The Indiana Fever hope to compete for a title after hiring a new head coach in Stephanie White and acquiring some standout players during the offseason. After reaching the playoffs last year for the first time since 2016, the Fever have their sights set on larger goals in 2025.
Caitlin Clark spoke with Sports Illustrated as part of her new State Farm platform, "With the Assist," which spotlights the value of real-life assists that often go unrecognized but make all the difference (check out the new "From the Logo" spot here), and she spoke about what White brings to the table as the team's new coach.
"I think she just understands winning. She understands how much basketball means to this state, and she has a ring with the Fever. It's trying to get back and get more of those," Clark told SI. "This franchise has done everything to try to put us in a position to be successful, but I think the thing about Steph is everybody in this league and in basketball really respects her and respects what she does. She knows the game so well and I think also as somebody that is a point guard getting to learn from her is is really cool. Just little things and trying different ways to put my teammates in positions to be successful, trying to find ways to make it easier for myself. Obviously we've only been together now for a very short time, but I've certainly learned a lot."
This is White's second stint as the Fever's coach. She was previously with the franchise in 2015 and '16, leading the team to a WNBA Finals appearance. She also played four seasons in Indiana from the franchise's debut in the league in 2000 up until '04. The Fever haven't had a winning season since the White-led 2015 team, a streak the franchise is hopeful she can help end.
Clark was coached by Christie Sides during her rookie season in 2024. The 23-year-old said it's difficult to compare her former coach to her current one, especially because of how different Indiana's roster is this season.
"I feel like you can't compare the two, and it's the same with the culture. Every team is gonna find their own identity, every team's gonna be different, every coaching style is gonna be different. That doesn't make one better than the other. Every coach operates differently, every team operates differently. This is a completely new team, like I have four teammates that were the same from last year. Everybody else is basically completely new," Clark said.
The Fever got off to a hot start in their season opener against the Chicago Sky, during which Clark recorded a triple-double. They lost against the Atlanta Dream in their second game of the campaign, 91–90.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Caitlin Clark Gives Honest Take on What Stephanie White Brings to Fever.
