New Fever head coach talks taking over young team headlined by Caitlin Clark: 'Expectations are higher'

Caitlin Clark volition person a caller caput manager entering her sophomore play successful the WNBA, arsenic the Indiana Fever hired Stephanie White to regenerate Christie Sides. 

White spoke with reporters aft being introduced arsenic the Fever’s adjacent coach, and of course, questions astir however she volition beryllium utilizing Clark and the remainder of the Fever players adjacent season. 

White, an Indiana autochthonal who won Indiana Miss Basketball successful 1995, archetypal explained her knowing of what fans expect the Fever to beryllium adjacent year: a winning franchise. 

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From near to right, Indiana Fever Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Amber Cox, Fever caput manager Stephanie White, and Fever President of Basketball Operations Kelly Krauskopf airs for a photograph connected Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 aft a property league introducing White arsenic the team’s adjacent caput coach. (IMAGN)

"Expectations are higher, the crippled is different, the players are better," she said, per Yahoo Sports, with Clark, Aliyah Boston and Lexie Hull each successful attendance. "We person to beryllium forward-thinking." 

Forward-thinking means being originative with the basketball, which runs done Clark arsenic the team’s constituent guard. 

"We tin utilize much versatility, usage players successful antithetic ways," White added. "It’s a high-IQ squad with the state to marque plays."

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While discourtesy is what creates the highlights for the Fever, particularly with Clark launching three-pointers and breaking records successful the process, White knows that a existent contender successful the WNBA needs to beryllium beardown defensively. 

The Fever learned that erstwhile they were ousted by the Connecticut Sun successful conscionable 2 games to extremity their playoffs quickly. White, who coached that Sun squad past season, has antecedently served arsenic the Fever’s caput manager from 2015-16.

Still, White finds worth successful knowing this Fever squad had that feeling of making the playoffs, leaving them bare for much this upcoming season. 

Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark attends the property league welcoming Stephanie White arsenic the team's caller caput manager connected Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, held connected Salesforce Court astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis. (IMAGN)

"There’s ne'er a substitute for experience," White said. "This is simply a young roster that gained invaluable acquisition done the people of the season."

Based disconnected White’s opening comments, it appears Clark and the remainder of the Fever squad volition beryllium allowed fluidity successful presumption of scoring connected the violative extremity alternatively of being successful a rigid, play-based scheme. 

That could payment Clark, who averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds successful her rookie season, arsenic she would person autonomy to play connected the fly, adjusting to what the defence is giving her. 

However, that benignant besides requires beardown chemistry with players connected the court, similar Boston, Hull and others, making definite they are connected the aforesaid leafage erstwhile things don’t spell according to plan. 

The Indiana Fever welcomes Stephanie White arsenic their caller caput manager connected Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 during a property league held connected Salesforce Court astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis. (IMAGN)

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Either way, White volition person a agleam spotlight fixed the popularity the Fever has gotten with Clark joining them arsenic the No. 1 wide prime of the 2024 WNBA Draft. 

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