Caitlin Clark’s Fever hires Stephanie White as WNBA HC to replace Christie Sides | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – OCTOBER 08: Connecticut Sun Head Coach Stephanie White watches against the Minnesota Lynx in the first quarter of Game Five of the Semifinals during the WNBA Playoffs at Target Center on October 8, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Lynx defeated the Sun 88-77. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that by downloading and/or using this photo, user agrees to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

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Three days after parting ways with the Connecticut Sun, Stephanie White quickly found her feet with the Indiana Fever.

“I am incredibly proud and honored to return home to Indiana and lead the Fever during such a pivotal time in the history of this franchise, but also during such an important time in women’s athletics,” White said in a statement declaration. “This franchise has always been committed to winning and always will be. I look forward to working every day to deliver another WNBA title to the greatest basketball fans in the world.”

ESPN’s Alexa Philippou first reported that the Fever had hired White as their new head coach after the team made its first playoff appearance in eight years on the back of Caitlin Clark’s debut season that earned her Rookie of the Year honors .

Indiana got a head coaching opening after parting ways with Christie Sides on Oct. 27. She posted an overall mark of 33-47 in two seasons and led the team to a playoff berth in 2024.

The Sun’s decision to acquire White came as a surprise as the team was incredibly successful during her two-year stint as head coach. She led them to a 55–25 record with consecutive appearances in the WNBA playoff semifinals.

Connecticut’s 2024 season came to an end with an 88–77 loss to the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 of the semifinals.

Sun president Jen Rizzotti told Philippou that the organization and White “parted on good terms because part of (White’s) decision-making process wasn’t just about basketball.”

White, who earned Coach of the Year honors in her first season with the Sun, returns to Indiana, where she played four years of college basketball at Purdue and four years for the Fever from 2000 to ’04.

After White’s playing career ended, she transitioned into coaching. The 47-year-old’s longest spell as a coach to date was with the Fever from 2011 to ’16. She originally joined the team as an assistant on Lin Dunn’s staff before taking over as head coach in 2015 after Dunn retired.

The Fever advanced to the WNBA Finals in White’s first season, losing to the Lynx in five games. She left the team to become Vanderbilt’s head coach after the 2016 season.

Of the seven head coaching vacancies in the WNBA this offseason, the Fever job was perhaps the most sought after. They already have two young stars on the roster, Clark and Aliyah Boston.

Clark’s impact on the offense was immediate, as they finished third in points per game and rating during the 2024 season.

As long as the Fever can improve their defensive efficiency – they have finished in the bottom three in that category every year since 2017 – they will have a chance to become title contenders.

In White’s four seasons as a WNBA head coach, her teams have not finished lower than sixth in the defensive league.