Stephanie White had her introductory press conference after coming back as head coach of the Indiana Fever on Monday, and she didn’t hesitate when talking about her plans for the team’s young stars Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston.
“They’re both incredibly competitive players,” White said, according to IndyStar’s Chloe Peterson. “Watching both of them grow into not just the players that they are, but grow into the spotlight that they have, how they lead, how they make make their teammates better, how they lift one another up, how they handle, you know, all of the things that have come their way and all of those things that come your way are certainly earned when you’re in that position.”
Whited added: “You put it together, and you’ve got the point guard at the center, are you kidding me? Like you got the bookends that you want to build around with them.” After calling them “the best” and praising them for all the things they “do well right now,” the new head coach still sent a clear message: “But there’s so much room for growth.”
Stephanie White is the new Indiana Fever head coach ( David Berding/Getty Images)
White’s words reflect her ambition to help the Fever keep growing as a franchise. This will be White’s second stint as head coach in Indiana, after she had her first head coaching gig in 2015. Before that, she played for five seasons (2000-04), and was an assistant coach from 2012 to 2014. “This is just a really, really special place, a special franchise,” White said.
see also
Not Caitlin Clark: Indiana Fever guard joins 3v3 league Unrivaled
Clark has given White her stamp of approval
Clark, Boston and Lexie Hull were all present during White’s conference. Clark has already expressed her excitement to work with White in an Instagram comment, and she has spoken very highly of her in the past.
see also
Christie Sides reacts after being fired by Fever despite Clark and team's playoff run
“She has obviously called a lot of my games all throughout college, and I just think she has a really great basketball mind,” Clark said during a Fever press conference earlier this year. Meanwhile, the guard is still considering the possibility of joining Unrivaled during the off-season.
