Stephanie White had a lot of reward for Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston in her first press convention

Stephanie White made one factor clear in her introductory presser as the brand new head coach of the Indiana Fever: she’s thrilled by the chance to educate stars Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston — and sees limitless potential for what the pairing back-to-back Rookies of the Yr can accomplish long-term.

“These two are the perfect — there’s so many issues that they do properly proper now… however there’s a lot room for development,” White stated.

“When you concentrate on the nice level guards and put up gamers that our sport — not simply our league — however our sport has seen, they’re going to go down as the best.”

It’s a daring declare, however it’s one backed up by each All-Star’s on-court manufacturing to date. Boston, the No. 1 decide in 2023, has averaged 14.2 level on 55.2% capturing in two seasons, grabbing 8.9 rebounds per sport and elevating her play within the postseason.

Clark, the No. 1 decide in 2024, loved a historic rookie marketing campaign, averaging 19.2 factors and a WNBA-record 8.4 assists per sport. Clark’s record-setting marketing campaign ranks among the many most spectacular in league historical past.

Collectively — and alongside the essential contributions of Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull, and others — the Fever made the playoffs for the primary time since 2017. Although they fell to the Connecticut Solar within the first spherical of the playoffs, White stated that preliminary run will show beneficial long-term.

“There’s by no means an alternative to expertise,” she stated. “This can be a younger roster who gained beneficial expertise all through the course of this season. Having playoff expertise is so vital. You simply by no means know what you don’t know.”

Clark, Boston, and Hull have been all in attendance for the introductory press convention. It actually wasn’t their first time assembly White — all three confronted her Solar group within the playoffs — however this time, the dynamic was vastly completely different.

“You’ve acquired extremely proficient gamers proper right here in Caitlin and Aliyah and Lexi — a group that was extremely enjoyable to look at, very powerful to game-plan towards,” White stated, gesturing to the entrance row. “So I’m glad I’m going to have the ability to work with you guys, work with you girls, as an alternative of getting to consider learn how to cease you.”

The Fever will grapple with quite a few questions heading into subsequent season, together with whether or not Mitchell might be again, and what different function gamers they’ll re-sign or recruit. Notably, White named Hull — who averaged 5.5 factors per sport and shot 47.1% from three through the season — a core member of the group shifting ahead.

So as to encompass and elevate the Fever’s returners, White stated the precedence can be to establish function gamers who’re completely happy to play their roles round Clark, Boston, and Hull.

“Constructing high quality depth goes to be vital — when you’ve gotten a core three like we now have, surrounding them with gamers who’re going to fill the roles, actually, before everything, and who’re going to embrace their roles secondly, and who give us the perfect alternative for achievement by complementing what they do actually, very well,” White stated.

An Indiana Fever homecoming for Stephanie White

For Stephanie White, it’s well-chronicled that accepting the Indiana Fever head teaching was a return residence. White coached the Connecticut Solar for the previous two seasons, however has spent most of her basketball profession within the Hoosier state.

“It’s going to be actually exhausting for me to not get emotional immediately, however I believe for all of those folks, all these acquainted faces within the constructing immediately, that is coming residence for me,” White stated. “It has been such an expertise with this franchise for practically 25 years — from Day 1. The chance to come back residence and to guide this younger, thrilling proficient group.”

Kelly Krauskopf, who grew to become the Fever’s president in October, stated that the choice to let go of Christie Sides — who had coached the Fever for 2 seasons — was rooted within the need to win as quick as potential.

“My problem was: the place do we have to make enhancements? The place can we get higher? And the way can we expedite this course of?” Krauskopf stated. “As a result of, what I noticed within the two years of watching the place I sat, Christie Sides did an important job.”

However, Krauskopf was had a long-standing relationship with White, and had some preliminary conversations together with her as soon as she realized the adorned coach could be out there and thinking about a return.

“After I had the chance to speak to her, it was like fortuitous — one thing that I simply couldn’t consider the timing,” Krauskopf stated.

Sides was fired on October twenty seventh. The following day, White formally parted methods with the Solar.

“The timeline was accelerated, to be trustworthy,” Krauskopf stated. “There was a chance to attempt to take expertise, have a look at how can we maximize this group of younger gamers, the assets we now have to achieve success, and transfer that ahead. We had decided that we have been going to maneuver on and that was powerful as a result of it doesn’t take away from something that Christie did and what that teaching workers did. And, to make use of her phrases, she left it higher than she discovered it.”

For White, the transition from head coach of the Solar to the Fever was fast. Only a few hours after she was formally introduced because the Indiana’s new head coach on Friday, she was calling a Cavaliers-Magic NBA sport in her different job as an ESPN commentator.

“It appears like the celebrities simply completely aligned,” White stated. “So, whereas at occasions there’s anxiousness by way of transition, there simply hasn’t been for me. It’s been very calming, it feels good. This franchise has been part of my DNA from Day One, and can all the time be. So, when issues are supposed to be, it feels actually good.”

White additionally praised how the Fever’s possession group has all the time invested within the group.

“This can be a franchise that for every second within the league’s historical past, we’ve all the time had what we’ve wanted to succeed,” White stated. “And because the needle strikes, and as issues modified, and as they’ve continued to vary so quickly, we’ve stored up with that.”

A WNBA championship is the last word objective

Stephanie White has been round WNBA basketball lengthy sufficient to know that it’ll take time to place the items collectively and actualize the core’s potential. However, she additionally wasn’t shy about clearly figuring out the last word objective: a championship.

“We now have seen on this league’s historical past how troublesome it’s to win a championship — the margin for error is small,” White stated. “Once you’re constructing groups, it’s not nearly getting the perfect gamers, it’s about getting the perfect complement of gamers who match collectively, who play properly inside each other, who work to convey the perfect out of each other.”

She feels assured this Fever group will get it accomplished.

“The longer term is so brilliant, and our final objective is to hold one other banner within the Fieldhouse,” White stated. “And our final objective is to come back again right here after we win that championship and have fun once more like we did in 2012.”