Indiana-bred and Purdue-educated Stephanie White is returning home to the Indiana Fever, where she played and coached. Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston are huge reasons why.
Stephanie White was introduced as the new Fever head coach Monday afternoon at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, with Clark and Boston in attendance. White helped the team win its first WNBA championship as an assistant coach in 2012 and then led the Fever to the WNBA Finals as head coach in 2015.
Courtesy FOX News
But once the team and White had the mushy stuff out of the way, they addressed why this marriage made sense. It was about maximizing Clark and Boston’s greatness and winning championships. In other words, it was a business move, a transaction with championship intent.
Indiana Fever President of Basketball and Business Operations Kelly Krauskopf and CEO and General Manager Amber Cox targeted White since they know her and believe she can make Clark and Boston champions. But there’s work to be done. With all due respect to Christie Sides, her inexperience didn’t serve Clark and Boston well. But unlike Sides, White is battle-tested. She will be demanding, asking players to defend and execute while paying attention to details, like boxing out and getting loose balls.
White will also develop her players, as all great coaches do. If there is a weakness in Clark’s game, it’s her defense. White also needs to help Clark—who gets frustrated easily—manage her emotions. As for Boston, toughness is an issue. She must compete consistently for rebounds and stand out as a rim protector. Then there’s the matter of Clark and Boston working together better, an issue painfully obvious at last season’s start. The situation improved after the Olympic break, but White knows it’s still a work in progress.
Boston and Clark (photo, Sporting News)
White compared the Boston/Clark duo to Karl Malone and John Stockton, and that assertion offers a hint at how the offense would be running. She wants plenty of pick-and-roll from her two stars this season. She also figures to install a run-and-gun offense featuring both players.
Without question, the Fever will be the most followed team in the WNBA, just like last season. But this year, a future Hall of Fame player/coach will be roaming the sidelines, a colossal difference from 2023-24.
White knows great players like Boston and Clark are hard to find, and that’s why she is where she is today—back home in Indiana again.
