Dallas Wings Finalize Bench and Support Staff
March 4, 2025 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Dallas Wings News Release
Arlington, TX - The Dallas Wings have finalized their bench and support staff for the 2025 season as the team announced today the hiring of Jhared Simpson as Director of Player Development. The Wings, under the direction of Head Coach Chris Koclanes and Executive Vice President/General Manager Curt Miller, previously announced the hirings of Camille Smith, Nola Henry and Belle Koclanes as assistant coaches, along with Addison Lee as the Director of Basketball Analytics and Strategy
Simpson has over 15 years of coaching, player development and video experience across college, WNBA, NBA and G-League. He joins the Wings following four seasons as an assistant coach / player development with the Indiana Fever (2021-24). Prior to his time with the Fever, Simpson served on NBA and G-League staffs for a decade, which included assistant coaching roles with the G-League's Northern Arizona Suns and Fort Wayne Mad Ants, and video coordinator positions with the NBA's Indiana Pacers.
"I am excited to announce the addition of Jhared Simpson as our Director of Player Development to complete our staff for the 2025 season and beyond," said Dallas Wings Head Coach Chris Koclanes. "Jhared brings with him awesome experiences from the W, NBA, and G League, and more importantly an authenticity and humility that is felt immediately. He is a talented basketball mind who is equally passionate about relationship building and leadership development. He will be an incredible resource for our players. I look forward to working together to create and establish a system that supports our players and gives them every opportunity to continue to grow and improve on and off the floor."
Simpson earned both his undergraduate (2008) and graduate (2012) degrees from Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia, where he also served as a graduate assistant.
The hiring of Simpson solidifies Head Coach Chris Koclanes' staff, which features a diverse group of professionals with remarkable breadth and depth of experience across the WNBA, NBA, G-League and Division I women's basketball.
Chris Koclanes was tabbed by Miller in December as the franchise's next head coach. Koclanes is a highly regarded defensive-minded tactician with proven success in player development. He has more than a decade of experience as an assistant coach in the WNBA and Division I women's basketball. Koclanes most recently was an assistant coach for the nationally ranked University of Southern California women's basketball team following eight seasons on WNBA sidelines, including defensive coordinator roles with the LA Sparks and Connecticut Sun.
Smith, formerly Little, has been the Head Women's Basketball Coach at Paul Quinn College in Dallas, Texas, since 2022. The 13-year WNBA veteran, who won a WNBA Championship in 2010, retired from playing in 2019 and joined the coaching ranks as a Player Development Coach for the Dallas Wings in 2020, while serving as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Sparks in 2024.
Also an LA assistant in 2024, Henry is currently the Head Coach of Rose in the inaugural season of Unrivaled. She has more than five years of experience on the WNBA sidelines, which included stops in Los Angeles and with the Connecticut Sun.
Belle Koclanes has more than two decades of coaching experience at the Division I level. She is currently an assistant coach on the Drexel University staff after eight years as the head coach of Dartmouth College. She has also served on coaching staffs at American University, Old Dominion University, University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University.
Lee was the Video Coordinator for the NBA's Washington Wizards prior to coming to Dallas. Previous experience includes Video and Analytics Coordinator for the Los Angeles Sparks, Advanced Scout for the Connecticut Sun (2019, 2021-22), and Director of Video and Analytics for the University of Southern California (USC) women's basketball team from 2021-23.
Additionally, Adrian Valadez was elevated to Video Coordinator. Valadez was a Basketball Operations Assistant for the Wings in 2024, and also served as an Assistant in Team Operations for the 2021 season. He was a student manager for the University of Texas women's basketball team, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 2020. Valadez went on to earn a master's degree from Northwestern State, where he was a graduate assistant for two seasons before serving as Video Coordinator/Director of Operations from 2022-24.
The Dallas Wings will celebrate their 10th season in North Texas in 2025, and will tip off the regular-season slate on May 16 at home against the Minnesota Lynx. Since the end of the 2024 campaign the Wings have revamped their Front Office, which included the hiring of Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Curt Miller and Head Coach Chris Koclanes. Additionally, the Wings won the Draft Lottery in November and will have the No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2025 WNBA Draft.
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