The Dallas Wings are one step closer to their fresh restart on their rebuild. The franchise made the move to let go of former coach Chris Koclanes after just one year, and now, they've announced that the decision to hire USF's Jose Fernandez is official. Shortly after telling the public, Fernandez revealed how he feels about taking the helm of the WNBA's sole Texas team.

“I want to thank Curt Miller, Greg Bibb, and the entire Dallas Wings organization for this incredible opportunity. We will be relentless in our pursuit of excellence, approaching everything we do with elite standards and a championship mindset,” Fernandez's statement began, according to reporter Joey Mistretta.

“I couldn't be more excited to serve as your head coach and will work tirelessly to lead this organization to a level of success that both the Wings and the [Dallas-Fort Worth] community can be proud of,” Fernandez concluded.

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The former USF head coach was on the shortlist of candidates the Wings were considering as they conducted their search. Fernandez has appeared in 10 NCAA Tournaments and has led the team to 12 20-win seasons. He had his teams ranked in the top 25 over a nine-year stretch, appearing for a total of 79 weeks.

Fernandez took over the lead role for USF in November 2000, just seven months after he arrived as an assistant coach. He will be utilizing those years of experience to develop young star Paige Bueckers further as she enters the second year of her career.

The reigning Rookie of the Year racked up three Rookie of the Month awards throughout the course of the campaign while setting various rookie records, including for finishing third in points and assists in WNBA history with 692 and 194, respectively. Bueckers was also the only player to finish in the top 10 in scoring (5th), assists (9th), and steals (6th) out of the entire league, proving that she lived up to the hype as her dominant impact translated seamlessly from the NCAA to the W.