The Dallas Wings are desperately looking for a new head coach. With Wings’ power rankings hitting rock bottom despite Paige Bueckers’ magic, the franchise is hell-bent on finding an able mentor. And in all probability, it might turn out to be Nicki Collen. Surely, this recent season was more like a nightmare for the team. With Bueckers doing all she could, it soon turned into a one-woman army. And unfortunately, it was not enough.
Soon after the season was over, there were rumors regarding the longevity of head coach Chris Koclanes. With many speculating that he will be given another chance, things didn’t pan out as expected. The Wings front office parted ways with Koclanes, and now, it looks like they are zeroing in on Collen.
Dallas Wings Reportedly Zeroing In On Nicki Collen
The Wings had been considering a lot of names for their head coach role. And at one point, Sandy Brondello emerged as the top candidate for the role. Unfortunately for the Wings’ fans, Brondello recently signed with the Toronto Tempo. Thus, the Wings were once again back to square one. Meanwhile, as per recent reports, the Dallas front office is zeroing in on Nicki Collen to lead the side.
The information surfaced in one of The Athletic’s Ben Pickman’s articles. Currently, Collen is associated with Baylor University. And quite interestingly, Collen does tick a lot of boxes that the Wings are looking at. Collen has been an experienced athlete and has also spent a lot of time as an assistant coach. Having coached in the WNBA and NCAA, she has proved her worth in terms of leading a side.
nicki collen (potential dallas wings HC) talking about azzi and paige’s midrange #research https://t.co/zTgneAYIyE pic.twitter.com/da2hwQF2RI
— abbie (@wbbabb) October 17, 2025
Moreover, Collen also has a good rapport with the Wings’ general manager, Curt Miller. Thus, by the looks of it, Collen might be the next in line to manage the likes of Bueckers and co. Meanwhile, in a recent statement, Geno Auriemma stressed the importance of giving Bueckers authority.
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Geno Auriemma Wants Paige Bueckers To Have More Say On Dallas Wings Coach Pick
The Dallas Wings are buzzing at the moment. Every other day, new rumors of probable head coaches are dropping. Only recently, it was reported that the Wings were closing in on Jose Fernandez as their head coach. And even after they have finalized the coach, the team would need to pick some quality athletes as well. And that’s where Auriemma believes Bueckers deserves more priority.
“I told Paige this the other day: A great player can play for any coach—if they want to. Now, if they get a coach that doesn’t believe and doesn’t have a collaboration with Paige, then that would be a difficult journey,” Auriemma said. “And it’s like recruiting. Recruit the person you want who has the qualities. But at the end of the day, whoever the coach is, you can make it work for them, or you can make it not work for them, provided there’s a good roster around you. So I think the roster is gonna be more important than the coach, even though the coach is crucial, obviously,” he further added.
Thus, it is evident that the Dallas Wings need to sort out their priorities straight away. Fans will now wait to see what’s next.