PALMETTO, FLORIDA - AUGUST 04: Head coach Brian Agler of the Dallas Wings addresses the team during ... [+]
The WNBA’s Dallas Wings are in the market for a new head coach. The Wings and Head Coach Brian Agler mutually agreed to part ways after just two seasons, the team announced Wednesday. Dallas hired the Agler in December 2018.
The Wings posted a record of 18-38 during his tenure. Inside the WNBA bubble at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida this season, Dallas was just 8-14, finishing in ninth place, one spot out of the playoffs. During his first season with the team, the Wings were 10-24, ranking tenth overall. They also missed the playoffs that year.
“We appreciate Brian’s contributions to the Dallas Wings over the last two years,” Dallas Wings President and CEO Greg Bibb said in a statement. “As we look to the future, we believe our team is talented and well-positioned for success. After discussions with Brian, we have elected to go in different directions.
“We are thankful for Brian’s work, dedication to the community and his belief in our dynamic team. We wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.”
Agler, the 2010 WNBA Coach of the Year, brought with him a successful coaching resume when he joined the Wings. He served as head coach of the Minnesota Lynx, Seattle Storm and Los Angeles Sparks previously. He achieved the pinnacle of his profession twice, winning WNBA titles with the Storm in 2010 and Sparks in 2016. Those prior fortunes never materialized in Dallas.
“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to coach the Dallas Wings, I have great respect for the organization,” Agler said. “I wish everyone within the Wings organization the best of luck in the future.”
This is the second coaching search that the organization has undergone since moving to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex from Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2015. The Wings fired former coach Fred Williams in 2018 after he and Bibb had a verbal altercation. Taj McWilliams-Franklin stepped in as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season before the Wings hired Agler.
Despite the team’s record, Dallas boasts some of the best young talent in the WNBA. They have three of the top-10 players selected in the 2020 WNBA Draft, including No. 2 overall pick Satou Sabally. She finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. Last season, guard Arike Ogunbowale was runner-up for the award. This season, Ogunbowale led the WNBA in scoring at 22.8 points per game.
Dallas’ next coach will be an important one for the organization. The Wings, whose contract to play at College Park Center at the University of Texas at Arlington was to expire at the end of the 2020 season, have the potential to be a team on the rise. They need a steward to ensure that happens.
“We will take a deliberate approach as we seek a new head coach to lead the Wings,” Bibb said. “We believe our team’s youth, tenacity and talent provide us with the competitive edge to attract the right fit for our club and someone who will lead our continued growth as we pursue a WNBA Championship.”
