“I don’t think there’s any doubt who the best No. 22 in Fever history is. Not this one. There may not be another one.” Stephanie White stated about Caitlin Clark as she put a period to the No. 22 jersey debate. As always, all the eyes rest on the point guard as the reigning ROTY tries to navigate her path on and off the court. And for the same reason, head coach White opines that coaching her won’t be easy, while also considering her growth.

On Monday, after getting done with the press conference, White did a one-on-one interview where she shared her take on coaching Clark and fans were in awe of her love for Clark.

“I think she’s so gracious and poised in how she’s handled all. Mature beyond her years. At the end of the day, she’s a basketball player who wants to be the best basketball player that she could possibly be. She’s a competitor who wants to win. She’s hungry to grow and to get better, to be coached and help this franchise win,” White stated.

Since the beginning of the W season, Clark has tackled a variety of issues. From being pushed around on the court to being discredited for the Fever’s success. However, all the while, the No. 22 hasn’t ever blamed her opponents. Even when the Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington poked her in the eye during Game 1 of the WNBA playoffs, Clark was the first to come to her defense, pointing out that it wasn’t done purposefully.

Whereas in the other issues where her rivals have been unkind to her, the former NCAA Queen has kept mum. Therefore, White wants to strengthen Clark instead of being another problem in her development.

“And I think all the noise around her, all the hype around her, you can’t prepare yourself for that. But she and her family has done a great job of navigating. I hope I can just be another resource for her…. Another person who can help her navigate the things that she’s going through. Because it’s not.. It can’t be easy… I can’t imagine it’s easy. And at the same time, her ability to keep the main thing the main thing, which is her job and basketball be in the best she can be. I think she’s done an outstanding job,” White added.

Clark’s impact could be judged by the fact that out of the 22 games that crossed 1 million, Clark played in 19 of them. Hence, she has found her way into many controversies. But despite that, she ended the season winning ROTY and establishing the most assist record in a single season, apart from scoring the second-highest three-pointers, only next to Sabrina Ionescu’s record of 128 set in 2023.

Meanwhile, White was also emotional at the link between her and the generational player.

Stephanie White and Caitlin Clark share a link

While White was coaching the Connecticut Sun, she never shied away from supporting Clark. When the nation’s favorite point guard was finding it difficult to adjust in the league due to physicality, the 47-year-old came forward to her support. Even when Clark’s followers were mean to Carrington, White did not interfere and let her player be alone in calling out the fans.

Instead, after becoming the head coach for the Indiana Fever, she labeled Indiana fans as “the best in the world.” And all this must be boiling down to a special connection she shares with the Des Moines native.

“I mean it just feels like it was meant to be in a time, you know, in life um you know, I’ve lived a lot life since the last time I was here and you know certainly when this job came about, I’ve been going through some personal stuff too. So you know a time in life where it’s like you just you feel like things align, I feel like that right now,” expressed White while reflecting on the time she played for the Fever.

Notably, from 2000-2004, when she played for the Fever, the 1999 NCAA Champion wore the jersey number as that of Clark: #22. And now becoming the head coach, she has the responsibility of taking Clark to another level and also helping the Fever bag their second Championship title. And hopefully, she will be successful in her aim.