By parting ways with head coach Christie Sides in the offseason, the Indiana Fever sent a clear message that sneaking into the playoffs would no longer be enough. General manager Kelly Krauskopf, in announcing the decision, framed it as a matter of ambition.
“While decisions like these are never easy, it is also imperative that we remain bold and assertive in the pursuit of our goals, which includes … bringing another WNBA championship back to Indiana,” she said.
That ambition brought Stephanie White back to the franchise she once played for, with the hope that her experience could elevate Indiana from a fringe playoff team into something greater.
Consecutive losses sharpen spotlight
The pressure only intensified this week as Indiana dropped two straight games to the Minnesota Lynx in the span of three days. The first loss came against a Collier-less lineup, while the second came with Napheesa Collier back on the floor. For a team trying to prove it can rise above inconsistency, those defeats landed hard.
White was asked directly about the Fever‘s slide to eighth place in the standings. Her answer was calm, but hardly the fiery message that the front office once demanded.
“Well, I think for us, we got to focus on one day at a time. You know, we can’t-we got to control what we can control,” she said. “We got to stay locked in on what we have to do and be where our feet are and take care of what’s in front of us.”
Jason Whitlock enters the conversation
Those doubts have spilled into national commentary. On Fearless, Jason Whitlock argued that White should be under pressure to prove she’s the right coach for Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell.
“If Caitlin Clark reaches the end of this season and wants a new coach, they better give it to her,” Whitlock said.
The remark led to a debate about whether Clark could be branded a “coach-killer” so early in her career. Whitlock countered by drawing a comparison to basketball’s most famous icon.
“I remember a coach killer, his name was Michael Jordan. And he killed a bunch of coaches before he ever got to Phil Jackson. We’ve seen this before,” he said.
Whitlock also took aim at White’s system, questioning whether she is maximizing Indiana’s backcourt.
“Kelsey Mitchell is one of the best bucket-getters in the league,” he said, before suggesting White leans too heavily on guards she can control, rather than trusting Mitchell‘s firepower alongside Clark.
“Stephanie White doesn’t see it as a blessing. She wants an Odyssey Sims and Aari McDonald out there controlling the game. People she has leverage over and can control.”
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