The WNBA coaching carousel has finally begun to turn.
In a move that came as no surprise to most fans of the league, the Fever have hired former Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White to fill the team’s empty post.

O’Connell on Vikings’ win vs. Colts: I’m proud of way we ‘stayed the course’

Colts vs. Vikings highlights Week 9

Dan Campbell on Lions’ first win outdoors: ‘We can play anywhere’

Sean McVay reacts to Week 9 win vs. Seahawks

Every Justin Jefferson catch from 137-yard game vs. Colts Week 9

Can’t-Miss Play: Strip-sack TD! Grover Stewart rag-dolls Darnold for Kenny Moore’s scoop-and-score

Rams vs. Seahawks highlights Week 9

LeRoy Butler decides winner of Week 9 XO Showdown ‘NFL GameDay Morning’

The prolific Charlotte Sting and Indiana Fever shooting guard rejoins her former franchise after two years at the helm of the Sun. White coached the Fever in 2015-16 before stops with Vanderbilt (2016-21) and the Sun (2023-24).

White is back in Indianapolis for the first time in eight years — just a short drive away from her hometown of West Lebanon and her alma mater Purdue — and set to lead 2024 Rookie of the Year and All-Star Caitlin Clark.

Here’s everything to know about why the Fever hired White, including why Indiana recruited the head coach to lead Clark and Aliyah Boston.

Why Fever hired Stephanie White

The Midwest-based WNBA franchise released a statement Friday afternoon with the news of White’s hire.

“As we enter this new era of Fever basketball, I am thrilled to welcome Stephanie back to the franchise,” said Kelly Krauskopf, Fever president of basketball operations. “Stephanie is a part of the fabric of this franchise, both as a former player and as a member of our championship coaching staff, so I’m quite familiar with her elite basketball IQ and leadership style.

“I am confident there is no one who better understands our culture or is more equipped to lead our group of players to the next level.”

White also expressed her excitement to join the franchise.

“I am incredibly proud and honored to return home to Indiana and lead the Fever during such a pivotal moment in this franchise’s history, as well as during such an important time throughout women’s athletics,” said White in the news release. “This franchise has and always will be committed to winning and I look forward to working every day to help deliver another WNBA title to the greatest basketball fans in the world.”

White steps in to the Fever role during an unprecedented era of growth for the WNBA. In contrast, when she was drafted by the Sting in 1999 with the 21st overall pick, the league was in just its second season and the Indiana franchise was nothing but an idea.

Her rookie season in Charlotte, White started five games and played in 30, scoring 5.3 points per contest while on the court for an average of just under 19 minutes each appearance. She was acquired by the Fever in year two thanks to an expansion draft welcoming the new franchise to the league for the 2000 season.

Back in Indiana for the first time since college, White had a stellar opening season with the Fever under women’s basketball legend Anne Donovan. In 32 appearances averaging a minute more than her rookie season, White scored a career-best 7.2 points per game, racking up 1.9 boards each contest.

During her early coaching years, White began to work as an ESPN and Big Ten Network college basketball analyst, which she continues to do today. She has also worked as an Indiana Pacers reporter for the local Fox Sports affiliate, and she called several of Clark’s games during her NCAA career at Iowa.

Stephanie White coaching record

Following her professional playing career, White became the assistant coach at Ball State for one season before doing the same at Kansas State and spending two seasons in Toledo. Then, she transitioned back to the W, working the same role with the Sky from 2007-10 before heading back to Indiana in 2011.

She spent four years as an assistant in Indy before she was promoted to the head coaching role after Lin Dunn’s retirement, earning the title of youngest active HC in the league. White began her career at the helm with a bang, leading the Fever to the franchise’s second Finals appearance. The team lost to Minnesota that year — an organization in the midst of a Maya Moore-fueled dynasty — before falling to Phoenix in the first round in 2015.

In May of the next year, White accepted the head coaching job at Vanderbilt. There, she led the women’s team to a 48-83 overall record (13-54 SEC) before the COVID-19 pandemic cut the 2021 season short. Her five-year stint in Nashville came to an end the same year, and she was signed by the Sun shortly after.

Stephanie White NCAA head coaching stats

Season
Team
Overall
Conference
Postseason

2016-17
Vanderbilt
14-16
4-12
—

2017-18
Vanderbilt
7-24
3-13
—

2018-19
Vanderbilt
7-23
2-14
—

2019-20
Vanderbilt
14-16
4-12
—

2020-21*
Vanderbilt
4-4
0-3
—

Career
Vanderbilt
46-83
13-54
—

*Season shortened due to pandemic

Stephanie White WNBA head coaching stats

Season
Team
Overall
Conference
Postseason

2015
Indiana
20-14
3rd in East
Lost WNBA Finals

2016
Indiana
17-17
3rd in East
Lost First Round

2023
Connecticut
27-13
2nd in East
Lost Semifinals

2024
Connecticut
28-12
2nd in East
Lost Semifinals

Career
—
92-56
—
13-13 (.500)

Where is Stephanie White from?

White, 47, was born in Danville, Ill., before moving to New Lebanon where she grew up. She was a phenom in high school, much like Clark, winning Indiana Miss Basketball, Gatorade and USA Today National Player of the Year awards her senior season at Seeger.

She signed with Purdue ahead of the 1995 college basketball campaign and capped off her career in West Lafayette with a NCAA national title in 1999—the first in program history following its second overall Final Four appearance in six years. That same season, she won both the Wade Trophy and Honda Sports Award for basketball, two of the highest honors in collegiate sports.

White was named to the All-Tournament team alongside Katie Douglas, her Purdue teammate and No. 10 overall pick in 2001 by Orlando. Douglas would go on to win a WNBA title with the Fever in 2012 and rack up five All-Star appearances and All-Star Game MVP, spending six years with Indiana between stints with the Sun and her original franchise. The two were interlinked throughout their professional playing and coaching careers, crossing paths with the Fever and Sun for several seasons.