The arrival of Stephanie White as Indiana Fever coach gave All-WNBA guard Kelsey Mitchell what she calls “a ha moment.”
Mitchell joined thePodcast “Between the Lines” with WNBA legend Lisa Leslie saying White’s approach differed from those she experienced during her previous seven seasons with the Fever.
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“She really believed in me. I felt it. I could feel it,” the 30-year-old said.
“It was the first time I had a helping hand with a coach… who believed in my abilities, and it made me feel like I had superpowers. That’s what you really need.”
Mitchell said White’s criticism was constructive and informative.
“It seemed like she really cared. That’s hard to do in a professional career,” Mitchell said. “Me and Steph have had a connection ever since. »
Mitchell averaged 20.2 points per game on 39.4% 3-point shooting, earning first-team All-WNBA honors.
Kelsey Mitchell on Indiana Fever’s injury woes
Fever experienced much suffering in 2025, with Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Aari McDonald And Syndey Colson suffering from season-ending injuries. Colson’s torn ACL on Aug. 7 in a blowout loss to Phoenix hit hard.
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“It was demoralizing,” Mitchell said of the postgame scene. We were all flooded with tears. … We didn’t know why we were crying.”
This was also a turning point.
The Fever regrouped with a blowout win over Chicago, and they played well enough to reach the playoffs. They ended up taking eventual league champion Las Vegas to overtime in a deciding Game 5 in the semifinals.
Mitchell missed overtime of the latter game due to leg cramps.
“Our whole dynamic changed. Who we became as people. Who we became as players, as a team. We took a bad moment and we turned it around,” Mitchell said. “We learned so much about what we could accomplish. That’s what made it fun.”
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This article was originally published on the Indianapolis Star: Why Indiana Fever Coach Stephanie White Made Star Kelsey Mitchell Confident
