Indiana’s 2795 Days of Suffering Continue – Why Caitlin Clark Effect Is a No-Show at Fever as of Now

Losing their opening two games, the WNBA start for the Indiana Fever in 2024 is filled with disappointments. Despite drafting Caitlin Clark as their No.1 overall pick, the story remains the same for the 2012 champs in the initial days of the season. However, these adverse situations have been a part of their journey since 2016. That was the last time they made it to the playoffs.

The decision to draft the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer in its ranks had one objective: to turn the fortunes in their favor. Anyhow, from what the fans witnessed in their regular season until now, her arrival isn’t proving very effective for them. Moreover, ever since Stephanie White has left the franchises’ coaching responsibilities, the ownership and management department hasn’t found a worthy replacement.

The downfall of Indiana Fever under Pokey Chatman

Following White’s departure, Pokey Chatman took over the reins in Indiana. The new head coach instantly decided to make 5x all-star forward, Candice Dupree, a part of the locker room as soon as she took charge. Dupree was brought in an attempt to repeat the 2012 heroics. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as expected and the Fever ended up 6th in the Eastern Conference with a win-loss record of 9-25 (second-worst record). This also included a crushing 111–52 defeat by the hands of Minnesota Lynx, which became the biggest margin in the WNBA history.

Things were no different the following year. The franchise finished its regular season in the exact same spot as last year. Evidently, they won just 6 out of their 34 fixtures. As a result, on March 4, 2019, Indiana chose to acquire the services of Tennessee Temple University and Indiana University alumni Allison Barber at the president and chief operating officer posts. In addition to this, former Indiana small forward Tamika Catchings was appointed vice president of the team’s Basketball Operations.

Then, the 2019 WNBA draft saw the arrival of  Mississippi State’s Teaira McCowan. This elevated their rankings to some extent as they occupied the 4th spot. Further, they were victorious in more than half of their conference games. In spite of that, the Fever failed to make it to the playoffs for the third consecutive time. Eventually, the franchise fired Chatman, which made way for Marianne Stanley.

The ineffectiveness of Marianne Stanley’s reign

Things started to get worse before they could get better. Stanley, being the seventh coach in the Fever’s 20-year WNBA history, had little or rather no impact on its overall performance. Out of the 22 in the Covid-driven regular season games in the Eastern Conference, Indiana ended up on the losing side in 16 of those, along with managing a PCT of .273. After this, fans hoped that a full-sledged 2021 campaign might see some improvements. Sadly, that was not to be with the Fever once again not qualifying to compete in the playoffs.

Following this, On February 14, 2022, Tamika Catchings was convinced that she needed to step down. As a result, the 2012 WNBA title-winning coach Lin Dunn was given the opportunity to turn the tides in the Fever’s favor. Just after the first 9 games, Marianne Stanley was no longer the coach and Carlos Knox took over the rest of the proceedings. Yet, the remaining 27 games had only 3 occasions when the team could be seen celebrating.

This compelled a change in the coaching positions again. This time around, it opened the doors for the current coach Christie Sides to arrive at the scene.

The advent of Christie Sides resulting in the arrival of Caitlin Clark

The struggles of the Indiana Fever won them the top WNBA draft picks in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. South Carolina standout Aliyah Boston headlined the 2023 edition of the draft. Eventually, she finished her first season grabbing the WNBA Rookie of the Year along with being a WNBA All-Star. However, her individual brilliance was in complete contrast to what the team was able to achieve. Yet again, the franchise found itself in an unwanted scenario by not punching their tickets to the playoffs. This was combined with a 13-27 record.

After this, the hype and popularity of Caitlin Clark made her an obvious choice for 2024. Consequently, her arrival also boosted the viewership and attendance of Fever’s games. Also, the 2.5 million TV ratings of 2024 speak volumes about the kind of effect she had in elevating the women’s division of the sport.

The fans are still hopeful that the Indiana Fever can turn things around with the help of Caitlin Clark. Although, the upcoming road for them is filled with a lot of challenges. Still, the experience of Lin Dunn and the talent of Clark can come in handy in the upcoming days.