Chris Koclanes (right) speaks at a press conference after being named head coach of the WNBA’s Dallas Wings. (Photo: Dallas Wings Zoom feed)
Chris Koclanes, who grew up in Pelham and graduated from the high school in 2007, was named head coach of the WNBA’s Dallas Wings on Dec. 23.
“I look forward to partnering with our players to establish a strong foundation and ultimately to create sustainable championship culture on and off the floor,” Koclanes said during a press conference on Thursday.
Koclanes attributed his readiness for the position to his experiences with other coaches and leaders. “I’m excited to support and empower the women of this league as we continue to elevate the WNBA to new heights,” he said.
“We vetted and interviewed over 30 candidates ranging from experience in the WNBA, the NBA, the collegiate game and also the international game,” said Wings General Manager Curt Miller. Throughout the search, the team used four pillars as a guide: a culture creator with high integrity, a coach with incredible basketball IQ and EQ, a great communicator and an experienced winner. “Those are four buckets Chris certainly checks,” Miller said.
Sports, coaching and teaching run deep in the Koclanes family, as do roots in Pelham.
While at PMHS, Chris Koclanes played soccer, tennis and basketball, helping lead the Pelicans to the Westchester County Center for the Section 1 boys basketball final four in back-to-back years, according to the Pelham schools Facebook page.
Koclanes’s mother Olympia was the head coach of both girls and boys tennis for many years in Pelham, the Facebook post said. His sister Belle scored more than 1,000 points playing basketball for PMHS, won a New York State tennis championship and went on to coach college basketball, including stints at Dartmouth and Drexel, where she is currently an assistant. Koclanes’s other sisters are educators. Nicky Starvatow teaches and coaches at Pelham Middle School, while Kristen Sessano is a teacher in New Rochelle and Ali Soberon in Rye.
Most recently, Chris Koclanes was an assistant coach at the University of Southern California for two seasons. Before USC, Koclanes spent eight seasons in the WNBA working with Miller, his new general manager at the Wings, including as defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Sparks in 2023. He started his WNBA career at the Connecticut Sun in 2016, beginning as video coordinator before being promoted to assistant coach and defensive coordinator in 2019. He helped the Sun reach the 2019 and 2022 WNBA Finals as well as the 2020 and 2021 Semifinals during his seven years with the team.
“The Connecticut Sun defense shined under Koclanes, consistently finishing in the top three in the WNBA in opponent scoring average, opponent turnovers committed and opponent field goal and three-point shooting percentages,” said a Wings press release. “Between 2019-23, seven different players under Koclanes combined for 12 WNBA All-Defensive Team certificates, including multi-time honoree Jasmine Thomas, who currently serves as Dallas Wings vice president and assistant general manager.”
After graduating from PMHS, Koclanes went on to Old Dominion University, where he received with a degree in finance. During his time at Old Dominion, Koclanes was a scout team player and a manager with the Monarchs from 2008 to 2010. After graduation, he spent two years as a financial advisor in New York City. He began working in operations in the William & Mary basketball program in 2012, before becoming a video coordinator at Saint Joseph’s in 2013, where he earned a master’s degree in organization development and leadership.
Koclanes volunteered as a coach at the New Rochelle Boys and Girls Club in 2010 and as head coach of the Hooperstown Huskies AAU team in 2011.
