Caitlin Clark’s mania continues to dominate the headlines with Stephanie White summing it perfectly. Considering the young sensation’s influence on the WNBA, the head coach compared her to Taylor Swift. While Clark is definitely one of the Fever’s most ambitious additions, the Indiana-based franchise entrusted White to lead their fiery squad.

Recently, The Athletic reported that Stephanie has a unique approach to benefiting the team’s future with her dual responsibilities. “I hope they help the viewer and I hope they help my teams,” she said in response to the question of how exactly her on-court and off-court jobs complement each other.

Elaborating more on it, White pointed out, “As coaches, oftentimes we get very tunnel-visioned in a lot of the minutia that goes on every day in our world. As a broadcaster, you get a very macro view. As coaches, we’re often focused so much on what our players can’t do. As a broadcaster, we’re always focused on what players can do. I feel like that helps me be a better coach and hopefully helps me be a better broadcaster.”

White believes these insights give her a unique edge complementing both her jobs. While Stephanie currently coaches the Indiana Fever along with the role of a broadcaster for ESPN and Big Ten Network, she revealed that broadcasting wasn’t one of her plans. One thing led to the other and what started with 5-6 games turned into 50 events and she has been doing it ever since.

For Indiana Fever, her experiences served as a major plus point. Stephanie began her WNBA career in 1999, playing for the Charlotte Sting and later getting traded to her current team, where she spent 4 years. Then White transitioned to coaching and went on to earn numerous accolades, eventually getting inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

In 2024, the Fever hired their former star as the team’s lead coach for a second stint, but faced numerous challenges.

Can Stephanie White’s team be a title contender in 2025?

After Tamika Catchings retired, the Fever spent years rebuilding, and Stephanie White was the final piece of the puzzle for the team. They haven’t qualified for the playoffs since the 2016-17 season, and last season when they finally made it to the playoffs, they were crushed. And Indiana was quick to realize what they were missing.

Their young starting lineup had no postseason experience, and they were quickly swept by a more seasoned Connecticut team, highlighting the need for veteran leadership. So, the Fever front office made drastic changes to their roster. They signed players like DeWanna Bonner, along with other champions like Natasha Howard, Sydney Colson, and Brianna Turner.

The goal for these veterans wasn’t necessarily to be the stars on the court, but to mentor the young core of Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell. These vets have won championships, played alongside superstars, and know what it takes to succeed at the highest level. The Fever hoped they would bring a winning mentality.

While Indiana’s offense is considered league-leading, Stephanie is trying to improve them collectively as a defensive team. With reports of the Fever being considered as one of the top four teams, the team looks ready to turn themselves into true contenders for the upcoming 2025 season.