As we get closer to the beginning of the WNBA season, it's becoming clear that Caitlin Clark and the Fever are preparing to make a big impact this year. First, we saw evidence Clark has been in the weight room (she's going to be lobbing logo-3s constantly) when she was photographed at the Big Ten Tournament last weekend.
Days later, Clark's new teammate Sophie Cunningham arrived in Indianapolis and made it clear she's ready to win. While speaking to reporters about joining the Fever, Cunningham was blunt. "To be honest, my original thought was like, oh heck yeah. Like we're about to go win a championship," she said of being approached by the team's front office. "That's exactly where my mind went."
And while speaking at the Cardiovascular Research Technologies (CRT) Meeting on March 9, Clark herself made it clear who the most important Fever acquisition really was ahead of this season: Coach Stephanie White, who departed the Connecticut Sun to return back to Indianapolis.
Caitlin Clark sees herself as an extension of Stephanie White
White's impact on Clark is already being made evident by the way the young point guard has spoken about her new coach. Clark told attendees at the CRT Meeting that there is "always" a game plan as part of her strategy heading into each match. On top of that, she added that "my first goal when a game starts is to get my teammates involved."
Clark also said it's her responsibility to "orchestrate" the team as they play on the court, and in that sense she sees herself as "the coach on the court in a way." She pointed out that this is true of all point guards: "You need to be the extension of your coach."
Bringing White on to the team should help the Fever skyrocket in terms of what happens on the court each game. White brings a long history of success with her, and her guidance and mentorship will be what unlocks the push the Fever needs to be as great as they want to be.
Clark also revealed that she and her teammates map out their first three moves while they're still in the locker room ahead of each game. One way they make this possible is by going through the scouting report about their opposing team, which opens up a conversation about what will and will not work each game.
Clark's conversation at CRT made it clear that she's first and foremost part of a team before anything else, an observation that's been made time and time again about one of the league's brightest stars.