"Sheryl Swoopes Praises Fired Fever Coach Christie Sides for Her Handling of 'Caitlin Mania'" (PO)

WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes said former Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides should be given a lot of credit for the way she managed the frenzy surrounding Caitlin Clark last season.

Swoopes, a four-time WNBA champion with the Houston Comets, highlighted that while Sides had a lot on her plate, including high expectations of having a player like Clark in the fold, she handled the team effectively.

The Fever (20-20) drafted Clark with the No. 1 pick and the former Iowa guard was instrumental in leading the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

On the Nov. 6 episode of her “Levels To This” podcast with Terrika Foster-Brasby, Swoopes hailed the work done by Christie Sides (via Sports Illustrated):

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“That’s a lot to take on. And the expectations of, ‘Well, you got Caitlin as the number 1 pick,’ there were people who were saying [Indiana] should win the championship. Now, y’all, be realistic. I was realistic. I was very realistic. Yeah, they should make the playoffs, which they did.”
She added:

“I think Christie did as good of a job as she could have. Managing all the craziness, all of the Caitlin mania, all of the hype, all of the media. It was just so much that came with that… There was so much she had to deal with.”
Despite what they were able to accomplish last season, the Fever decided to go in a different direction, making a coaching change after their campaign ended. They brought in Stephanie White from the Connecticut Sun to replace Christie Sides, who served as Indiana coach for two seasons.

Christie Sides proud of what she was able to accomplish with Caitlin Clark-led Fever
Christie Sides lamented being replaced as Indiana Fever coach but was proud of what she accomplished during her two-season stay with the team.

The 47-year-old coach oversaw a seven-win improvement from their previous campaign and led the Fever to the playoffs, where they fell to the Connecticut Sun.

In a message on X (formerly Twitter) following her release by Indiana, Christie Sides wrote:

“Leave it better than you found it.”
Sides joined the Fever in 2023 following a deputy role with the Atlanta Dream. She replaced Carlos Knox, who led the team to a 5-31 record in his lone season.

With Sides at the helm, the Fever improved to 13-27 in 2023 and followed it up with a 20-20 campaign.