INDIANAPOLIS — How Stephanie White is Indiana fever will play is to be determined. One thing is certain: the former Connecticut Sun coach knew how to beat 2024 Fever.
Six times Indiana and Connecticut have played this season, Connecticut has won five, including a two-game sweep in the first round of the WNBA playoffs.
“Playing against her, I would say I felt like her teams always had the best scouts against us,” the Fever star said. Caitlin Clark said Monday. “And I think that’s just a testament to her knowledge of the game and how she analyzes it. Obviously, she was right. So, you know, I hope that in turn, now that she knows how to stop us, this should hopefully be a good thing as we know how to beat certain things too.
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Despite the Sun’s success against the Fever this season, White said preparing for Indiana’s pace with Clark pulling the strings was anything but easy.
“They always scared us a lot, I think, because of the way they could score the basketball,” White said. “I was very concerned about the pace and the transition, the 3-point shooting, you know, the way they spread the floor.
“A lot of our game plan was based on what types of shots we were going to be able to give them. So those would be the things we would work on now, right? If we had played Caitlin a certain way, why did we play her like that.
White has a long history with Indiana, both as a state and as a franchise. She grew up in West Lebanon and was Miss Indiana Basketball with Seeger, then won a national championship with Purdue in 1999. She played for the Fever in their inaugural season (2000) until 2004, then was an assistant coach from 2011 to 2015 and head coach from 2015 to 2016.
“I think we all know how good she is at basketball, but also what a legend she is in Indiana,” Clark said. “So, I think it’s really cool.”
White, who was introduced at a press conference Monday, will be tasked with harnessing the talent of Clark and Aliyah Boston. Both were No. 1 picks and rookies of the year, and they, along with Kelsey Mitchell, are what the Fever front office considers to be the cornerstone of the franchise.
Clark and Boston are also special in that they complement each other. As a starting point guard and center, their connection on the court is one of the most important aspects of Fever’s game.
“You set it up, and you have the point guard at center, are you kidding me? Like you have the bookends that you want to build with them,” White said of Clark and Boston. “Those two are the best. And I think there are so many things they’re doing well right now, and you saw the difference between the beginning and the end of the season, and how well they got better with each other. how much they could anticipate what each other was going to do, how they facilitated each other. But there’s so much room for growth.
White knows she has some of the best players in the league on her team. And that makes them even more excited to work with her.
“There’s nothing better than playing for a coach that you can already tell is going to continue to help us because she knows the talent that we have,” Boston said. “I’m super excited to get out on the field.”
White played in two of Indiana’s three trips to the WNBA Finals. The first, which was Indiana’s only championship in 2012, came while she was an assistant under Lin Dunn. The second came when White was head coach in 2015, but they lost to Minnesota in five games.
Indiana hasn’t had this much success in the postseason since White herself was in Indianapolis. Now, players are hoping she can get them back to where they were.
“To have someone who is so happy to be here, I think it’s exciting for all of us,” Fever guard Lexie Hull said. “It’s exciting to hear her talk about, you know, obviously the Fever have had success in the past and won the finals in the past, and how passionate she is about getting us back to this place. It excites me. It excites our team. We’re just excited, you know, about what we can accomplish this year with her leading us.
This article was originally published on the Indianapolis Star: Stephanie White knew how to beat Fever, Caitlin Clark. Can she win with them?
