Caitlin Clark is opening up about her biggest focus during the offseason: her strength. For the first time since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2024, the Indiana Fever guard finally had a full preseason to train, recover, and prepare for the WNBA grind. She didn’t waste that opportunity.
“That was my biggest focus in the offseason, just trying to get stronger and really working on that,” Clark said after practice on Monday, according to IndyStar. She credited the Fever’s performance coach, Sarah Kessler, for her consistency and dedication over the past months.
Clark addressed how the added strength will benefit every part of her game. “I knew [strength] was going to be a huge part of it… it’s going to help me offensively, it’s going to help me defensively. It’s going to help me not get as tired throughout games,” she said. “Even these two practices, I can certainly feel it.”
The physical improvements are already visible to those around her. Head coach Stephanie White said on a podcast in February, “She is stronger, first and foremost… She’s done a great job of getting in the weight room and focusing on her strength, in terms of low center of gravity, time under tension, all of those things.”
Caitlin Clark’s tranformation (Getty Images/X:@CaitlinClarkReport)
Clark’s progress is especially noteworthy considering what she managed to do in her rookie season with little rest—nearly 20 points and over eight assists per game. Now, with a full training block behind her, she could be even more dangerous heading into her sophomore year.
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Kelsey Mitchell on Fever’s expectations for the season
After an early playoff exit last year, the Fever made significant moves, both on the bench and in the locker room. Kelsey Mitchell, a key figure in the rebuild, is embracing the new direction.
“Everything is just absolutely new, it feels really good. It feels fresh,” she said during training camp. The team added experienced talent around Clark and Aliyah Boston, creating a balanced mix of youth and veterans such as DeWanna Bonner, Sidney Colson, Natasha Howard and more.
“We have every kind of player in this league… That talent cultivated in one room makes [us] really, really now unstoppable if we want to be,” Mitchell added, hinting at the high expectations around this squad.
The Fever will open their season on May 17 in a high-profile matchup against the Chicago Sky, led by Angel Reese. The game tips off at 3 p.m. EDT on ABC, giving fans their first look at Clark’s new form and Indiana’s retooled roster.
