The Indiana Fever announced Sunday that the club would be parting ways with head coach Christie Sides despite a playoff berth this past season.
The Fever, who went 33-47 under Sides during her time with the franchise, made their first playoff appearance since 2016 this year, before ultimately bowing out to the Connecticut Sun. Sides was the first Fever coach to receive WNBA coach of the month honours when she captured the recognition this August.
“We are incredibly thankful to Coach Sides for embracing the challenge of leading us through an integral transition period over the last two seasons, while also positioning us well for future growth,” said Fever President of Basketball Operations Kelly Krauskopf. “While decisions like these are never easy, it is also imperative that we remain bold and assertive in the pursuit of our goals, which includes maximizing our talent and bringing another WNBA championship back to Indiana. Coach Sides was an incredible representative of the Fever and our community, and we wish her nothing but success in the future.”
Indiana becomes the 6th team to relieve their head coach of their duties this offseason joining the LA Spars, Chicago Sky, Atlanta Dream, Dallas Wings, and Washington Mystics.
For her part, Sides took to social media to simply remark “Leave it better than you found it”. Krauskopf will now oversee a new head coaching hire, bringing new GM Amber Cox up to speed, and attempting to re-sign All-Star Kelsey Mitchell this offseason.
Indiana is expected to cast a wide net in their head coaching search, and are believed to be one of the more attractive options available given the fact that they have Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston as cornerstones of their roster to build around for years to come.
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