Indiana Fever hire new head coach

Caitlin Clark has her next WNBA head coach.

The Indiana Fever announced on Friday that they have hired Stephanie White as the franchise’s next head coach. White succeeds Christie Sides who was fired on Sunday.

“As we enter this new era of Fever basketball, I am thrilled to welcome Stephanie back to the franchise,” Fever president of basketball operations Kelly Krauskopf said. “Stephanie is a part of the fabric of this franchise, both as a former player and as a member of our championship coaching staff, so I’m quite familiar with her elite basketball IQ and leadership style. I am confident there is no one who better understands our culture or is more equipped to lead our group of players to the next level.”

White takes over the Fever after two years as the head coach of the Connecticut Sun. Under White’s direction, the Sun compiled a 55-25 mark over the past two seasons, earned the No. 3 seed both years and advanced to the WNBA Semifinals.

During the 2023 season, White was named WNBA Coach of the Year and the Associated Press Coach of the Year, as well as being named a head coach in the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game.

White shared her excitement to take over the reins of the Fever franchise.

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

White’s appointment confirms the initial report from the Chicago Sun-Times’ Annie Costabile that the Fever would hire White as their next head coach.

That initial report gained traction when the Connecticut Sun announced earlier this week that they had parted ways with White.

White’s connections to the Fever franchise run deep.

White has close ties to Indiana senior advisor Lin Dunn and Fever president of basketball and business operations Kelly Krauskopf. After starting her WNBA coaching career as an assistant with the Chicago Sky from 2007-10, White became an assistant coach for Indiana from 2011-14 under Dunn.

Then, Krauskopf, who was the Fever’s president from 2000-18, gave White her first WNBA head coaching gig with the Fever in 2015 after Dunn retired from coaching. White led Indiana to the WNBA Finals in her first season and to another postseason appearance in 2016.

White also played five seasons in the WNBA, including from 2000-04 with the Fever. Her ties to the state of Indiana include her time at Purdue where she led the Boilermakers to the 1999 national championship and was named the Big Ten Player of the Year.

White also served as Vanderbilt’s head women’s basketball coach from 2016-21.

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Story originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire