Stephanie White's Past Caitlin Clark Comments Speak Volumes Amid Fever Coaching Rumor
One of the biggest stories to this point of the WNBA offseason emerged on Sunday when the Indiana Fever announced their firing of head coach Christie Sides.
This decision surprised many, given Indiana's clear progression this season compared to years past. Of course, much of this is owed to Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark having entered the franchise and making an immediate impact both on and off the court.
While the Fever's offense improved immensely this season compared to 2023, Indiana's front office letting go of Sides shows they believe this is owed more to Clark than her. And now that Sides is gone, all indications are that the Fever have current Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White penciled in to take her place.
In addition to White having a long history with Indiana, she was a major advocate for Clark both before and throughout her rookie season, even when she and Indiana were struggling to find their groove. Some of White's comments about Clark have resurfaced on social media amid speculation that she'll become her next head coach.
White was featured on an ESPN segment back when the 2024 WNBA Draft Lottery was revealed. When asked who the most WNBA-ready player in the draft was, White said, "To me, I think it's Caitlin Clark. I think it's Caitlin Clark not just because she can score the basketball really at all three levels, but she got stronger. She has gotten better every year, she put on six pounds of muscle from a season ago... and she reads the game," per X user @IIITelegrafAve.
@StephanieWhite welcome home 💗 pic.twitter.com/7g1nVJl16R
— onie ✰ (@IIITelegrafAve) October 27, 2024
The Fever and Sun played twice in Indiana's first four games of this WNBA regular season. At one point during the Fever's early season struggles, White said during a postgame press conference, "When I'm looking at all these things that people are talking about with Caitlin Clark, it's like 'Guys, chill out.' She is going to be fine. It's two games in, are you kidding me?
"She's a student of the game, she got better every year. You're not just going to absorb all of the new information that's coming at you in two games, in two weeks. It takes time. And she will, I have no doubt about it," White continued, per X user @cxrtichris.
Stephanie White telling everyone to chill out on Caitlin Clark after her first 2 games. She’s going to be the perfect coach for the Fever. pic.twitter.com/wYY0SeysAT
— chris (@cxrtichris) October 27, 2024
Surely White's unwavering belief in Clark left a good impression on the Fever's front office.
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.