WNBA’s Fever name Stephanie White as new head coach

The Indiana Fever have employed Stephanie White as their new head coach, the staff introduced Friday.

White, who spent the previous two seasons as head coach of the Connecticut Solar, takes over a franchise led by WNBA star Caitlin Clark.

“As we enter this new period of Fever basketball, I’m thrilled to welcome Stephanie again to the franchise,” president of basketball operations Kelly Krauskopf mentioned in an announcement. “Stephanie is part of the material of this franchise, each as a former participant and as a member of our championship teaching workers, so I am fairly conversant in her elite basketball IQ and management model. I’m assured there isn’t a one who higher understands our tradition or is extra outfitted to steer our group of gamers to the following degree.”

Constructing round a promising younger core in Clark and Aliyah Boston, the previous two No. 1 draft picks, White will look to propel Indiana to the group’s first championship since 2012.

White — an Indiana native and former star at Purdue — is lots conversant in the Fever, having served on their teaching workers from 2011 to 2016, together with as head coach for the final two years of that span. She was a member of the franchise’s inaugural roster in 2000 and performed for the staff for 4 seasons.

“I’m extremely proud and honored to return dwelling to Indiana and lead the Fever throughout such a pivotal second on this franchise’s historical past, in addition to [during] such an essential time all through girls’s athletics,” White mentioned in an announcement. “This franchise has and at all times will likely be dedicated to profitable and I stay up for working each day to assist ship one other WNBA title to the best basketball followers on this planet.”

Throughout an look on ESPN’s “NBA At the moment,” White expressed her pleasure about main such a gifted staff.

“This younger, thrilling roster, you concentrate on a generational participant in Caitlin Clark and back-to-back rookie of the years with Aliyah Boston. Kelsey Mitchell, I believe, had the very best yr of her profession. It is simply an thrilling roster.”

White went 55-25 with consecutive semifinals appearances with the Solar, profitable WNBA Coach of the 12 months in 2023. Earlier than her return to the WNBA, she coached at Vanderbilt for 5 seasons, and he or she has labored for years as a basketball analyst.

She replaces Christie Sides, who led the Fever to a 20-20 report final season and their first playoff berth since 2016. The group introduced Sunday that it was transferring on from Sides, who had simply ended her second season on the helm. The Solar introduced Monday that White was out after two seasons with the staff.

White’s hiring is the newest main transfer for the Fever, who tabbed Krauskopf as their new president in September and Amber Cox as their new COO and GM final month.

The arrival of Clark — the 2024 Rookie of the 12 months and a first-team All-WNBA choice — despatched the Fever into one other stratosphere of relevance: The franchise led the league in attendance this yr, averaging over 17,000 followers per contest, and repeatedly garnered 1 million-plus viewers for video games.

White mentioned she has already spoken to Clark, whom she has been preserving tabs on for a while.

“I spoke with Caitlin final evening, and I believe simply general pleasure,” mentioned White. “I’ve been watching Caitlin play since she was an eighth grader, after I was teaching within the school realm and overlaying her video games in school, and simply an thrilling time for me, very excited to be working along with her and this younger staff.

“She’s a pupil of the sport. She loves the sport of basketball. She has been so nice in how she’s dealt with the entire consideration. She simply needs to play. She simply needs to win, and I am wanting ahead to teaching gamers like that and this younger franchise, this younger staff, and taking our subsequent steps”

Not together with the league’s latest enlargement staff in Golden State, the WNBA is ready to have seven new head coaches taking the helm for the 2025 season, which is a report, in response to the Elias Sports activities Bureau.