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New Dallas Wings coach Jose Fernandez isn’t taking his foot off the gas despite his first offseason barely getting underway.
Fernandez recognizes the Wings holding the No. 1 overall pick isn’t just a leverage play as they do so for the second-straight season, but a potential franchise-altering shift he can’t pass up.
Fernandez revealed the inside scoop on what he has been tasked with. Should he make a lateral move, it could easily satisfy Wings guard Page Bueckers.
“I just ran into all of them in [Connecticut], which was very good to be able to do that. [Geno Auriemma and I] went out to dinner the night before,” Fernandez said on The Athletic’s No Offseason podcast.
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Without mentioning Azzi Fudd by name and instead describing her as a “young lady,” Fernandez had a keen interest in Fudd.
“One of my visits [was] to go see a young lady that everybody’s talking about as a prospective draft pick. I was there for three days, watched them practice, watched them play Ohio State, and spent a lot of time with [Geno].”
Fernandez was impressed enough to continue a conversation with Auriemma about how Fudd may fit in Dallas.
“Of course, we had conversations in regards to schemes, Paige with the ball inside pick and roll, in the slot, in the middle of the floor, when it comes off the glass, and she gets denied and someone else brings it up, and her off the ball,” Fernandez said.
Auriemma, according to Fernandez, is all-in on Fudd’s future success.
“It was great to get his perspective on things, because he cares deeply about her, and he cares deeply about her success in the future,” Fernandez said.
If Fudd returns to form with Bueckers in the pros as opposed to the Huskies, it will prove to the Wings they made the right financial and personal investment in Fudd to continue the rebuild alongside Bueckers.
The wins did not come naturally for the Wings this past season, but Bueckers was the team’s anchor as she won the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year award while putting herself on the map as one of the WNBA’s biggest rising stars.
Entering her sophomore WNBA season, Bueckers will have to carry the load while also reminding herself that familiarity with Fudd’s game may actually work in her favor instead of starting fresh.
It remains to be seen if the Wings pull the trigger, yet Fernandez seems to be headed in that direction.
READ MORE: Wings star Paige Bueckers is ready for first taste of the Unrivaled League
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