January 8, 2025 • 29 mins
This week Khristina is joined by Dallas Wings Head Coach Chris Koclanes. Khristina and Chris discuss the excitement surrounding the 2025 No. 1 WNBA draft pick, what he's learned from his coaching influences, and his approach to building a winning culture in Dallas.
Want more women’s basketball scoop? Follow the show on Instagram @ICYMIwithKW and X @ICYMIwithKW and for more on Khristina follow her on Instagram @khristinawilliams
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CREDITS
Executive Producers:
Nikki Ettore
Jessie Katz
Tyler Klang
Jonathan Strickland
Producer:
Mike Coscarelli
Producer & Editor:
Tari Harrison
Host:
Khristina Williams
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams is an
iheartwomen's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.
Welcome to another episode of In Case You Missed It
with Christina Williams, and I'm excited to be back the
first week of twenty twenty five. And you know we
(00:23):
are bringing some heat. So joining us this week is
the newly named head coach of the Dallas Wings. Please
welcome to the show, Head coach Chris Cokleans. Welcome to
the show.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Thanks Christina, happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
First and foremost, how's your holiday break? How has life
been for you these past couple weeks.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
It's been awesome. It's been a whirlwind. It's been overwhelming,
but in the best of ways. I'm super excited about
the opportunity ahead of me. And it's really cool to
hear from a lot of people in your past and
just kind of all the support, love and belief that
that came through over the last couple of weeks. So
(01:05):
it's been great. Excited for twenty twenty five for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Definitely been seeing like all the love from players to
front off of these executives about you returning to the
w NBA. So why do you feel now was the
right time to take that leap into your first head
coaching job with the Dallas Wings.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
So just I had a short kind of stint away
and I missed it right away as soon as I
took that opportunity with USC. So I was working with
Kurt for a while and just the timing was right
to explore a new opportunity. And I was lucky enough
to join Lindsay over at USC for a season and
(01:45):
a half. But then when this opportunity came, it was
everything about it was just kind of meant to be,
and I'm extremely grateful for it. But when you look
at you know, the Wings and where they're at right now,
they some restructuring in the front office, you know, with
adding Kurt and you have Travis and Jazz, that whole
front office is just an incredible support system in there.
(02:08):
So I'm really looking forward to working with them and
partnering with them, and then just the the investment and
the belief from Dallas right you know, they are striving
to be the four seasons of the WNBA with a
commitment to bringing in a practice facility, a commitment to
a new arena, so there's just there's you know, there's
(02:28):
lots on the horizon for the w and there's lots
on the horizon for the Dallas Wings right now. So
all sorts of reasons. But again, I'm extremely, extremely grateful
and humble to have this opportunity to get back into
the league.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
We've had such a diverse journey in how you became
head coach. You started off as a video coordinator and
sort of worked your way up. How has that experience
shaped you and how you are going to approach this
head coaching position.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Yeah, I think having the journey that I've had a
will help me in a lot of ways, just in
terms of all the different experiences, So starting as a
video coordinator and working with assisting coaches, directly supporting head coaches,
serving head coaches, and having an ability to work for
a handful of a very different head coaches and all
(03:20):
very successful head coaches. I've just been extremely lucky with
all the opportunities that I've gotten. You know, my challenge now,
and I'm what I'm excited about is piecing it all
together right, taking everything from all of these mentors and
leaders that I've been so lucky to be around, and
now put my own flare on it and create my
own you know, my own systems, my own style to
(03:44):
ultimately serve our players and get the best out of them.
So I think it's you know, when you start as
a video coordinator and you just kind of work your
way up, work your way up, you have an appreciation
for the entirety of you know, what makes an organization run.
You know, you've you kind of see you're in the weeds,
you see all just how important everything is. And so
(04:07):
I bring that with me, that just kind of totality
of you know, everything matters. And again I attribute that
to a lot of the coaches that I worked for,
just with their attention to detail and their organization and
their preparation that you know, from the video coordinator to
the operation staff to the managers, the you know, the volunteers,
(04:27):
the practice players, everything matters and so there's all these
little details that you know. Now as a head coach,
how can you leverage everybody, put them in positions to
be successful and do what they're good at and just
create a synergy in an organization to wherever there's you know,
(04:48):
clean communication lines and everyone has kind of clarity on
on their roles and responsibilities, and ultimately there's a togetherness
to what we're trying to achieve.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Everything matters. Keeping that in mind, what kind of foundation
do you want to establish with this Dallas Wings team?
As you said restructuring and the rebuild. What kind of
foundation do you want to establish in Dallas? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (05:13):
I think that's what this year is all about. It's
building the foundation, and it starts with me and how
I show up daily and how I serve these players.
You know, coming in as a new head coach. Sure,
there's gonna be all sorts of question marks, right, I'm
not shying away from that. I'm acknowledging it. I'm aware
of it. But it'll be up to me in how
(05:35):
I show up, my demeanor, my preparation, So that'll be
number one is earning their trust and respect daily by
what I give to them and how I show that
I care and I can help and I'm here to
help and to lift them up and to put them
in positions to succeed. If it starts with me, and
then you know, we build our staff and we establish
(05:56):
a staff of great people, and we surround our players
and they see the level of care the attention to detail,
the competitiveness with us. That's a good starting point. And
then it's it's a partnership, right So you look at
who's there right now, and you know, Rique is a
huge part of this Dallas organization, and she's an incredible player.
(06:18):
There's it's undoubtedly her ability to score the ball and
playmake and from my brief conversations with her and everything
I've heard, she's an even better person. So I'm really
looking forward to partnering with her. And again, we get
to hit reset right now. So Okay, things haven't worked
out in the past, but you know, don't worry about that.
We're hitting reset now. We're looking forward. What needs to change?
(06:41):
What what do we need to do right now to
make sure we establish a good foundation, you know, with
all sorts of change coming with you know, the new
CBA and all sorts of stuff coming our way, Let's
build this thing right from the beginning, create good systems,
and then now we have a very very good base
that we can lean on as we continue to grow
(07:02):
year in and year out and you know, hopefully compete
for championships and experience all sorts of success.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
You talked about being like a new head coach and
like people not really knowing you. So what is something
that you would want people to know that they may
not know about you as a head coach or just
as a person.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
I think that I am grateful, joyful, and humble. Those
are kind of my words that I just strive to
be day in and day out. And I'm not perfect,
but I strive to have an awareness to be able
to catch myself in those moments when I'm not living
up to, you know, the attributes that I aspire to
live up to. So I kind of live by the
(07:41):
saying never too high, never too low, and I try
to be a consistent anchor and have a consistent calm
demeanor for everyone around me. So that's what I really
hope to bring to this organization, to these players, right,
It's just a level of stability and calm. It's okay,
Like we're going to be okay, going to be okay
through the craziness, the adversity, the emotional rollercoaster of a
(08:05):
season of a game, will be just fine.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
The number one pick in the twenty twenty five WNBH draft,
what's the strategy to kind of adding the right pieces
and talent around the superstar.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Like every day, We'll work closely with Kurt and Jazz
and Travis and we'll make the pick that we think
is best for the organization going forward. But having a
number one pick is it's just exciting, right, You've seen
what it can do for a team, for an organization,
it can really revitalize. So we're looking forward to all
(08:37):
of that that comes with it. Just the momentum, right
like we get we get to pick one, we will
bring in a talented player and the momentum that that
can create now can propel us into this first year
and again just focusing on establishing the foundation and then
(08:58):
sky's the limit going forward if we can, you know,
not take any shortcuts and really stay disciplined and committed
to doing things the right way.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
We've had a lot of experience coaching star players in
the WNBA. You spent time at the Connecticut Son obviously
John Paul Jones with Thomas to want to Bonnor, but
then in college USC Jiji Walkins. What have you learned
about being able to develop these kinds of star players
in women's basketball.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
I think the biggest thing is just truly meeting them
where they're at and partnering with them. So I don't
think it's not approaching as if you know, I don't
know everything. But when I approach my relationships with players,
it's establishing a level of care and then showing them
(09:47):
that hey, I can help you, I can help you,
and I want to help you. And in doing that,
I want to hear from you. You know, you're out there,
you're living it, you're experiencing it, So talk to me.
Tell me what you're seeing, what you're thinking, what you're feeling,
and now together you know we can we can create
a relationship. And you know, if they see the work
(10:09):
that you put in to ultimately to help them to
you know, whether it's small or little, just helping them
get the spots on the floor, talking about little intricacies,
or just reminding them of what they're capable of at times,
because sometimes that's ALLID is right, it's they're incredible at
what they do. At times it might just be a
(10:29):
motivation or you know, just a reminder to help get
them back mentally to a place where now they're in
a good space to be able to compete. So partnering
with them, for sure, it's a it's a conversation and
then again, if you can just establish that you want
to help, I just want to help, and you can
(10:50):
create you know, respect and trust. This guy's limit.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
All right, y'all, were you all going to take a
quick little break, and when we get back more from
this conversation with Dallas Wayne's head coach Chris Colplannings, we'll
(11:15):
get the twenty twenty five draft class. Obviously, Pagebeckers is
the name that's surfacing as the potential number one pick
from the outside looking in, What are some things that
you see about her game that stands out to you?
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Yeah, I mean she's dynamic. Her efficiency number one, I
would say, you know, it's pretty incredible as a guard
with the efficiency that's able to score the ball. But
she could score at all three levels. She can pass it.
And I think she's got great size too, so you
know there's some versatility there. So there's no doubt Page
is a tremendous talent. So she's going to be part
(11:52):
of a great class in that draft class.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
So yeah, from your tenure as an assistant, you've been
able to experience to w NBA Finals and a Lee
eight at USC Thinking about all of that and all
of that experience, how do you plan to establish a
winning culture now with the Dallas Wings as the head coach.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Yeah, I've been fortunate enough to have those experiences and
be around great coaches and great culture. So again, this
culture word is a buzzword, but it is everything, right,
It's what the players feel every single day. So my
plan is to have us prepared as possible to really
(12:35):
respect the work and the details and the grind that
it takes to be successful. And then what I think
will really help us and what I really believe in
is I also want us to have the balance of
having a joy through all of the hard work. So
with our culture establishing our anchors culturally, the biggest thing
(13:01):
for me though, is going to be this balance. Right,
We're going to be the most prepared. We're going to
do all the hard work. We're not going to shy
away from the hard conversations, the tough moments, and at
the same time, we're going to cultivate a joy through
it all. Right, it's still a game. We still get
to play this game, so there'll be a perspective of yeah,
(13:23):
these moments are tough, We're demanding lots of things, We're
challenging you and your time, and this is fun and
it's worth it. It's worth it at the end working
with a team, sacrificing for the team, playing together, playing
the right way. So that balance is what I'll strive
to help create.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
We build a reputation as a defensive minded coach. That
was something that was kind of said in the press
release that that was one of the key reasons why
you were the right candidate for this job. What's been
the key to your success creating those strong defensive teams
or developing strong defensive players.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
First, ultimately have been lucky enough to coach a lot
of really good players. So again, it's it's all about
the players. But then I think it's it's just a
consistency in your communication and in in your in your systems. Again,
can you help the players. Can you put them in
positions to then use their god given gifts, their athleticism,
(14:30):
their IQ, you know, what makes them who they are,
to then go and perform and do special things. So
it's a commitment to a consistency and creating clarity for
them in terms of what we're doing. Right, So the
game is so gray, right, it's so gray, and it
can be confusing, and our jobs as coaches is to
(14:51):
try to simplify and make it as black and white
as we can for the players. So I think why
we've had some success in Connecticut is just our our
team reaching on and off the floor, and our clarity
and communicating Okay, here's why we like to guard this
action this way or this area of the floor. We
like to do this. And the more you can create clarity,
(15:13):
now when they're out there, they have all sorts of
confidence that they're in the right spots there, they're proactive,
they're seeing things before it happens, and now they can
go do what they do and their natural gifts and
talents just kind of take over. So I think it's
just a commitment to teaching and consistency and creating clarity
and our messaging.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
What are you focus on first when you're building a
strong defensive system. I know you can't give us all
the keys all of your saws, but you know, I'm
just curious, because you know, just getting into building that
system in Dallas, what are you looking for first when
you when you start to think about building a strong
defensive system.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
First, again, it starts with the players. So you just
have to have an understanding of your roster and their abilities,
and then also not put them in a box and
pigeonhole them in a sense too, right, like, challenge them
to be able to do things that maybe they haven't
proven they can do yet or haven't shown they can
do consistently. So I think it starts there, and then
(16:14):
just generally, you know, just kind of big picture guarding
the ball. The more you can guard the ball one
on one and keep the ball in front and pressure
the ball and try to disrupt an offense's rhythm and flow,
the better. But that being said, this league is so good.
These players are so good individually one on one that
it's creating a synergy with all five together. So all
(16:36):
five are in the right spots. They're understanding how an
offense is trying to attack a defense, and ultimately just
guarding the ball and trying to take away as much
space as possible, and then having an awareness of, okay,
this offense likes to attack in this way, can we
make them do something that they're not exactly comfortable with.
(16:57):
And again, players are so good that you take away
what they're the number one option, the number two option,
the number three option can still beat you because that's
just how good these players are, and that's just how
good this league is. But I think you have comfort
in knowing, Okay, what are we willing to give up
and are we executing and they if we did what
we wanted to do and you still lose, then you
(17:17):
tip your cap and you move forward, and you trust
that over the course of a sample size, over the
course of a season, the commitment, the discipline, you know,
the results will take care of themselves over the course
of a season.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
I feel like basketball has kind of shifted from that
defensive minded first to offense. Like so many people praise offense.
So how do you get players to embrace the defensive
side of the ball and embrace that mentality of defense first?
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Yeah, I mean everyone wants to put the ball in
the hoop for sure, Right, that's all the all the highlights,
is all the fun offensive plays. But I mean it's
the old cliche, right, defensive champion, and we know sometimes
the ball doesn't go in. But what you can control
every night is the defensive side of the ball. Right,
(18:07):
How are we competing on that end? Are we positionally correct,
are we understanding? Are we moving? Are we giving great effort.
You know, you can control a little more on that
side of the ball and keep yourself in games when
shots aren't necessarily falling, and so just you know, at
(18:27):
getting players excited about it, and you know, we want
two way players as much as we can. And usually
you know, you guard on one side, you give great effort,
and usually that translates to the other side, so you know,
both sides are interconnected. I know at times it can
be a challenge to to get everyone to be engaged
in fully participating and competing for forty minutes, and that's
(18:51):
you know, that's a challenge of coaching. So that might
look different on some nights versus other nights. Then you
just got to feel out your team and what they
need in those moment moments. But there's no doubt that
we'll strive to establish a defensive identity and discipline night
in and night out.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Come from a long lineage of great coaches, Kurt Miller,
Front to the Show, Lindsay Gottlieb as well, what's sort
of like the best piece of advice that you've received
from either one of them that you're gonna take with
you into this new next chapter.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Again, yeah, I've been I've been lucky to be around
a lot of great coaches. With Kurt, the biggest thing
for him was always you win in the locker room first,
so understanding the care factor that you know, it's person
over player. Uh, and that'll look different, right, your relationships
will be different with each player, but genuinely and authentically
(19:44):
establishing a level of care for them as a person
will allow you, know, our team to you know, overachieve
even right, you can. What I've learned with Kurt is
that you win in the locker room first, and you
prepare like crazy, and so with good people in a
good system, you can overachieve. And then Lindsey is just
(20:04):
incredibly intelligent and always forward thinking. You know, with all
the changes in college athletics, all so many coaches are
complaining and and you know, oh my god, it's frustrating this,
that and the other. But she is like, Okay, how
can I use this as a benefit, how can how
can we use this as a competitive advantage and get
better from this? So she just extremely forward thinking and adaptable,
(20:26):
So that kind of flexibility and adaptability, and then she's
just very meticulous about her messaging and the theme she's
always delivering. So I always marveled at that, and we'll
be aware of that daily messaging and painting of our vision.
But I think big picture too, just coming in. It's
what I've heard over and over again. It's it's coach
(20:47):
what you know and figure out the rest. Like you'll
have the capacity, you have the experiences, coach what you
know and figure it out and you'll be just fine.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Do you begin to build out your own coaching staff?
Are you looking for in your assistant coaches?
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Great people? I want to surround myself and our players
with a plus human beings, So we're doing that currently.
I'm really excited about who we are going to round
out our staff with. And then I don't know everything,
and I want to surround myself with people who are
(21:27):
better than me, and I'm humble enough to be aware
of that and to do that. So I want to
surround myself with people who have different experiences than me,
who have different just different knowledge and can make me
better and can challenge me to be the best for
our players. That's kind of big picture there. I do
(21:48):
think too, it's important for our players to have representation,
and so I will definitely seek to surround them with
some women and women that look like them, and I've
been in their shoes and have felt what they felt
that can really relate to them in a way that
I just can't. And I'm going to champion them. I'm
(22:11):
going to empower them, and I'm going to amplify like
the opportunity that I have to continue to push the
needle for this game and for these incredible women and
these players. I will do that as much as I
can always and to be able to surround them with
some other coaches as well, I think he's important, So
I'm excited about that too. We're looking forward to I
(22:34):
think we're going to have a really great staff. Our
players are going to be really excited for the collection
of people that we put together. And again, it's gonna
start with us as a staff to kind of model
the way and as we lay this foundation, so we'll
get it right as a staff, and then that'll be
a great example for our players moving forward as we
establish the culture we want.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Coaching cycle on the WNBA has been so interesting because
we've seen a lot of newly named head coach is
make the jump from college to the pros. So in
your opinion. What's the biggest difference you've noticed coaching between
college at USC versus your tenure on the WNBA level.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Yeah, I think the biggest thing for me is the
partnership that it is at the WNBA level, and I
really enjoy that. So you're working with players with all
sorts of different levels of experience. You know, there's vets
who have been in this league longer than I have,
(23:34):
especially when I was younger in this league, and then
there's rookies. So just like the difference in experience and
again the partnership of Okay, like we're pros here, right,
so this is our job and a lot of these
women have been doing this for a long time, so
giving them the respect of okay, talk to me about
(23:57):
your experiences. Just creating the collaboration between coaches and players,
and it's it's a sensitive balance, right, It's not easy, right,
It's a it's a tough line sometimes that you got
a tiptoe, right, because the more you give them at times,
the more they take. So it's it's really feeling that
out in terms of you know when to defer and
(24:19):
when to when to really lean on them versus when
to take charge. And you know, have a little more
conviction in what we're doing and to to kind of
let them feel that. So that's a balance in feeling
it out. But there's so much power in that partnership.
So I think it's it's really that partnership. It's leveraging
these players and giving them voice and hearing them for
(24:42):
all their experiences and everything they've been through.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
We're going to take a quick break because we've got
to pay some bills and then we get back or
have more from this conversation with Dallas Wink's head coach
Chris claughlanis and then my favorite part of the show,
the things that I love This week, we'll be right
back think about the trajectory of women's basketball and the
(25:12):
moment we're at now. We are at now where the
momentum is just building and continuing to build. As you
mentioned earlier, the CBA, the new media rights deal. What
excites you the most to be a part a small
part of this big moment?
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Yeah, it's it's exciting. There's so much momentum and with that,
there's a lot more eyes and a lot more attention
to it. So there's a responsibility and I'm excited about
that part as well, in that you know, it's not
about me, it's about these players, and that's how I've
(25:48):
always been and how I've always operated. So to have
an opportunity to continue to help move the needle and
push the game forward, put these players in positions to
continue to do what they do, just raise the level
of our product is something I don't take for granted,
and I'm I'm excited to be able to continue to
(26:09):
help elevate them as you know, all everything they deserve
is coming their way.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
As you get started with the Dallas Wings this year,
what's the one thing that excites you the most about
this squad and what do you hope to accomplish in
your first season?
Speaker 2 (26:26):
Establishing a foundation. I'm excited to really build something. And
that's not saying that, you know, rebuild like we're not
gonna win. No, It's just we have a chance here
to reset. So just establish what we're all about, be
committed to that, and then let the rest take care
(26:46):
of itself. So that's what I'm most excited for and
again looking forward to, is I want to establish this
culture that feels good for the players, win or lose.
Like I just want it, and it's easier said than done,
and there's going to be bumps and there's gonna be
ups and downs in adversity. But at the end of
(27:07):
the year, if we can look back and just say that, okay,
like that felt good. It felt good to be a
part of the Wings organization this year, regardless of what
the record was, win or loss. We established a foundation.
We created a place where players want to be a
part of a locker room that they want to be
in a city that they want to compete for. So
(27:30):
if we can do that, then you know we've we've
done a good job and we've we've laid the roots
and the bones for what's to come.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
Thank you so much for joining us this week on
in case you missed it with Christina Williams and best
of luck in Dallas this year.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
Thank you, Christina, appreciate you and all you do for
our game.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
All right, and shout out to Chris again for stopping
by to the show this week, the first one of
twenty twenty five. And now it's time for my favorite
part of the show. Here's the things that I love
this week. All right, So I didn't really do much
this week, but one of the things that I love,
I guess was not having to do anything. I feel
(28:14):
like life has been so busy, so many moving parts
that I have just found so much peace in being
able to rest, and so that was the thing that
I love this week, just to have some alone me,
time to reset before we start a strong first quarter.
(28:34):
And so I'm happy to be back. I'm help happy
to be well rested, and I feel good about starting
off this new year fresh and recent. I'm ready. I'm
ready to like conquer everything this year. So I'm looking
forward to everything that twenty twenty five has to offer me.
I receive all good things and I'm ready to kick
(28:56):
some mask this year. So all right, that's going to
conclude this episode. In case you missed it with Christina Williams,
don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast,
and we'll see you back here next week. In case
you missed It with Christina Williams is an iHeart women's
sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.
(29:19):
You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams is an
iheartwomen's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.
Welcome to another episode of In Case You Missed It
with Christina Williams, and I'm excited to be back the
first week of twenty twenty five. And you know we
(00:23):
are bringing some heat. So joining us this week is
the newly named head coach of the Dallas Wings. Please
welcome to the show, Head coach Chris Cokleans. Welcome to
the show.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Thanks Christina, happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
First and foremost, how's your holiday break? How has life
been for you these past couple weeks.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
It's been awesome. It's been a whirlwind. It's been overwhelming,
but in the best of ways. I'm super excited about
the opportunity ahead of me. And it's really cool to
hear from a lot of people in your past and
just kind of all the support, love and belief that
that came through over the last couple of weeks. So
(01:05):
it's been great. Excited for twenty twenty five for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Definitely been seeing like all the love from players to
front off of these executives about you returning to the
w NBA. So why do you feel now was the
right time to take that leap into your first head
coaching job with the Dallas Wings.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
So just I had a short kind of stint away
and I missed it right away as soon as I
took that opportunity with USC. So I was working with
Kurt for a while and just the timing was right
to explore a new opportunity. And I was lucky enough
to join Lindsay over at USC for a season and
(01:45):
a half. But then when this opportunity came, it was
everything about it was just kind of meant to be,
and I'm extremely grateful for it. But when you look
at you know, the Wings and where they're at right now,
they some restructuring in the front office, you know, with
adding Kurt and you have Travis and Jazz, that whole
front office is just an incredible support system in there.
(02:08):
So I'm really looking forward to working with them and
partnering with them, and then just the the investment and
the belief from Dallas right you know, they are striving
to be the four seasons of the WNBA with a
commitment to bringing in a practice facility, a commitment to
a new arena, so there's just there's you know, there's
(02:28):
lots on the horizon for the w and there's lots
on the horizon for the Dallas Wings right now. So
all sorts of reasons. But again, I'm extremely, extremely grateful
and humble to have this opportunity to get back into
the league.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
We've had such a diverse journey in how you became
head coach. You started off as a video coordinator and
sort of worked your way up. How has that experience
shaped you and how you are going to approach this
head coaching position.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Yeah, I think having the journey that I've had a
will help me in a lot of ways, just in
terms of all the different experiences, So starting as a
video coordinator and working with assisting coaches, directly supporting head coaches,
serving head coaches, and having an ability to work for
a handful of a very different head coaches and all
(03:20):
very successful head coaches. I've just been extremely lucky with
all the opportunities that I've gotten. You know, my challenge now,
and I'm what I'm excited about is piecing it all
together right, taking everything from all of these mentors and
leaders that I've been so lucky to be around, and
now put my own flare on it and create my
own you know, my own systems, my own style to
(03:44):
ultimately serve our players and get the best out of them.
So I think it's you know, when you start as
a video coordinator and you just kind of work your
way up, work your way up, you have an appreciation
for the entirety of you know, what makes an organization run.
You know, you've you kind of see you're in the weeds,
you see all just how important everything is. And so
(04:07):
I bring that with me, that just kind of totality
of you know, everything matters. And again I attribute that
to a lot of the coaches that I worked for,
just with their attention to detail and their organization and
their preparation that you know, from the video coordinator to
the operation staff to the managers, the you know, the volunteers,
(04:27):
the practice players, everything matters and so there's all these
little details that you know. Now as a head coach,
how can you leverage everybody, put them in positions to
be successful and do what they're good at and just
create a synergy in an organization to wherever there's you know,
(04:48):
clean communication lines and everyone has kind of clarity on
on their roles and responsibilities, and ultimately there's a togetherness
to what we're trying to achieve.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Everything matters. Keeping that in mind, what kind of foundation
do you want to establish with this Dallas Wings team?
As you said restructuring and the rebuild. What kind of
foundation do you want to establish in Dallas? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (05:13):
I think that's what this year is all about. It's
building the foundation, and it starts with me and how
I show up daily and how I serve these players.
You know, coming in as a new head coach. Sure,
there's gonna be all sorts of question marks, right, I'm
not shying away from that. I'm acknowledging it. I'm aware
of it. But it'll be up to me in how
(05:35):
I show up, my demeanor, my preparation, So that'll be
number one is earning their trust and respect daily by
what I give to them and how I show that
I care and I can help and I'm here to
help and to lift them up and to put them
in positions to succeed. If it starts with me, and
then you know, we build our staff and we establish
(05:56):
a staff of great people, and we surround our players
and they see the level of care the attention to detail,
the competitiveness with us. That's a good starting point. And
then it's it's a partnership, right So you look at
who's there right now, and you know, Rique is a
huge part of this Dallas organization, and she's an incredible player.
(06:18):
There's it's undoubtedly her ability to score the ball and
playmake and from my brief conversations with her and everything
I've heard, she's an even better person. So I'm really
looking forward to partnering with her. And again, we get
to hit reset right now. So Okay, things haven't worked
out in the past, but you know, don't worry about that.
We're hitting reset now. We're looking forward. What needs to change?
(06:41):
What what do we need to do right now to
make sure we establish a good foundation, you know, with
all sorts of change coming with you know, the new
CBA and all sorts of stuff coming our way, Let's
build this thing right from the beginning, create good systems,
and then now we have a very very good base
that we can lean on as we continue to grow
(07:02):
year in and year out and you know, hopefully compete
for championships and experience all sorts of success.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
You talked about being like a new head coach and
like people not really knowing you. So what is something
that you would want people to know that they may
not know about you as a head coach or just
as a person.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
I think that I am grateful, joyful, and humble. Those
are kind of my words that I just strive to
be day in and day out. And I'm not perfect,
but I strive to have an awareness to be able
to catch myself in those moments when I'm not living
up to, you know, the attributes that I aspire to
live up to. So I kind of live by the
(07:41):
saying never too high, never too low, and I try
to be a consistent anchor and have a consistent calm
demeanor for everyone around me. So that's what I really
hope to bring to this organization, to these players, right,
It's just a level of stability and calm. It's okay,
Like we're going to be okay, going to be okay
through the craziness, the adversity, the emotional rollercoaster of a
(08:05):
season of a game, will be just fine.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
The number one pick in the twenty twenty five WNBH draft,
what's the strategy to kind of adding the right pieces
and talent around the superstar.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Like every day, We'll work closely with Kurt and Jazz
and Travis and we'll make the pick that we think
is best for the organization going forward. But having a
number one pick is it's just exciting, right, You've seen
what it can do for a team, for an organization,
it can really revitalize. So we're looking forward to all
(08:37):
of that that comes with it. Just the momentum, right
like we get we get to pick one, we will
bring in a talented player and the momentum that that
can create now can propel us into this first year
and again just focusing on establishing the foundation and then
(08:58):
sky's the limit going forward if we can, you know,
not take any shortcuts and really stay disciplined and committed
to doing things the right way.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
We've had a lot of experience coaching star players in
the WNBA. You spent time at the Connecticut Son obviously
John Paul Jones with Thomas to want to Bonnor, but
then in college USC Jiji Walkins. What have you learned
about being able to develop these kinds of star players
in women's basketball.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
I think the biggest thing is just truly meeting them
where they're at and partnering with them. So I don't
think it's not approaching as if you know, I don't
know everything. But when I approach my relationships with players,
it's establishing a level of care and then showing them
(09:47):
that hey, I can help you, I can help you,
and I want to help you. And in doing that,
I want to hear from you. You know, you're out there,
you're living it, you're experiencing it, So talk to me.
Tell me what you're seeing, what you're thinking, what you're feeling,
and now together you know we can we can create
a relationship. And you know, if they see the work
(10:09):
that you put in to ultimately to help them to
you know, whether it's small or little, just helping them
get the spots on the floor, talking about little intricacies,
or just reminding them of what they're capable of at times,
because sometimes that's ALLID is right, it's they're incredible at
what they do. At times it might just be a
(10:29):
motivation or you know, just a reminder to help get
them back mentally to a place where now they're in
a good space to be able to compete. So partnering
with them, for sure, it's a it's a conversation and
then again, if you can just establish that you want
to help, I just want to help, and you can
(10:50):
create you know, respect and trust. This guy's limit.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
All right, y'all, were you all going to take a
quick little break, and when we get back more from
this conversation with Dallas Wayne's head coach Chris Colplannings, we'll
(11:15):
get the twenty twenty five draft class. Obviously, Pagebeckers is
the name that's surfacing as the potential number one pick
from the outside looking in, What are some things that
you see about her game that stands out to you?
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Yeah, I mean she's dynamic. Her efficiency number one, I
would say, you know, it's pretty incredible as a guard
with the efficiency that's able to score the ball. But
she could score at all three levels. She can pass it.
And I think she's got great size too, so you
know there's some versatility there. So there's no doubt Page
is a tremendous talent. So she's going to be part
(11:52):
of a great class in that draft class.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
So yeah, from your tenure as an assistant, you've been
able to experience to w NBA Finals and a Lee
eight at USC Thinking about all of that and all
of that experience, how do you plan to establish a
winning culture now with the Dallas Wings as the head coach.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Yeah, I've been fortunate enough to have those experiences and
be around great coaches and great culture. So again, this
culture word is a buzzword, but it is everything, right,
It's what the players feel every single day. So my
plan is to have us prepared as possible to really
(12:35):
respect the work and the details and the grind that
it takes to be successful. And then what I think
will really help us and what I really believe in
is I also want us to have the balance of
having a joy through all of the hard work. So
with our culture establishing our anchors culturally, the biggest thing
(13:01):
for me though, is going to be this balance. Right,
We're going to be the most prepared. We're going to
do all the hard work. We're not going to shy
away from the hard conversations, the tough moments, and at
the same time, we're going to cultivate a joy through
it all. Right, it's still a game. We still get
to play this game, so there'll be a perspective of yeah,
(13:23):
these moments are tough, We're demanding lots of things, We're
challenging you and your time, and this is fun and
it's worth it. It's worth it at the end working
with a team, sacrificing for the team, playing together, playing
the right way. So that balance is what I'll strive
to help create.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
We build a reputation as a defensive minded coach. That
was something that was kind of said in the press
release that that was one of the key reasons why
you were the right candidate for this job. What's been
the key to your success creating those strong defensive teams
or developing strong defensive players.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
First, ultimately have been lucky enough to coach a lot
of really good players. So again, it's it's all about
the players. But then I think it's it's just a
consistency in your communication and in in your in your systems. Again,
can you help the players. Can you put them in
positions to then use their god given gifts, their athleticism,
(14:30):
their IQ, you know, what makes them who they are,
to then go and perform and do special things. So
it's a commitment to a consistency and creating clarity for
them in terms of what we're doing. Right, So the
game is so gray, right, it's so gray, and it
can be confusing, and our jobs as coaches is to
(14:51):
try to simplify and make it as black and white
as we can for the players. So I think why
we've had some success in Connecticut is just our our
team reaching on and off the floor, and our clarity
and communicating Okay, here's why we like to guard this
action this way or this area of the floor. We
like to do this. And the more you can create clarity,
(15:13):
now when they're out there, they have all sorts of
confidence that they're in the right spots there, they're proactive,
they're seeing things before it happens, and now they can
go do what they do and their natural gifts and
talents just kind of take over. So I think it's
just a commitment to teaching and consistency and creating clarity
and our messaging.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
What are you focus on first when you're building a
strong defensive system. I know you can't give us all
the keys all of your saws, but you know, I'm
just curious, because you know, just getting into building that
system in Dallas, what are you looking for first when
you when you start to think about building a strong
defensive system.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
First, again, it starts with the players. So you just
have to have an understanding of your roster and their abilities,
and then also not put them in a box and
pigeonhole them in a sense too, right, like, challenge them
to be able to do things that maybe they haven't
proven they can do yet or haven't shown they can
do consistently. So I think it starts there, and then
(16:14):
just generally, you know, just kind of big picture guarding
the ball. The more you can guard the ball one
on one and keep the ball in front and pressure
the ball and try to disrupt an offense's rhythm and flow,
the better. But that being said, this league is so good.
These players are so good individually one on one that
it's creating a synergy with all five together. So all
(16:36):
five are in the right spots. They're understanding how an
offense is trying to attack a defense, and ultimately just
guarding the ball and trying to take away as much
space as possible, and then having an awareness of, okay,
this offense likes to attack in this way, can we
make them do something that they're not exactly comfortable with.
(16:57):
And again, players are so good that you take away
what they're the number one option, the number two option,
the number three option can still beat you because that's
just how good these players are, and that's just how
good this league is. But I think you have comfort
in knowing, Okay, what are we willing to give up
and are we executing and they if we did what
we wanted to do and you still lose, then you
(17:17):
tip your cap and you move forward, and you trust
that over the course of a sample size, over the
course of a season, the commitment, the discipline, you know,
the results will take care of themselves over the course
of a season.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
I feel like basketball has kind of shifted from that
defensive minded first to offense. Like so many people praise offense.
So how do you get players to embrace the defensive
side of the ball and embrace that mentality of defense first?
Speaker 2 (17:47):
Yeah, I mean everyone wants to put the ball in
the hoop for sure, Right, that's all the all the highlights,
is all the fun offensive plays. But I mean it's
the old cliche, right, defensive champion, and we know sometimes
the ball doesn't go in. But what you can control
every night is the defensive side of the ball. Right,
(18:07):
How are we competing on that end? Are we positionally correct,
are we understanding? Are we moving? Are we giving great effort.
You know, you can control a little more on that
side of the ball and keep yourself in games when
shots aren't necessarily falling, and so just you know, at
(18:27):
getting players excited about it, and you know, we want
two way players as much as we can. And usually
you know, you guard on one side, you give great effort,
and usually that translates to the other side, so you know,
both sides are interconnected. I know at times it can
be a challenge to to get everyone to be engaged
in fully participating and competing for forty minutes, and that's
(18:51):
you know, that's a challenge of coaching. So that might
look different on some nights versus other nights. Then you
just got to feel out your team and what they
need in those moment moments. But there's no doubt that
we'll strive to establish a defensive identity and discipline night
in and night out.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Come from a long lineage of great coaches, Kurt Miller,
Front to the Show, Lindsay Gottlieb as well, what's sort
of like the best piece of advice that you've received
from either one of them that you're gonna take with
you into this new next chapter.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Again, yeah, I've been I've been lucky to be around
a lot of great coaches. With Kurt, the biggest thing
for him was always you win in the locker room first,
so understanding the care factor that you know, it's person
over player. Uh, and that'll look different, right, your relationships
will be different with each player, but genuinely and authentically
(19:44):
establishing a level of care for them as a person
will allow you, know, our team to you know, overachieve
even right, you can. What I've learned with Kurt is
that you win in the locker room first, and you
prepare like crazy, and so with good people in a
good system, you can overachieve. And then Lindsey is just
(20:04):
incredibly intelligent and always forward thinking. You know, with all
the changes in college athletics, all so many coaches are
complaining and and you know, oh my god, it's frustrating this,
that and the other. But she is like, Okay, how
can I use this as a benefit, how can how
can we use this as a competitive advantage and get
better from this? So she just extremely forward thinking and adaptable,
(20:26):
So that kind of flexibility and adaptability, and then she's
just very meticulous about her messaging and the theme she's
always delivering. So I always marveled at that, and we'll
be aware of that daily messaging and painting of our vision.
But I think big picture too, just coming in. It's
what I've heard over and over again. It's it's coach
(20:47):
what you know and figure out the rest. Like you'll
have the capacity, you have the experiences, coach what you
know and figure it out and you'll be just fine.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Do you begin to build out your own coaching staff?
Are you looking for in your assistant coaches?
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Great people? I want to surround myself and our players
with a plus human beings, So we're doing that currently.
I'm really excited about who we are going to round
out our staff with. And then I don't know everything,
and I want to surround myself with people who are
(21:27):
better than me, and I'm humble enough to be aware
of that and to do that. So I want to
surround myself with people who have different experiences than me,
who have different just different knowledge and can make me
better and can challenge me to be the best for
our players. That's kind of big picture there. I do
(21:48):
think too, it's important for our players to have representation,
and so I will definitely seek to surround them with
some women and women that look like them, and I've
been in their shoes and have felt what they felt
that can really relate to them in a way that
I just can't. And I'm going to champion them. I'm
(22:11):
going to empower them, and I'm going to amplify like
the opportunity that I have to continue to push the
needle for this game and for these incredible women and
these players. I will do that as much as I
can always and to be able to surround them with
some other coaches as well, I think he's important, So
I'm excited about that too. We're looking forward to I
(22:34):
think we're going to have a really great staff. Our
players are going to be really excited for the collection
of people that we put together. And again, it's gonna
start with us as a staff to kind of model
the way and as we lay this foundation, so we'll
get it right as a staff, and then that'll be
a great example for our players moving forward as we
establish the culture we want.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Coaching cycle on the WNBA has been so interesting because
we've seen a lot of newly named head coach is
make the jump from college to the pros. So in
your opinion. What's the biggest difference you've noticed coaching between
college at USC versus your tenure on the WNBA level.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Yeah, I think the biggest thing for me is the
partnership that it is at the WNBA level, and I
really enjoy that. So you're working with players with all
sorts of different levels of experience. You know, there's vets
who have been in this league longer than I have,
(23:34):
especially when I was younger in this league, and then
there's rookies. So just like the difference in experience and
again the partnership of Okay, like we're pros here, right,
so this is our job and a lot of these
women have been doing this for a long time, so
giving them the respect of okay, talk to me about
(23:57):
your experiences. Just creating the collaboration between coaches and players,
and it's it's a sensitive balance, right, It's not easy, right,
It's a it's a tough line sometimes that you got
a tiptoe, right, because the more you give them at times,
the more they take. So it's it's really feeling that
out in terms of you know when to defer and
(24:19):
when to when to really lean on them versus when
to take charge. And you know, have a little more
conviction in what we're doing and to to kind of
let them feel that. So that's a balance in feeling
it out. But there's so much power in that partnership.
So I think it's it's really that partnership. It's leveraging
these players and giving them voice and hearing them for
(24:42):
all their experiences and everything they've been through.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
We're going to take a quick break because we've got
to pay some bills and then we get back or
have more from this conversation with Dallas Wink's head coach
Chris claughlanis and then my favorite part of the show,
the things that I love This week, we'll be right
back think about the trajectory of women's basketball and the
(25:12):
moment we're at now. We are at now where the
momentum is just building and continuing to build. As you
mentioned earlier, the CBA, the new media rights deal. What
excites you the most to be a part a small
part of this big moment?
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Yeah, it's it's exciting. There's so much momentum and with that,
there's a lot more eyes and a lot more attention
to it. So there's a responsibility and I'm excited about
that part as well, in that you know, it's not
about me, it's about these players, and that's how I've
(25:48):
always been and how I've always operated. So to have
an opportunity to continue to help move the needle and
push the game forward, put these players in positions to
continue to do what they do, just raise the level
of our product is something I don't take for granted,
and I'm I'm excited to be able to continue to
(26:09):
help elevate them as you know, all everything they deserve
is coming their way.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
As you get started with the Dallas Wings this year,
what's the one thing that excites you the most about
this squad and what do you hope to accomplish in
your first season?
Speaker 2 (26:26):
Establishing a foundation. I'm excited to really build something. And
that's not saying that, you know, rebuild like we're not
gonna win. No, It's just we have a chance here
to reset. So just establish what we're all about, be
committed to that, and then let the rest take care
(26:46):
of itself. So that's what I'm most excited for and
again looking forward to, is I want to establish this
culture that feels good for the players, win or lose.
Like I just want it, and it's easier said than done,
and there's going to be bumps and there's gonna be
ups and downs in adversity. But at the end of
(27:07):
the year, if we can look back and just say that, okay,
like that felt good. It felt good to be a
part of the Wings organization this year, regardless of what
the record was, win or loss. We established a foundation.
We created a place where players want to be a
part of a locker room that they want to be
in a city that they want to compete for. So
(27:30):
if we can do that, then you know we've we've
done a good job and we've we've laid the roots
and the bones for what's to come.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
Thank you so much for joining us this week on
in case you missed it with Christina Williams and best
of luck in Dallas this year.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
Thank you, Christina, appreciate you and all you do for
our game.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
All right, and shout out to Chris again for stopping
by to the show this week, the first one of
twenty twenty five. And now it's time for my favorite
part of the show. Here's the things that I love
this week. All right, So I didn't really do much
this week, but one of the things that I love,
I guess was not having to do anything. I feel
(28:14):
like life has been so busy, so many moving parts
that I have just found so much peace in being
able to rest, and so that was the thing that
I love this week, just to have some alone me,
time to reset before we start a strong first quarter.
(28:34):
And so I'm happy to be back. I'm help happy
to be well rested, and I feel good about starting
off this new year fresh and recent. I'm ready. I'm
ready to like conquer everything this year. So I'm looking
forward to everything that twenty twenty five has to offer me.
I receive all good things and I'm ready to kick
(28:56):
some mask this year. So all right, that's going to
conclude this episode. In case you missed it with Christina Williams,
don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast,
and we'll see you back here next week. In case
you missed It with Christina Williams is an iHeart women's
sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.
(29:19):
You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
Host
Khristina Williams
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