QUINIX Sport News: WNBA coaching tracker: Wings hire USC assistant Chris Koclanes, Fever bring back Stephanie White

The long WNBA offseason is well underway, and there has been more activity than usual this winter. Not only because of the expansion draft to fill out the Golden State Valkyries roster, which is now complete, but due to the unusual number of coaching changes. 

Seven franchises parted ways with their coach: The Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Dallas Wings, Indiana Fever, Los Angeles Sparks and Washington Mystics. It’s no surprise that group includes the five worst teams in the league last season. 

The Fever were the first to make a new hire when they agreed to a deal with Stephanie White, who left the Sun earlier in the offseason and previously played for and coached the Fever. The Sky then filled their vacancy by inking a deal with former Las Vegas Aces assistant Tyler Marsh. Up next, the Dream lured Karl Smesko away from Florida Gulf Coast University and the Sparks also dipped into the collegiate ranks to hire Lynne Roberts from Utah. Most recently, the Sun surprised everyone by hiring Belgian national team coach Rachid Meziane. Finally, the Wings filled their spot by hiring Chris Koclanes, while the Mystics agreed to a deal with Sydney Johnson. 

All seven open positions have now been filled. 

WNBA coaching tracker

Dream 

When the Dream hired Tanisha Wright in 2021, they were in desperate need of a leader who could help professionalize the operation. That’s exactly what Wright did, as she turned the Dream into a tough defensive bunch and led them to the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. However, the team had plateaued despite the addition of top draft picks, including No. 1 overall selection Rhyne Howard, and they had the worst offense in the league this season. Wright met her remit, but it was time for the Dream to go in a new direction.

It certainly appears as though improving the offense was the primary goal in the Dream’s coaching hire, as they’ve brought in Karl Smesko, who turned FGCU into a mid-major machine with a high-powered attack predicated on firing away from behind the arc. Smesko had a remarkable .847 winning percentage in his 23 years as in charge in Fort Myers, and led the Eagles to 14 Atlantic Sun regular season titles, 11 ASUN Tournament championships and 10 NCAA Tournament appearances. This will be Smesko’s first foray into the professional coaching ranks. 

Sky

Perhaps the most surprising coaching change was when the Sky fired Teresa Weatherspoon after just one season. Weatherspoon built a strong bond with Rookie of the Year runner-up Angel Reese and kept the Sky in the playoff hunt despite a major talent drain, poor roster construction and injuries. Ultimately, there were too many concerns about her lack of experience, which cropped up at times during the season and led to doubts about attracting free agents. Plus, she was hired before new general manager Jeff Pagliocca, and that order of operations usually doesn’t lead to a long partnership. 

The Sky didn’t wait long to make a new hire. They agreed to a deal with former Las Vegas Aces assistant Tyler Marsh. Marsh spent the last three seasons working under Becky Hammon and won two titles with the team. Prior to joining the Aces, he spent time with the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors, and also worked briefly in the NBA G League. He specializes in player development, as does Pagliocca. Reese, posted “W” on social media shortly after the news was announced, seemingly giving her approval.

Sun

Stephanie White had real success with the Connecticut Sun, leading the team to a 55-25 record and two semifinal appearances in her two seasons in charge, but decided to part ways with the organization after the 2024 campaign. There had been rumors about this move ever since the Sun were eliminated from the playoffs, especially after White confirmed she was dealing with a family emergency. After White’s departure become official, Sun president Jen Rizzotti told ESPN in a statement that the two sides “parted on good terms because some of [White’s] decision-making process was not just about basketball.” White added that leaving the Sun was “not an easy decision” but would be the “best one for my family and my career.” 

The Sun took their time in naming a replacement for White, and stunned everyone by choosing 44-year-old Frenchman Rachid Meziane. A long-time coach in his native country, Meziane led Villeneuve-d’Ascq to the Ligue Féminine championship last season and has also enjoyed success on the international level as the coach of the Belgian national team. Most notably, he led the Belgian Cats to the 2023 EuroBasket Women gold medal. While Meziane is certainly a capable coach, he has no WNBA experience and it will be interesting to see what effect, if any, his hiring has on the Sun’s ability to maintain their current core with Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner, Brionna Jones and DiJonai Carrington all entering free agency. 

Wings

The Wings hired Latricia Trammell ahead of the 2023 season with an eye on improving their porous defense. She did just that, and the Wings enjoyed their best season in over a decade. They reached the 20-win mark for the first time since 2008 and won a playoff series for the first time since 2009. That momentum was halted by horrible injury luck in the first half of this season. The Wings started off 5-19 and never recovered. They are now in the lottery for the first time since 2021, and have the best odds of getting the No. 1 overall pick due to the pick swap they have with the Sky. Ahead of a potentially franchise-altering winter, the Wings decided to go for a fresh start on the sideline. 

It took the Wings a while to find their man, but they finally filled their coaching vacancy by agreeing to a deal with Chris Koclanes on Dec. 23. Koclanes had been working as an assistant coach for USC’s women’s program, but is a long-time WNBA assistant who spent eight years on Curt Miller’s staff with both the Connecticut Sun and Los Angeles Sparks. Miller is now the Wings’ general manager. Koclanes, who is known for his defensive-minded approach, will be tasked with fixing the Wings’ pourous defense and developing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, which is widely expected to be Paige Bueckers. 

Fever

As for the Fever, they actually had a fun and successful summer. Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark’s arrival turned them into one of the best offensive teams in the league and they made the playoffs for the first time since 2016, ending the longest active postseason drought in the league. Christie Sides was even named Coach of the Month for August during their post-Olympics surge. But while Sides succeeded in getting the Fever back on track following an embarrassing run as the laughing stock of the league from 2017-2022, the organization ultimately felt she wasn’t the coach to take them to the next level with Clark and Aliyah Boston. 

In Stephanie White, they believe they’ve found the coach to do just that. White has a long history with the organization as a player (2000-04), assistant coach (2011-14) and head coach (2015-16). She was there when the franchise came into being, was on the bench for their only championship and is the last Fever coach to win a playoff series. While there’s no question about her credentials, perhaps the most important aspect is that she has Clark’s backing. 

“I spoke with Caitlin last night, and I think just overall excitement,” White told ESPN after being hired. “I have been watching Caitlin play since she was an eighth grader, when I was coaching in the college realm and covering her games in college, and just an exciting time for me, very excited to be working with her and this young team.”

Sparks

Prior to the 2023 season, the Sparks made a big splash by hiring Curt Miller away from the Connecticut Sun, where he had enjoyed an extremely successful tenure that included two Finals appearances. The Sparks were hopeful that Miller could turn things around after they missed the playoffs in both 2021 and 2022. That did not happen, however, in large part due to injuries. After winning the No. 2 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, they then pivoted to a full rebuild and finished in last place this season. Firing Miller seemed harsh considering the circumstances, but the Sparks wanted to go in another direction and Miller has always been better with veteran teams. 

The Sparks have now filled their vacancy by hiring University of Utah coach Lynne Roberts, who has nearly three decades of experience at the collegiate level. Roberts turned the Utes into a regular NCAA Tournament team in recent years by playing an analytically-driven style of offense. Last season, Utah shot 95% of their shots from beyond the arc, at the rim or in the paint. The Sparks finished 10th in the league in offensive rating (97.0) and 10th in 3-point percentage (32.0), and the front office is hopeful that Roberts can turn those numbers around. 

Mystics

The Mystics fired both Mike Thibault (general manager and former long-term coach) and Eric Thibault. The younger Thibault, who took over for his dad ahead of the 2023 season, was hamstrung by injuries and Elena Delle Donne’s decision to take a sabbatical. He guided the Mystics to the playoffs last season, but they began this campaign 0-12, which was the fourth-worst start in league history. Though they turned it around and were in the playoff hunt until the final day of the regular season, that wasn’t enough to keep his job. 

The Mystics were the last team to hire a new coach, and will hope that their time was well spent. They have hired Sydney Johnson, who made his first foray into the WNBA as an assistant coach for Teresa Weatherspoon with the Chicago Sky last season. Johnson has extensive experience on the collegiate level, which includes stints as the head coach for Princeton and Fairfield. He has also worked with USA Basketball for a number of years, and led Team USA to a gold medal at the 2023 FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup. The Mystics have not won a playoff series since they captured their first WNBA championship back in 2019, and Johnson will be tasked with getting the team back to playoff contention.