It’s generation to show again the clock in Indiana.
Then rehiring Kelly Krauskopf — who was once the overall supervisor of the Indiana Fever from 2000 to 2017 — in September to be the president of basketball operations, the Fever are getting the entire band again in conjunction with Stephanie White because the fresh (used) head mentor. The workforce introduced the proceed Friday.
“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,” Krauskopf mentioned in a observation. “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 was once an colleague mentor in Indiana from 2011 to 2014 and took over the top task in 2015-16 earlier than transferring to the NCAA to mentor at Vanderbilt. She returned to the WNBA in 2023 with the Connecticut Solar and received Professor of the Life. On the other hand, she had reportedly been searching for fresh alternatives this offseason earlier than judicial separation tactics with Connecticut this occasion, because the Solar face a free-agency overhaul and are without end hamstrung by way of the monetary obstacles of being owned by way of the Mohegan Tribe.
Now, she’s landed arguably probably the most thrilling task within the league in Indiana.
we’ve got named Stephanie White as our nearest head mentor.
welcome house, @StephanieWhite!
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) November 1, 2024
She is going to mentor the endmost two Rookie of the Life winners, Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, either one of whom have been additionally All-Megastar starters of their debut seasons. Then Boston posted probably the most prolific rookie seasons in fresh reminiscence, Clark upped the ante by way of completing fourth in MVP balloting and incomes first-team All-WNBA honors.
“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 mentioned in a observation. “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.”
Even with the youngest roster within the WNBA, the Fever showcased their grand doable in 2024. Then a 2-9 get started that includes a brutal opening advance time table, they’d the most efficient offense within the WNBA (107.7 issues in line with 100 possessions) and completed with a .500 document to go back to the playoffs for the primary generation since 2016.
Simply making the postseason is now not the function, on the other hand, which is why White is changing Christie Facets.
Facets was once rented in a developmental position, one by which she has excelled. Boston, Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull all took notable steps ahead beneath Facets, who was once in her first head-coaching task.
Now, the struggle is to compete for championships, and White has extra revel in within the deeper levels of the postseason. She was once an colleague at the 2012 Fever who received the WNBA championship and led the them again to the finals because the mentor in 2015. White additionally led Connecticut to the playoff semifinals in each and every of the endmost two seasons, and beat Indiana to get there this era.
White can have had an overly relaxed teaching tenure with the Solar, who saved their earlier mentor, Curt Miller, for seven seasons. In lieu, she’s moving into the fireplace of a high-pressure condition with probably the most common ladies’s basketball participant on this planet. There might be refuse grace afforded to her on this position, particularly no longer then Indiana driven out Facets in order her in. She might be anticipated to win, and she or he will have to to stay round.
The Fever know what luck looks as if. Even in a fresh WNBA, they consider the used barricade can get the task carried out.
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(Photograph: Chris Marion / NBAE by the use of Getty Pictures)
