Stephanie White talks early thoughts on Caitlin Clark, Fever in first interview as Indiana’s head coach

White revealed that she spoke with Caitlin Clark last night before her decision to return to the Indiana Fever was made public.

Connecticut Sun v Minnesota Lynx - Game One Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for SB Nation, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.

It now seems like a distant memory — but in 2022, the Indiana Fever had won just five regular season games. Just two years later, the Fever are coming off of back-to-back seasons with led by No. 1 picks, their first postseason appearance in seven years, and all the hope and momentum in the world.

Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, both named Rookie of the Year in their respective seasons, have formed a young core as formidable as any in the WNBA. Now, they also have one of the WNBA’s most highly-regarded coaches at the helm: Stephanie White.

White joins the Fever after two seasons as head coach of the Connecticut Sun, and after an illustrious playing and coaching career in Indiana. White, who grew up in West Lebanon, Indiana, played for the Fever from 2000 to 2004, and was an assistant coach from 2011 to 2014.

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Getting the opportunity to go back to her home state was an opportunity White greatly appreciated.

“First and foremost, it’s home,” White said to ESPN’s Malika Andrews when asked what drew her to the position. “This is a franchise, the Indiana Fever, Indiana Pacers, that’s in my DNA. Grew up in Indiana, played in Indiana, played with the franchise, of course, was a part of the franchise when we won the WNBA championship.”

White also said that this particular moment in Fever basketball — led by a promising young core headed by Clark and Boston — made the head coach position particularly appealing.

“You think about a generational player in Caitlin Clark, back-to-back rookies of the year with Aliyah Boston,” White said on NBA Today. “Kelsey Mitchell, I think, had the best year of her career. It’s just an exciting roster — what an outstanding moment we have in women’s basketball right now. To come back, be a part of it in my home state, with my home franchise, it’s just a unique opportunity and I’m so thankful and grateful for it.”

White confirmed she spoke to Clark last night, and described their conversation as filled with “overall excitement.”

“I’ve been watching Caitlin play since she was an 8th grader, when I was coaching at the college level and covering her games in college,” White said.

Christie Sides, who was head coach of the Fever for two seasons, was let go by the organization on Sunday. Fever guard Lexie Hull, speaking on The Ringer WNBA Show, expressed her disappointment for Sides while sharing her excitement for what lay ahead.

“I’m really sad for Christie; I think she’s a great person and a great leader,” Hull said. “I’m excited to see what she does in the future, and excited about where our new coach will take us.”

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Clark seemed to express her excitement for White’s hiring, commenting on the Fever’s Instagram post announcing the decision, as well as sharing the announcement to her Instagram story.

In a particularly full-circle moment, Stephanie White — like Caitlin Clark — donned #22 as a player on the Fever. The Fever shared a side-by-side picture on social media highlighting how both guards fittingly wore the same uniform.

“It’s very cool, I saw when they posted that today, that’s unique, certainly,” White said. “She’s a lot better #22, she puts the ball in the hole more, but I just can’t wait.”

White has been a part of a lot of winning, and her Connecticut Sun made the WNBA semi-finals both seasons she was head coach. Her Sun beat Clark’s Fever 2-0 in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, but with Boston and Clark having one year of collective experience under their belt, the Fever could be due for another improvement.

It sounds like Stephanie White thinks Caitlin Clark is ready.

“She’s a student of the game, she loves the game of basketball, she has been so great with how she’s handled all of the attention,” White said. “She just wants to play, she just wants to win. I’m looking forward to coaching players like that, this young franchise, this young team.”