The Indiana Fever announced Friday that Stephanie White has been signed as their new head coach. White previously served as head coach of the Connecticut Sun and is a very accomplished former player herself.
It will actually be White’s second stint as coach of the Fever – she previously served in the 2015 and 2016 seasons, and was an assistant for four years before that. She led the team to the WNBA Finals in her first season.
“Stephanie White is homegrown,” the team said on X, providing a list of her connections to the area. “There is no one better to lead us into our next era of Fever Basketball.”
As an assistant, the Fever won the WNBA championship in 2012. With the Sun, she was WNBA Coach of the Year and the All-Star Game coach in 2023.
This season, White helped make Caitlin Clark’s first playoff appearance a short one, with Connecticut sweeping Indiana in the first round.
Stephanie White is homegrown.
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) November 1, 2024
🏠 Indiana Miss Basketball at Seeger High School in West Lebanon, IN
🚂 Brought @PurdueWBB their first-ever National Championship
🏆 Assistant Coach for our first @WNBA championship
There is no one better to lead us into our next era of Fever… pic.twitter.com/ijK5ymdcYo
Stephanie White To Coach Caitlin Clark
News of the hiring of Stephanie White comes just days after Indiana rewarded Christie Sides for helping guide Clark and the Fever back to the playoffs after a long, prolonged drought by unceremoniously dumping her.
“While decisions like these are never easy, it is also imperative that we remain bold and assertive in the pursuit of our goals, which include maximizing our talent and bringing another WNBA championship back to Indiana,” the team said at the time.
Dumping a coach who, with the help of Clark’s historic rookie season, helped revive a dying franchise and replacing her with the very talented White is still a significant risk. Will it pay off for the club?
“As we enter this new era of Fever basketball, I am thrilled to welcome Stephanie back to the franchise,” president of basketball operations Kelly Krauskopf said in a statement according to ESPN.
“Stephanie is a part of the fabric of this franchise, both as a former player and as a member of our championship coaching staff, so I’m quite familiar with her elite basketball IQ and leadership style,” she added.
“I am confident there is no one who better understands our culture or is more equipped to lead our group of players to the next level.”
RELATED: Indiana Fever Repay Coach Christie Sides for Historic Caitlin Clark-Led Season By Firing Her
Rebranding The Fever
That comment on the team’s “culture” is certainly interesting. What culture exactly? Since 2016, the culture of the Indiana Fever has basically been losing. Being the worst, or one of the worst teams in the entire WNBA.
That didn’t happen this season. They had success. Is Krauskopf referring to a championship culture? If so, could Sides have possibly brought them to the next level with a new season?
Or is she simply talking about the team’s rebranding, which seems like a super-weird thing to focus on?
Krauskopf has been making widespread changes to the franchise. Last month, she announced a plan to use Caitlin Clark as a starting point to rebrand the team in the same mold as Apple.
Stephanie White is now the face of the new brand.
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