Will Fever fire Stephanie White? Why Indiana coach is on hot seat with Caitlin Clark struggles originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Indiana Fever are now one of the highest-profile teams in the WNBA, putting pressure on head coach Stephanie White.
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Despite the Fever’s unexpected trip to the semifinals in last year’s playoffs, Indiana’s slow start has some wondering whether White will last the season. The second-year head coach and point guard don’t seem to be appearing eye-to-eye, which is getting the attention of WNBA observers.
The season is still early, giving White time to turn things around, but the early nature also means that the organization could make a move to spark the club. Here’s the latest on White’s job status.
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Will Fever fire Stephanie White?
While the Fever are currently out of the playoff picture, it’s still too early to say that the team will fire Stephanie White. Indiana is 4-4 and in ninth place in the league entering play on Monday, but a win could put them right back into the playoff picture.
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Still, there have been some curious incidents surrounding White and the Fever in the last few weeks. White was criticized for mischaracterizing a Caitlin Clark injury to the media before Indiana held Clark out of a game, then Clark and White got into an argument in the middle of a game on Saturday.
With rumors surrounding the Fever potentially dismissing White, beat writer Chloe Peterson reported that no firing is imminent.
MORE: What was Caitlin Clark’s role at the Indy 500?
What’s wrong with Fever?
The biggest issue facing the Fever this year is their defense. While Indiana leads all WNBA teams with 91.8 points per game, they are allowing 89.0 points per game on defense, the second-worst mark in the league.
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That number is buoyed by the fact that the Fever have allowed at least 100 points in a game three times, all of which came in losses. Indiana hasn’t allowed any more than 82 points in any of their four wins.
At the center of these defensive struggles is Caitlin Clark, who has struggled on that end of the floor this year. Fever opponents have made it a goal to attack Clark in isolation, and it has worked more often than not. In fact, Clark currently has the seventh-most fouls per game this year, a sign of her defensive struggles.
During the Fever’s most recent loss to the Portland Fire, White and Clark got into an argument on the bench that appeared to lead to White taking Clark out of the game. That loss to Portland featured Clark scoring six points while dealing with foul trouble all night, playing just 22 minutes.
MORE: Caitlin Clark makes WNBA history as fastest to 1,000 points and 500 assists
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Stephanie White record with Fever
White is in her second stint as the Fever head coach, having also coached the team from 2015-2016. In that first stint, White went 37-31 as head coach but led the team to the WNBA Finals in 2015.
After What was re-hired ahead of the 2025 season, the Fever have gone 28-24 in parts of two seasons. That includes a handful of games in which White took a leave of absence due to personal reasons.
Fever upcoming schedule
|
Date |
Opponent |
Time (ET) |
TV Channel |
|
June 4 |
vs. Atlanta Dream |
7:00 p.m. |
Prime Video |
|
June 5 |
8:00 p.m. |
CBS |
|
|
June 8 |
7:00 p.m. |
Peacock |
|
|
June 11 |
vs. Chicago Sky |
7:00 p.m. |
Prime Video |
|
June 13 |
6:00 p.m. |
Peacock |
