Fever Coach Stephanie White Doesn't Want Players Who Do These Two Things
New Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White was featured on a February 12 version of Purdue University's Presidential Lecture Series.
Among the many pertinent points that White made while speaking was comparing the work ethics of Caitlin Clark and Tamika Catchings.
"I compare her work ethic to the only other player who I've seen that works like this is Tamika Catchings, who is the all-time greatest. One of the all-time greats," White said of Catchings.
It's clear that White believes both Catchings and Clark are high-character players. At another point in the lecture, the former Connecticut Sun coach asserted how she intends to uphold her new team's culture.
"I think the biggest thing I've learned is you gotta confront the elephant in the room always," White said. "You can't let things fester. You can't be afraid of difficult conversations. You've got to make sure to lead in that way. You've got to be able to hear hard truths, you know, as a leader. And you've got to be able to tell hard truths as a leader.
"But you also have to surround yourself with people that you trust, and people who can help you, when you get tunnel vision... and can be honest with you and transparent with you," White added. "If you're not a competitor, you're not gonna last. And it doesn't have to be to win at all costs. It's just how you do what you do every single day.
"For me, as a human being, if you’re leaving your shopping cart out in the middle of the parking lot, I’m judging you. You’re not going to be on my team," she said. "If I'm watching you, and you're on the end of the bench with bad body language, and not being a good teammate, I don't want you on my team,"
Steph White when asked about establishing/maintaining culture: “As a human being - if you’re leaving your shopping cart out in the middle of the parking lot, I’m judging you. You’re not going to be on my team.” 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/5plhxo0bfi
— DB (@dmb6622) February 13, 2025
Fever players better be putting their shopping carts away and showing up for their teammates on the bench this season.
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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.