ARLINGTON, Texas — Aziaha James and Maddy Siegrist said Monday that head coach Jose Fernandez has not lost the Dallas Wings‘ locker room, four days after his pointed postgame comments about selfishness following a 90-86 loss to the Minnesota Lynx.
The two spoke before Monday’s homestand finale against the Washington Mystics at shootaround. Fernandez’s blunt postgame comments on Thursday have lingered over the team’s 1-2 start, and players have fielded questions about them since then.
Aziaha James, Maddy Siegrist Address the Locker Room Question
James did not hesitate when asked directly whether Fernandez had run the risk of losing the locker room.
“No. He’s a wonderful coach,” James said. “He pushes us every day. He wants the best out of us. He’s very detailed, and he just wants us to be great players.”
Siegrist took the same position.
“Yeah, I agree. I think he pushes us to be better every single day,” Siegrist said. “We take that as a lesson and try to come together and be the best we can be. Like I said, we’re only three games in. We’re still figuring it out as a group. Nobody wants to be playing their best basketball three games into the year. You want to get better every single game. I think that’s the goal overall — for the staff and us to grow and learn every single day.”
James said the locker room has held together through the early stretch.
“Yeah, just keep sticking together and working together. Practice every day,” James said. “Our locker room has been well put together, so we’re ready to play and put it on the court.”
Asked what needs to change for Dallas to turn its start around, James kept the answer short.
“Gotta win games,” James said. “At the end of the day, winning games in this league is hard, so any advantage we can take, we have to take it.”
What Jose Fernandez Said After the Minnesota Lynx Loss
Those questions go back to Thursday night, when Fernandez did not hold back after the Lynx loss. Dallas led for most of three quarters before Minnesota closed the game on a 22-16 fourth quarter.
Fernandez said the problem was effort, not scoring. Then he addressed the locker room directly.
“It’s real talk, and it’s accountability,” Fernandez said Thursday. “That’s what I told them. There’s selfishness in this locker room. There is. You gotta look in the mirror and be accountable for how you played, and don’t get upset if you think you should’ve played more, or didn’t play enough, or didn’t get the shots you think you should’ve gotten.”
He said the film would settle it.
“The film’s not gonna lie,” Fernandez said. “Coaches accuse, players accuse, but the film is gonna convict.”
Fernandez also rejected early-season chemistry as the explanation, calling it an excuse. He said reactions to roles and minutes had become a problem inside the group. “Body language never whispers,” he said.
Maddy Siegrist Focused on Staying Ready
Siegrist has been one of the few clear positives of the early schedule. She is averaging 8.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists on 52.4% shooting through three games, and her scoring has climbed each time out, from 7 points in the opener at Indiana to a career-high 17-point first half against Minnesota. That outing came in just 16:11, and Fernandez moved her into the starting lineup to open the third quarter before adjusting his rotation in response to the team’s defensive breakdowns.
She said her approach does not change based on how many minutes she gets.
“Yeah, that’s all you can do — control you,” Siegrist said. “Every second you’re on the court is a great opportunity. Just play the best you can. Just keep staying ready and take every opportunity every game.”
Siegrist also drew the matchup with Washington’s Lauren Betts on Monday, a player she had not faced at the WNBA level.
“Yeah, obviously an unbelievable player,” Siegrist said. “She had an incredible career in college and it’s obviously translating really well. She’s a great young player, so I’m excited to play her.”
Aziaha James on the Washington Mystics Matchup
James said her focus against Washington’s guards, including Georgia Amoore and Sonia Citron, starts on the defensive end. She faced Amoore in college.
“Yeah, I played Georgia in college, so I know some of her attributes,” James said. “But just locking in on both ends, defensively, and just playing well.”
James has backed up the defensive focus. She is averaging 1.3 steals in 14.0 minutes a game through three contests, along with 6.7 points and 2.0 rebounds, and she has hit 37.5% from 3-point range despite a 33.3% overall mark. Her sharpest outing came in the opener at Indiana, where she scored 10 points and went 3-of-3 from 3-point range.
James said the veteran presence on the roster, including Odyssey Sims and Alysha Clark, has been a resource for the team’s younger players.
“Oh yeah. We have plenty of veterans, and for us rookies to look up to them, they teach us a lot on the court,” James said. “So yeah, we just keep learning from them.”
Up Next
The Wings close out their three-game homestand Monday night against the Mystics at College Park Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CT, with the game airing locally on KFAA and streaming on Peacock.
