Christie Sides Finally Finds Love From Indiana Fever’s Ex-Compatriot After Early Scrutiny From WNBA World

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ByOjas Jaiswal

Sep 2, 2024 | 5:43 PM EDT

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Christie Sides: From scrutiny to love—Is she the comeback queen the WNBA needed?

If one rewinds to the beginning of the season and then comes back to the present, there is nothing to deny that Indiana Fever has completely turned the tables. No one would have thought of them to be in the playoff race initially, but now with the victory against Dallas Wings, they are just a couple of wins away from securing a spot in the final eight. Interestingly, head coach Christie Sides, who was once questioned about her fit with the team, is now earning praise and support.

The head coach has recently received a heartfelt shout-out from former Fever player Erica McCall. While McCall currently does not find herself participating in the league, she has made sure to follow all the on-court action and give her former team and coach an appreciation that they truly deserve. Taking to her X account, McCall tweeted, “Really cool to see the @IndianaFever excelling the way they are. Was there at the beginning of the rougher years, so it’s dope to see their growth over the years. Definitely rooting for them and my coach @ChristieSides 🫶🏾”.

https://twitter.com/ChristieSides/status/1830602900806214032

When the Indiana Fever drafted Erica McCall in the second round of the 2017 WNBA Draft, they gave her the stage to shine. McCall spent three seasons with the team, while Christie Sides was an assistant coach from 2017 to 2019. Seeing McCall’s show of support, Sides couldn’t help but respond with a sincere message, acknowledging the love from her former player.

Sides retweeted and wrote, “❤️ you for life Bird! So proud of your journey and what you are doing!! YOU are the kind of person that make people want to “up their game”…be a better human…THANK YOU for that! Forever thankful our paths crossed. #FeverRising.” However, Sides received enough criticism at the beginning of this season. Let’s take a look at how Fever’s season started that brought their head coach into question.

The Indiana Fever’s remarkable journey with immense pressure on Christie Sides

With rookie Caitlin Clark joining the Indiana Fever, fans anticipated a spectacular season opener. Yet, the reality was far from the expectations. Under Christie Sides’ guidance, the team faltered, suffering five consecutive losses and securing just two victories in their first ten games. The situation intensified when Sides faced backlash for benching Clark, who had been delivering standout performances.

Recently, Sides herself spoke on the pressure she had to bear while coaching the franchise. The coach said, “For our players, for my staff… I don’t think it’s ever been the case in the WNBA up to this point; the pressure has been something we’ve just tried to manage and deal with and understand that we’ve got to keep everybody on the same page, understanding this is still a process like we can’t let the outside noise affect us.”

And now it seems, Fever surely went through a meaningful ‘process’. Over the last 23 games, the Indiana Fever has lost only eight times, showing the significant progress and resilience they’ve built since those early struggles. With strong support from former players and notable progress, the team’s resurgence is undeniable and Christie Sides is finally getting acknowledgment for that.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show”. Our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.

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