The Indiana Fever HC, Stephanie White, has come under scrutiny after Caitlin Clark and Co. suffered a blowout loss to the Portland Fire, 84-100. Clark had one of her worst games in the WNBA and played just 22 minutes to score six points and six assists. That led basketball analyst Jason Whitlock to express his thoughts on the Fever head coach.
The Fever defeated the Fire the last time the two teams met. However, the Fire came prepared this time, with
“Also, Stephanie White is the wrong coach for Caitlin Clark.”
Clark and White’s relationship has been under the radar among fans and analysts since the start of the season. The superstar guard’s shooting woes and changes in offensive strategies have culminated in a bad phase for the team. Notably, in the Fever’s 4-4 record thus far, the team has dropped all games in the final plays. However, the loss to Fire was big.
“AB is still on minutes restriction,” HC White speaks up on benching the Caitlin Clark-Aliyah Boston duo early
Fever head coach Stephanie White took both Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston off the floor just five minutes into the game, after Clark dished three assists in the first three minutes. After the game, when a media person asked White about her decision, she replied:
“AB is still in a minute restriction, so she’s coming out. And typically that’s around the same time that we’ve been taking Caitlin out before. We didn’t in Golden State just because, quite honestly, we didn’t let Raven in that environment without another ball handler. So, that’s been out typical substitution pattern.”
White seemed to have been dodging questions related to Caitlin Clark in the post-game media sessions lately. That has led fans to question her strategies for the guard. Several believe that the HC has failed to harness her true offensive potential, given her performance in the first few games.
With the Fever acquiring Raven Johnson in the 2026 WNBA draft, the HC has played Clark more off-ball when the rookie is on the floor. However, taking the ball out of Clark’s hands hasn’t helped her thus far. The team will have to get out of the loss soon and return to their winning form before the Fever falls below .500 for the season.
READ MORE: WNBA Reporter Tears Into Fever Coaching Decisions After Caitlin Clark’s Hot Start Goes to Waste
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