The Indiana Fever have named Stephanie White their new head coach, ending one of the worst kept secrets of the offseason.
White spent the last 2 seasons as head coach of the Connecticut Sun, but had been heavily linked to the Fever over the past week, culminating in a “parting of ways” with her former employer. Indiana acted quickly to bring her on board once news of her availability became public.
“As we enter this new era of Fever basketball, I am thrilled to welcome Stephanie back to the franchise,” said Fever President of Basketball Operations Kelly Krauskopf. “Stephanie is a part of the fabric of this franchise, both as a former player and as a member of our championship coaching staff, so I’m quite familiar with her elite basketball IQ and leadership style. I am confident there is no one who better understands our culture or is more equipped to lead our group of players to the next level.”
White can largely be viewed as a homegrown talent of sorts, returning to the state where she grew up and carved out an impressive basketball career. She was named Indiana Miss Basketball at Seegar High in West Lebanon, IN. She helped bring Purdue their first ever National Championship collegiately. And she was an assistant coach on the Fever’s 1st WNBA Championship winning team.
“I am incredibly proud and honored to return home to Indiana and lead the Fever during such a pivotal moment in this franchise’s history, as well as during such an important time throughout women’s athletics,” said White. “This franchise has and always will be committed to winning and I look forward to working every day to help deliver another WNBA title to the greatest basketball fans in the world.”
White becomes the first domino to fall in what’s been an offseason of turmoil on the WNBA coaching front. A half dozen teams have vacancies they are currently looking to fill as change was the theme amongst the league’s front offices.
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