Stephanie White is back in Indiana, bringing a wealth of WNBA coaching experience to a franchise she’s all too familiar with. But her return did spark a whirlwind of questions about why Christie Sides, who was thought to be rebuilding the team’s momentum, was let go. Well, there was already a ton of speculation, and now Indiana Fever President Kelly Krauskopf is setting the record straight.

When the President of Basketball joined the franchise in September, she was tasked with thinking of the future of the Fever. Thinking ahead by 3 years, 5 years. “Really setting us up in a way that gonna shepherd us through this next decade,” she states of the plan in hand. Every department and position was considered and coaching was naturally a part of it.

But praised Sides for her dedication, saying, “I can’t say anything bad about the job that Christy Sides and her staff did. She did everything she was hired to do and then some.” This wasn’t a situation where Sides failed or fell short. In fact, Krauskopf mentioned how Sides navigated a tricky first year filled with high expectations and new talent, particularly with Caitlin Clark commanding attention from the start. The decision to part ways was simply about taking the team in a direction they felt only White, with her track record and connection to the franchise, could lead them toward. 

As Krauskopf explained, “The opportunity to hire Steph just came about by a random conversation… and I think I probably heard, like most people, that there was potential that she might not return to Connecticut.” It seems the stars aligned, and Indiana jumped at the chance to bring White back on board.

Christie Sides, hired just two years ago, had a tough job on her hands. She inherited a team that had one of the worst records across all North American sports teams, so the mission wasn’t exactly a quick fix. But she did start moving things in the right direction, pulling the Fever out of a playoff drought.

With Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston on the roster, she’d laid the foundation for future success. Still, the Fever felt they couldn’t afford to wait. They saw a chance to bring in White—a proven coach who, as Krauskopf put it, is “part of our history, part of our franchise, the fabric of our franchise,” on Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast. 

For Indiana, the Fever veteran was simply a better fit for their vision of a fast track to the top. Krauskopf’s words clearly painted the picture: “She has the kind of experience we felt was necessary to lift us through this next three to five to seven years.” And she didn’t waste any time to address the team’s biggest issue.

Stephanie White highlights Fever’s biggest issue

According to Lynx’s ex-coach, Fever’s biggest weakness is the lack of playoff experience in their roster. In her first press conference back in Indiana, she spoke candidly about what she saw as the team’s primary challenge. “Having playoff experience is so important. You just never know what you don’t know,” she emphasized.

White emphasized that building a winning roster isn’t just about collecting talent but about finding the right fit, especially when they already have their core three. The Fever need players who can complement Clark, Mitchell, and Boston. 

And she’s already strategizing with Krauskopf and the Fever’s staff about how to bridge that gap. “Amber, Kelly, and I are just talking about players and evaluations before we came out here, and building quality depth is going to be important,” she shared. So, if the franchise manages to bring in the right mix of players, White’s vision will lead to nothing short of greatness.