Every now and then, the WNBA world proves the uncertainty that exists in women’s professional basketball. And Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White’s case is another such instance. Despite having a contract that runs through the 2025 season, the coach might not be “expected to return to coach the Sun in 2025,” as reported by Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times On October 9. But that is not because of what has been flying for quite some time.

There have been days of speculation regarding whether White was leaving Connecticut. However, there was no such thing. Rather, the head coach is going through a difficult personal situation, as she revealed in her conversation with the reporters via Zoom, turning emotional, indicating the gravity of the situation. The press conference came a week after the rest of the Sun had their end-of-season interviews.

“First and foremost, I just want to thank you. I’ve had a family emergency. That’s why I had to postpone and [I’m] still dealing with it now. So, it’s been a it’s been a tough time, but I knew that I needed to get in front of you guys and wrap up, certainly, our season. I appreciate the patience as I continue to navigate this situation,” White said.

White was expectedly asked about her future with the Connecticut Sun. Notably, The Chicago Sky, Los Angeles Sparks, and Atlanta Dream have recently dismissed their head coaches. Naturally, the reporters wanted to know whether she was in conversation with any of those franchises. The coach did not reveal any details.

Rather, she fought back her tears while saying, “I’m not having conversations right now about anything outside my family. You know, I’m solely focused on my family and getting through this tough time,” White shared while wiping away tears. While she didn’t specify what the family emergency was, her tears, tone, and demeanor clearly indicated it was something serious. “My priority is my family right now, honestly — just being here for my family, getting through this,” White further added.

White has been the head coach of the Sun for the last two seasons. She also led the Indiana Fever in 2015 and 2016 before going to Vanderbilt. Connecticut’s season ended after their semi-final defeat to the Minnesota Lynx. This was the Sun’s fourth semifinal appearance in the last five seasons. After Game 5, White reflected in-depth about what went wrong tactically. And, her difficulty getting through the media questions this time was in sharp contrast with that Game 5 postgame press conference, in which the disappointed head coach had answered difficult questions patiently. However, in the latest interview, she did shower praise on her team.

Stephanie White hails her team as they stand on the verge of crucial changes

Throughout the season, the team faced significant adversity, from racial and homophobic discrimination to injuries. The Sun acquired guard Marina Mabrey mid-season in a trade from the Chicago Sky. This somewhat shook up the team’s chemistry. But they adjusted quickly to the change.

They also lost guard Tiffany Mitchell after she got sepsis, almost losing her life. Then guards Ty Harris and Mabrey both suffered postseason injuries. Harris injured her ankle in the few points of their first playoff game against the Indiana Fever, while Mabrey injured her ankle in Game 5 of the semifinals. despite all these, the coach was proud of her team’s performance.

“I think the resilience of this group, being able to go through the highs and lows of the season, not just the mid-season acquisitions, but it was pretty traumatizing watching [Mitchell] struggle and go through her health scare. There were a lot of ups and downs, but the resilience of this group, to position ourselves to be right there at the end of the year, to be in contention for what our ultimate goal was, to get to the Finals. So, I’m proud of the resilience,” White said.

“Certainly disappointed that we didn’t get over the hump and didn’t make it to the Finals, but proud of the resilience,” she further added. Meanwhile, in the next season, the Sun are tasked with retaining their own free agents, which will not be easy. Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner, Brionna Jones and DiJonai Carrington (restricted) are all free agents, and it will be difficult to bring them all back. This led to a question about the priority of keeping the veteran core together at the Sun.

In response, White candidly hinted at the possibility of the core splitting up. “This is a core group that’s been together for a long time. And thankfully for those three specifically, they have stayed together, and they have wanted to continue to build on their legacy with the Connecticut Sun and I think making sure that we all understand that we would like that to happen. But the reality of the situation is, you never know,” she revealed. All these taken together, it seems that a lot remains to be unfolded for the Sun in the coming season.