There's a palpable buzz surrounding the Indiana Fever of late now that they've confirmed Stephanie White, the 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year, as the team's new head coach.
The Fever made a huge decision when they fired Christie Sides after the now-former coach led the team to their first playoff appearance in eight years. At this point, however, it is clear that the organization is not settling for mediocrity, especially with cornerstone superstar Caitlin Clark looking to build on what was an unprecedented rookie campaign.
White is clearly seen as the coach who will lead this team to glory, and the former Connecticut Sun shot-caller is not shying away from the pressure. In fact, White has already declared that she expects nothing less than a championship from Clark and Co.
"It's competing for championships," White responded when asked in a recent interview what the next level is for the Fever. "... The expectation was always to be competing for championships, and I think now we have an opportunity again to be doing that."
White acknowledged that all this isn't going to happen overnight and that there are still a lot of improvements needed on the roster before Indiana becomes a legitimate championship contender.
White, however, has all the confidence in the world in Clark, who she believes is a "generational talent." The 47-year-old coach also sung the praises of Aliyah Boston, claiming that the two-time All-Star will "go down in history as probably the best center that we've seen in our league."
"You think about building around those two, championships is the expectation," White declared. "You compete for championships year in and year out."
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