I've seen the same question over and over from Dallas Wings fans. "How did Chris Koclane get the head coaching job?" There won't be a favorable answer to that question, and I'm not sure it matters much at this point. The question you should be asking is if you're willing to let a new coach go through growing pains, or are you already over Coach Koclanes' tenure eight games in?
From the tweets on X and posts on BlueSky, it seems like the latter is the case for most.
I hate chris koclanes
— courtney 🫶🏻 (@bucketsnbooks) June 4, 2025
This is a common sentiment seen across social platforms about the first-year head coach. The Wings are 1-7 after losing several winnable games, including their recent second-half collapse against the Seattle Storm after holding an 11-point lead.
Dallas took a risk by hiring Koclanes
I'm all for giving new coaches a chance to succeed, but you need to look prepared for the gig, and you better have earned it. Koclanes seems to have failed upward, and Paige Bueckers and co. are being subjected to subpar leadership because of it.
The team hired Curt Miller as the general manager, and he's the one responsible for Koclanes' spot at the helm of this ship. They have a working relationship spanning eight years. It's fine to take a guy under your wing (no pun intended), but this seems to have gone too far.
Miller worked with the current Wings coach in Connecticut when he was the head coach of the Sun. He was a video coordinator. He parlayed that role into a defensive coordinator position as an assistant coach, and he held that title at different stops until he landed in Dallas.
His most recent stops saw him spend the 2023 season with the LA Sparks. They were ninth in defensive rating that season out of the 12 teams in the league. He went to USC to work in the same role in September 2023, and they ended that season 71st in team defense. That was his last job before getting a premier head coaching job.
Koclanes has already lost the Wings fan base
The intrigue has been at an all-time high with Paige Bueckers on the roster now. She's stepped in and been every bit the professional people expected her to be, and her game is so calm, she's ahead of her time. That means the fans are going to be more critical of the head coach, so this was not the spot for Miller to bring in his buddy.
They finished with nine wins last season, and they're on pace to finish with a 6-38 record this year. That shouldn't be the case for a team that added Paige, DiJonai Carrington, NaLyssa Smith, Tyasha Harris, and Myisha Hines-Allen. This squad already had a strong talent in Arike Ogunbowale on the roster, so this step back is unacceptable.
It's looking like Koclanes is only going to last for one season, unless Miller holds on tight to his protégé. That decision would be much to the chagrin of Wings Nation, who have been clear about their thoughts on this experiment. It should be over quickly.