fernandez’s former players are actively playing professionally in 2025-26.

“Jose is one of the most respected veteran coaches in women’s basketball,” said Dallas Wings Executive Vice President and General Manager Curt Miller. “He is a proven winner and has built sustained success for over two decades at USF. Jose consistently produces professional players and is regarded as an excellent developer of talent. His colleagues from across the country constantly credit his teams for their preparation and grit, while continuously raising the bar for success on the court. He is known for putting his players in a position to succeed. Lastly, as the game and WNBA continue to become global, no coach in this country has recruited and successfully coached international players better than Jose. I can’t wait to partner with Jose and support his vision for our Dallas Wings.”

“I want to thank Curt Miller, Greg Bibb, and the entire Dallas Wings organization for this Incredible opportunity,” said Fernandez. “We will be relentless in our pursuit of excellence, approaching everything we do with elite standards and a championship mindset. I couldn’t be more excited to serve as your Head Coach and will work tirelessly to lead this organization to a level of success that both the Wings and the DFW community can be proud of.”

Fenandez was hired as USF’s Head Coach on Nov. 14, 2000, and would become the program’s all-time winningest coach. Fernandez led the Bulls to 19 or more wins in 14 consecutive seasons and 19 post-season berths, including 10 NCAA Tournament appearances. Over the previous four seasons, he guided USF to two AAC Regular Season Championships and two AAC Tournament Championships.

Fernandez has recruited and coached 58 all-conference players, two Associated Press Honorable Mention All-Americans, three members of the USF Athletics Hall of Fame, two conference Players of the Year, one AAC Defensive Player of the Year, five conference Freshmen of the Year, two AAC Newcomers of the Year, two AAC Sixth Players of the Year, and four conference Most Improved Players.

Highly respected in the industry, the Miami native was a finalist for the 2021 WBCA Division I National Coach of the Year, a two-time American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and is the current President of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

Fernandez has also been active in international basketball. He has won two gold medals with USA Basketball’s U18 and U19 National Teams, serving as an assistant coach. At USF, Fernandez has recruited and coached players from over 22 different countries.

Prior to his time at South Florida, Fernandez served as a men’s basketball assistant coach at Miami-Dade College (1991-92) and Miami Sunset High School (1992-94), before becoming an assistant at Barry University (1994-96). After coaching girls’ basketball at Lourdes Academy from 1996-99, Fernandez served as the top assistant for Barry’s women’s team from 1999-00.

Jose and his wife Tonya are proud parents to five daughters, Sydnie, Alex, Taylor, Brianna, and Brooke, and have eight rescue dogs.

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