INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana fever made a big change with the hiring of a new head coach.
Ancient Fever Player and coach Stephanie White will return as the franchise’s next head coach, the team announced Friday. White, who was Fever head coach from 2015-16, replaces second-year Fever coach Christie Sides. was fired on Sunday.
White is perfect for what fever needs. She is an experienced coach and knows what it takes to have a successful deep playoff run – something that hasn’t happened for the Fever in her time as head coach. His Connecticut Sun teams ranked first and second in defensive rating in 2023 and 2024, respectively, while remaining an effective team offensively. She has also coached stars, including Fever legend Tamika Catchings and 2023 MVP finalist Alyssa Thomas.
Indiana Fever News: Here’s What Caitlin Clark Said About Stephanie White
Aliyah Boston joins Unrivaled: She is Fever’s second player in the new 3×3 league
From now on, White’s mission will be to exploit the talent of Caitlin ClarkAliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell (assuming she re-signs with the team) for a deep playoff run in 2025 and beyond.
“I am incredibly proud and honored to return home to Indiana and lead the Fever at such a pivotal time in this franchise’s history, as well as such an important time in women’s athletics,” said White in a team statement. “This franchise is and will always be committed to winning and I look forward to working every day to help deliver another WNBA title to the greatest basketball fans in the world.”
This hire continues White’s history with Indiana. She played four of her five years in the WNBA with the Fever, was an assistant on Lin Dunn’s coaching staff when the Fever won their only WNBA championship, and took Indiana back to the WNBA Finals in her first season as head coach in 2015. She also has a long history with Fever president Kelly Krauskopf: Krauskopf selected her in the 2000 expansion draft and hired her for his first job as head coach in 2015.
“As we enter this new era of Fever basketball, I am excited to welcome Stephanie back to the franchise,” Krauskopf said in a team release. “Stephanie is part of the fabric of this franchise, both as a former player and as a member of our championship coaching staff, so I am quite familiar with her elite basketball IQ and style of leadership. I am confident that there is no one who understands our culture better or is better equipped to lead our playing group to the next level.
Krauskopf left the Fever in 2018 to become assistant general manager of the Pacers. She returned to the Fever after this seasontaking over after former president Allison Barber resigned for an outside role within Project Marvella.
Now Krauskopf lured White away from Connecticut. White’s appointment as Fever coach comes after she parted ways with the Sun on Monday, despite having a 55-25 record in two years with the Sun, making it to the semis -WNBA finals both seasons and he has one year left on his contract.
“Kelly is certainly the architect of everything that has happened in the Indiana Fever franchise since day one,” White said of Krauskopf during the first round of the playoffs on September 24. “For her to come back, it shows how serious the organization is about taking the next step, and I think it shows Kelly’s love for the W, her love and commitment to the W and To the Indiana Fever franchise, there is certainly no one better to bring the Fever into this new era than Kelly.
White told ESPN that the reason she left Connecticut was because of its closeness to family — her exit interview after Connecticut’s semifinal loss was delayed due to a family emergency.
“So it wasn’t easy.” White told ESPN’s Alexa Philippou Monday. “But at the end of the day, it’s definitely hard for me to be away from my family. So from a professional and personal standpoint, I feel like it’s the best decision.”
White, his three children and his partner, ESPN Monday Night Football reporter Lisa Salters, are based in Nashville, a four-hour drive from Indianapolis. White’s hometown is West Lebanon, Indiana, about an hour and a half from Indianapolis.
White also works as an analyst for ESPN and the Big Ten Network during the WNBA offseason, commentating on NBA and college basketball games.
This article was originally published on the Indianapolis Star: Indiana Fever hires former Connecticut Sun coach Stephanie White
