The Indiana Fever are looking to take the next step. Caitlin Clark proved to be a transcendent star and led them back to the playoffs. It was well overdue, but the Fever are not satisfied. They want to build a title-contending roster around Clark immediately.
Indiana has already rebuilt their front office with Kelly Krauskopf returning to take the reins. She is eyeing roster upgrades this offseason and whatever is necessary to make the leap. Krauskopf hired a new general manager and may be looking to replace their head coach.
Former Fever head coach and player Stephanie White is available and rumored to be in talks with multiple teams. Indiana allows her to have a full circle moment, but bringing her back creates a difficult decision.
Hiring Stephanie White makes Fever a title contender
White spent six years in the WNBA as a player, including five with the Fever. She joined the franchise as the eighth overall pick in the 2000 expansion draft and was a 20-minute per-game role player throughout her career. White helped the franchise get off the ground and left just before their 12 straight years in the playoffs.
She became an assistant coach in 2007 and spent four seasons in Chicago before returning to Indiana. White had four years as an assistant with the Fever before becoming their head coach in 2015. All she did was lead Indiana to the WNBA Finals in her first season and get them back to the playoffs in year two.
White left as Tamika Catchings retired. She went to Vanderbilt where she was their head coach for six years before returning to the W for the last two years with the Sun. All Connecticut did was make the semifinals twice.
Stephanie White is a winner. She is four for four in playoff appearances and has won four playoff series. The 47-year-old is still searching for her first championship, but she would make the Fever a title contender. White is an outstanding tactician and regarded as one of the top coaches in the WNBA.
Bringing in Stephanie White means losing Christie Sides
Sides was not the best Xs and Os coach, but she played a key role for the Fever. She brought the team together and helped them navigate the pitfalls of being the most popular team in the W. There were plenty of positives in her two seasons as head coach, including snapping the longest playoff drought in the league.
Sides may be the Mark Jackson to White’s Steve Kerr. She helped the team develop, but the Fever need a better technical coach to win a championship. Still, it is a difficult call after Sides helped the team climb from five wins to 20 in two years.
The Indiana Fever cannot be afraid to be bold. They have the best young superstar in the WNBA. The Fever should maximize every chance to win a championship, and that means replacing Christie Sides with Stephanie White.