The Indiana Fever fired head coach Christie Sides on Sunday after a breakout season. They snapped the longest playoff drought in the W, but it was clear Sides was not leading them to a championship in 2025. Caitlin Clark is a transcendent star and the new look front office felt it needed a coaching upgrade to maximize their shot next season.
There will be plenty of interest in coaching Clark and the Fever. Number 22 is already one of the best players in the world at 22 years old. The Fever have two All-Stars around her and an immediate elite offense if they play to Clark’s strengths. It is all about figuring out their defense and maximizing their talent.
There is an obvious replacement, but the Fever should cast a wide net. They want to win immediately, which likely means targeting an experienced name. The new head coach must play to Clark’s strengths, and these names are the top available choices.
4. Cheryl Miller
Miller has long been a supporter of Clark and coached her during the 2024 WNBA All-Star game. The 60-year-old is one of the best college players of all time but was retired before the WNBA became a league.
Miller was the head coach and general manager of the Phoenix Mercury from 1997-2000 where she won 57.4 percent of her regular season game, which is the 16th highest in WNBA history. She knows how to win games and is an underrated option. Miller has led three different colleges and her coaching resume goes back to 1986.
3. Lisa Blunder
The 63-year-old left the University of Iowa after losing in the NCAA Finals for the second straight year in 2024. She took over as the Hawkeyes head coach in 2000 and missed the NCAA Tournament just five times in 24 years.
Blunder knows how to get the best out of Caitlin Clark. She coached her for four years in college and won several NCAA Tournament games. The Hawkeyes finished second twice, and Blunder may be eager to chase another title with Clark.
Her lack of WNBA head coaching experience is a negative. She has strictly been a college head coach, and the Fever should be searching for someone who is ready to win immediately at this level.
2. Curt Miller
Miller may be the best tactical coach available. He missed the playoffs in each of the last two years with the Sparks, but LA was clearly retooling. Before that, Miller made the postseason six straight years with the Connecticut Sun. They reached the WNBA Finals in 2022 but lost to the Aces.
Miller knows how to win and has a 53.9 regular season percentage as a WNBA head coach. He is still chasing that first championship and deserves a strong look.
1. Stephanie White
White has the seventh-highest regular season winning percentage as a head coach in WNBA history. She led the Fever to the WNBA Finals in 2015 and back to the playoffs in 2016 with Tamika Catchings. White also played for the Fever and wore number 22 in the early days of the franchise.
She was spent the last two seasons coaching the Connecticut Sun where they have made back-to-back semifinals. White is a winner, a Clark supporter, and knows Kelly Krauskopf well. She appears to be the favorite and a deserving one.
The Indiana Fever need a coach ready to lead them on a deep playoff run. Caitlin Clark has raised expectations, and the franchise is eager to win. There are certainly options ready to take the baton from Christie Sides and push them further up the standings. It is on Krauskopf and company to find the right answer.