Purdue great Stephanie White to be new Indiana Fever head coach

Stephanie White is back in Indiana. The former Purdue All-American and National Champion is set to become the next head coach of the Indiana Fever, per a report by ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.

The move comes just days after the Fever fired Christie Sides, which was preceded by White’s departure from her now former post as head coach of the Connecticut Sun. During her two seasons with the Sun, White held a 55-25 record, reaching the WNBA semifinals both years, where she won WNBA Coach of the Year honors in 2023.

Prior to her stint with the Sun, White served as head coach at Vanderbilt from 2016-2021, where she went 64-97 before being fired.

White now takes the reins of a rising team in Indianapolis, one headlined by superstar Caitlin Clark, along with WNBA All-Stars Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell. The Clark effect made the Indiana job an enticing one, and one that has now been scooped up by White.

The Fever are coming off their first WNBA playoff appearance since White’s last season as head coach of the franchise in 2016. She also won a WNBA Championship with the Fever as an assistant coach in 2012.

White went down, in many people’s eyes, as the greatest player in Purdue women’s basketball history. White earned National Player of the Year honors in 1999, coinciding with Purdue’s first and only National Championship in program history.

The former Indiana Miss Basketball winner and Purdue legend now returns to her home state in an effort to bring the Fever back to a WNBA title.