Stephanie White, upon being introduced as the new head coach for the Indiana Fever, expressed her excitement to be leading such a talented young team. The team includes Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark, who were the last two rookies of the year. White’s main focus will be to further develop Clark as she believes Clark has the potential to be the greatest point guard of all time.
White is planning to reduce Clark’s dominance with the ball in an effort to help increase her overall efficiency. The 2025 goal will be to reduce the ball handling burden on Clark, which involves playing her for fewer minutes as well as experimenting with her role on the court. The coach said, “Helping her anticipate what’s going to be coming her way, trying to move her around a little bit more on the floor so she’s not quite as easily predictable in what action’s happening.”
White previously spent two seasons in Connecticut, during which time much of the facilitating came from Alyssa Thomas in the front court. This allowed the Sun to utilize their shooters in various ways. White plans to replicate this strategy with the Fever, but this relies heavily on Boston and NaLyssa Smith’s ability to match Thomas’ playmaking skills.
White was complimentary of Boston’s passing ability in the half court. She plans to direct plays that result in a big catching the ball at the elbow, from where Boston can then direct the action from the post. While Clark will be involved in the play by drawing her defender beyond the 3-point line, she won’t necessarily be required to create the scoring chance.
Strength training is another area that White plans to focus on with Clark. Building strength will help with Clark’s consistency in her jumper shots and her durability towards the end of games. It could also make her a better screener if she can generate more contact.
The coach plans to demand more defensive accountability from the players, especially Clark. This is a key area she had been able to successfully coach in Connecticut. On managing adapting techniques and changes, White displayed optimism and stated that her main priority in Indiana would be to maximize the deeper roster’s potential and extract the most from Clark’s talents.
