Caitlin Clark has her next WNBA head coach.
The Indiana Fever announced Friday that they hired Stephanie White as the franchise’s next head coach. White succeeds Christie Sides who was fired on Sunday.
“As we enter this new era of Fever basketball, I am thrilled to welcome Stephanie back to the franchise,” said Kelly Krauskopf, Fever President of Basketball Operations. “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.
White takes over the Fever after two years as head coach of the Connecticut Sun. Under White’s leadership, the Sun went 55-25 over the past two seasons, took third place both years and advanced to the WNBA semifinals.
During the 2023 season, White was named WNBA Coach of the Year and Associated Press Coach of the Year, in addition to being named head coach for the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game.
White shared his excitement about taking over the reins of the Fever franchise.
“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. “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.”
White’s appointment confirms initial reporting by Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times that the Fever would hire White as their next head coach.
That initial report gained traction when the Connecticut Sun reported earlier this week that it had separated from White.
White’s ties to the Fever franchise run deep.
White has close ties to Indiana senior advisor Lin Dunn and Fever president of basketball and business operations Kelly Krauskopf. After beginning her WNBA coaching career as an assistant with the Chicago Sky from 2007 to 2010, White became an assistant coach at Indiana from 2011 to 2014 under Dunn.
Then Krauskopf, who served as Fever president from 2000 to 2018, offered White his first WNBA head coaching job with Fever in 2015 after Dunn retired from coaching. White led Indiana to the WNBA Finals in her first season and another playoff appearance in 2016.
White also played five seasons in the WNBA, including from 2000 to 2004 with the Fever. Her ties to Indiana State include her time at Purdue where she led the Boilermakers to the 1999 national championship and was named Big Ten Player of the Year.
White also served as Vanderbilt’s head women’s basketball coach from 2016-2021.
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