A new era for the Indiana Fever will begin next May when Caitlin Clark takes the court with coach Stephanie White by her side. After a historic rookie season in the WNBA, Clark is just getting started and could soar to even greater heights with the right guidance and a strong supporting cast.
There is perhaps no better mentor figure for the Fever guard than White, who has watched Clark play since Clark was in eighth grade and called a handful of Clark’s Iowa games in college.
White recently spoke with former NBA assistant coach Brendan Suhr about how she plans to help Clark develop her game and gave a thoughtful answer on her approach to coaching the young superstar:
“First and foremost, just talking basketball,” White said on the Coaching U podcast. “Just having general basketball conversations about what she’s watching, what she likes, what are some of her thoughts from not just what the Indiana Fever have done, but from the game of basketball in general.
“My first conversation with her about X’s and O’s the other day, I was just like, ‘How do you want to improve? What are some of the things you want to improve on?’ And then we’ll talk about how we want to do that. I talked to her about how we can use her to help her be more efficient, help her be more effective, to help our team be better in general.”
steph white: “[caitlin] has adjusted unbelievably quick to this league, and now it’s about not only becoming a great player, but a great leader to this team. so that we can win not just a championship, but championships.” pic.twitter.com/Yr7Palldfn
— cc akgae (@clrkszn) December 3, 2024
“She’s a great player, she’s a high IQ player, she’s adjusted really quickly to this league, and now it’s about becoming not just a great player, but becoming a great leader for this team. So that we can win not just a championship, but championships,” continued White.
That last line will have Fever fans running through a wall.
White added that she’s maintained “great relationships” and had multiple conversations with Clark's college coaches throughout her career.
The Fever got their first taste of playoff action this past year after Clark helped Indiana (20-20) clinch a postseason berth for the first time since 2016. Chances are fans won’t have to wait that long for another shot at the WNBA title with White at the helm and Clark continuing to flash her brilliance on the court.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fever’s Stephanie White Shared Her Smart Approach to Coaching Caitlin Clark.
