There’s no other way to say it: the Dallas Wings had a rough season. They won only ten games and finished 13th in the regular-season standings. Some of those struggles weren’t unexpected. After all, this was a team that already struggled last season, lost two All-Stars in the offseason, and brought in a new head coach. At the same time, Wings fans had certain expectations after the team drafted Paige Bueckers and added DiJonai Carrington and NaLyssa Smith. The fit with Carrington and Smith didn’t work out, and both were traded during the season.
It was a difficult season for head coach Chris Koclanes, who did not make many fans in his first year in Dallas. In fact, some Dallas fans even began to advocate for assistant coach Nola Henry to take over the team. They could get to see Henry in a WNBA head coaching position soon, but not in Dallas. The Wings already announced that they would keep Koclanes around for another season.
Nola Henry could be a candidate for the head coaching positions in Portland and Toronto
The Golden State Valkyries found a lot of success with hiring a WNBA assistant coach as their first head coach and allowing her to build a culture from the ground up. The Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire may choose to go in a similar direction. If either of those organizations wants to give a young coach a shot, Henry would be an interesting option.
Henry got her first WNBA experience as an intern with the Connecticut Sun in 2020. After that, she worked as an assistant basketball operations manager between 2021 and 2022. She spent the next two years with the Los Angeles Sparks as a player development and assistant coach. Before joining the Wings’ coaching staff, Henry got her first experience as a head coach. She was one of six coaches to lead a team during Unrivaled’s inaugural season and led Rose BC to the league’s first title. Given her success this season, she should be back with Unrivaled in 2026.
There will be a lot of competition for WNBA head coaching jobs
Head coaching jobs are still limited in the WNBA, but there are many coaches ready to take on the challenge. Sandy Brondello, who is not with the Liberty anymore, will undoubtedly draw a lot of attention from the Fire, Tempo, and Storm. There are also plenty of other assistant coaches, former players, and NCAA coaches, who should be in the running for a head coaching position. Many of them have more experience than Henry, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have a shot at a head coaching position.