Caitlin Clark’s fever hires Stephanie White as WNBA HC to replace Christie Sides | News, results, highlights, stats and rumours

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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 8: Head coach Stephanie White of the Connecticut Sun looks on against the Minnesota Lynx during 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. NOTICE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that by downloading and or using this photograph, User consents 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 landed on her feet with the Indiana fever.

“I am incredibly proud and honored to return home to Indiana and lead the Fever during such a defining moment in the history of this franchise, as well as during such an important time throughout women’s athletics,” White said in a statement. “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.”

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 due to Caitlin Clark’s debut season that earned her Rookie of the Year honors.

Indiana had an opening at head coach after part ways with Christie Sides on October 27. She went 33-47 overall in two seasons and led the team to a playoff berth in 2024.

The Suns’ decision to move on from White came as a surprise because the team was incredibly successful during her two-year tenure as head coach. She led them to a 55-25 record with back-to-back appearances in the WNBA playoff semifinals.

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 Philippe the organization and White “parted on good terms because some of (White’s) decision-making was not just about basketball.”

White, who received 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 moved in as a coach. The 47-year-old’s longest stay as a coach so far was with Feber 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 available head coaches in the WNBA this offseason, the Fever job was arguably the most desirable. They already have two young stars on the roster in Clark and Aliyah Boston.

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

As long as the Fever can improve their defensive efficiency — they’ve finished in the bottom three in that category every year since 2017 — they’ll have a path to becoming a title contender.

In White’s four seasons as a WNBA head coach, her teams have finished no lower than sixth in defensive rating.