“I’ll Be Fighting On Forever”: Chris Koclanes Returns to USC Roots With Dallas Wings

For Dallas Wings head coach Chris Koclanes, Tuesday’s practice at the University of Southern California wasn’t just another day of preparation. It was a homecoming. Returning to the gym where he served as an assistant coach for two seasons — from 2023 to late 2024 — stirred up memories and gratitude as he got his team ready for Wednesday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks.

“Yeah, it feels great,” Koclanes told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “This place has given me a lot. Truly grateful to be able to practice here again and see a lot of people who helped mold me and shaped me into the coach that I am right now, and will continue to try to be.”

The Trojan Spirit

Years ago, Koclanes cut his teeth at USC as an assistant coach, working alongside some of the most respected figures in women’s basketball. He credits his time under Lindsay Gottlieb, Cynthia Cooper, and Mark Trakh, as well as assistants like Beth Burns and Jason Glover, with laying the foundation for his coaching career.

“I’ve been lucky to work for some tremendous people here,” Koclanes said to DallasHoopsJournal.com. “Just lots of really smart people who have dedicated so many years to our game that I was lucky to learn from.”

Beyond X’s and O’s, Koclanes absorbed something deeper at USC: the “Fight On” motto that has long defined the Trojan community. For him, it became more than a slogan—it was a guiding principle.

“This Southern California community, the Trojan family—it’s real, it’s legit,” Koclanes emphasized to DallasHoopsJournal.com. “I’ll be fighting on forever.”

That spirit matters now more than ever. The Wings are battling through injuries and adversity in the latter half of their season, and the mindset of toughness, loyalty, and perseverance is what Koclanes now instills in his own players. Dallas players have missed more than 90 games due to injuries or EuroBasket commitments, with the team on pace to have nearly 120 games missed. The Wings have played more than 70% of their games with 10 or fewer players available.

Facing the Challenge

Dallas will be without two key contributors against the Sparks. Li Yueru is sidelined for the season with a knee injury, and Arike Ogunbowale will be re-evaluated in a few weeks as she deals with knee tendinitis. That leaves the Wings without one of their top offensive weapons and a vital paint presence.

The absence creates an opportunity for others to step forward. Paige Bueckers, Maddy Siegrist, Luisa Geiselsöder, Haley Jones, and Myisha Hines-Allen, among others, will be leaned on to carry larger roles.

“She was coming off that great game against Indy, and her and Myisha really found that high-low game inside-out that was working,” Koclanes told DallasHoopsJournal.com about adjustments without Yueru. “So just a little less size. Maddy at the four some more. But we can still find mismatches and play inside-out.”

Defensively, the Wings will lean on a versatile defensive approach with smaller lineups.

“Defensively, though, it may allow us to be a little more versatile, with some more switching lineups if we’re putting a lot of players out there of similar sizes,” Koclanes explained to DallasHoopsJournal.com. “So we’ll explore some different things on that end, too.”

Despite not having Ogunbowale in the lineup, the Wings have strung together some strong results offensively recently. They’ve recorded 38 made field goals in back-to-back games, putting themselves in position to join just four teams in league history to hit that mark in three straight contests when they face Los Angeles on Wednesday. Their ball movement has also stood out, with 58 assists over the last two games — the third-best two-game total across the league this season, trailing only Minnesota’s high of 60.

“I think we’re moving the ball really well, making the extra pass, drawing defenses in, and then making the passes out and attacking again,” Hines-Allen told DallasHoopsJournal.com. “In transition, I think we’re a really good team when we’re able to get out and get the ball up the court a lot faster. But I think just making the extra passes and getting a lot more assists, too. You look across the board, and everyone has three, four, five assists through this whole stretch of games. Continuing to do that is what’s making our offense look really good.”

For Koclanes, the timing feels fitting. In the very city where he learned to coach, he now gets to put those lessons to work—guiding his team through a difficult stretch with the “Fight On” spirit that USC instilled in him.

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