Caitlin Clark's Likely Next Fever Coach Was Familiar Foe in WNBA Rookie Season
The Indiana Fever announced on Sunday that they would be parting ways with second-year head coach Christie Sides.
Given that Sides led the Fever to the WNBA playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade this season, it would make sense that the Fever either believe they're about to (or already have) someone they believe is better prepared to take Sides' place.
And an October 27 report from Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times conveys that that person is most likely going to be current Connecticut Sun coach Stephanie White.
"Firing Sides paves the way for Stephanie White’s return to Indiana. While nothing has been made official, multiple sources expect White, who’s still under contract with the Sun, to be the Fever’s next coach," Costabile wrote in the article.
“While nothing has been made official, multiple sources expect White to be the Fever’s next coach.”
— Vanshay Murdock 🎥🎥 (@VanshayM) October 27, 2024
.@AnnieCostabile has been all over this from the beginning. #WNBA Article: https://t.co/8KjKoI9mCZ pic.twitter.com/t7eJUiq0pZ
White — who spent five seasons with the Fever during her WNBA playing days, became an assistant coach of Indiana from 2011-2014, and then assumed head coach duties for the franchise in the 2015-2016 seasons — has proven herself to be an elite head coach in the WNBA.
Not only did she win the 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year award, but her excellence is seen in how she contained Fever superstar Caitlin Clark this season.
Clark played White's Sun team six times total in her 2024 campaign, including the first and last game she played (Connecticut eliminated the Fever from the 2024 WNBA playoffs). This is more than Indiana played any other team.
The former Iowa Hawkeyes icon averaged 17 points per game in those six contests, which is less than her 19.2 points per game average throughout the season.
Not to mention that the Fever went 1-5 against the Sun.
White seems to have a better idea than just about anybody when it comes to slowing Clark's iconic offense down. However, that wisdom could soon be used to make Clark even better if White becomes her next head coach.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.