Fever Caitlin Clark Hires Stephanie White as WNBA HC to Replace Christie Sides | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – OCTOBER 8: Head Coach Stephanie White of the Connecticut Sun watches the Minnesota Lynx during the first quarter of Game 5 of the Semi-Finals 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 photograph, User agrees to the terms of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

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Three days after breaking up with the Connecticut Sun, Stephanie White quickly landed on her feet with Indiana fever.

“I am incredibly proud and honored to return home to Indiana and lead the Fever at such a pivotal time in the history of this franchise, as well as such an important time for women’s athletics,” White said in a statement. “This franchise is and always will be about winning, and I look forward to working every day to help bring another WNBA title to the greatest basketball fans in the world.”

ESPN Alexa Philippou first reported that the Fever had hired White as their new head coach after the team made the playoffs for the first time in eight years thanks to Caitlin Clarke’s debut season, which earned her Rookie of the Year honors.

Indiana has a head coaching vacancy after… parting with Christy Sides on October 27. She went 33-47 overall in two seasons and led the team to the playoffs in 2024.

The Sun’s decision to move on from White came as a surprise as the team had achieved incredible success during her two years as head coach. She led them to a 55–25 record with back-to-back WNBA playoff semifinal appearances.

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

Sun President Jen Rizzotti said. Philip the organization and White “parted on good terms because part of (White’s) decision-making process was not just about basketball.”

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

After finishing her playing career, White moved into coaching. The 47-year-old’s longest tenure as a manager was with the Fever from 2011 to 2016. She initially joined the team as an assistant to Lyn Dunn before taking over as head coach in 2015 after Dunn retired.

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

Out of seven head coach vacancies Feaver’s job was perhaps the most coveted one in the WNBA this offseason. They already have two young stars in their lineup – Clark and Aaliyah Boston.

Clark’s influence on the attack was immediate as they finished third in points per game and rating for the 2024 season.

As long as the Fever can improve their defensive efficiency (they have finished in the bottom three in this category every year since 2017), they will have a path to becoming a title contender.

In White’s four seasons as a WNBA head coach, her teams never ranked lower than sixth in defensive rating.