Courtesy of Sam Dickerman ’27
The Indiana Fever is setting itself up to be a championship-caliber franchise after spending years as the WNBA’s laughingstock. In 2024, the Fever made the playoffs for the first time since 2016 before losing to the Connecticut Sun 2-0 in the first round. Generational phenom Caitlin Clark, the first overall pick in the 2024 draft, led the team’s regular season success. Clark ended the season as Rookie of the Year and a member of the All-WNBA First Team. But despite this historic rookie season and solid team performance, the Fever are not only celebrating. Instead, the Fever and Clark are looking ahead to the 2025 season, where they intend to be serious championship contenders for the first time in nearly a decade.
Since the end of the season, the Fever’s administration has completely overhauled its front office and staff. They brought in Amber Cox as the new GM and had Kelly Krauskopf return from her stint with the Indiana Pacers to serve as President of Basketball and Business Operations. However, the most significant position change was arguably the firing of two-year head coach Christie Sides. Sides joined the team in 2022 as a first-time WNBA head coach and went 33-47 (.413) during her tenure. While some thought the team’s playoff appearance would be enough to save her job, she did not show enough improvement for a team looking to win—and win now.
The Fever ended the season with a 20-20 (.500) record; however, they started the season on an abysmal 2-8 run. Sides faced criticism for poor decision-making that may have cost the Fever games. For instance, on May 28th against the Sparks, Sides pulled Clark out at the end of the 3rd quarter despite only being up by four. Sides allowed the Sparks to go on an 11-0 run before putting Clark in the game, resulting in a Fever loss. Along with consistent struggles to manage the clock and the 4th quarter, one of Sides’ fatal mistakes was her refusal to change the starting lineup. It took until the end of August for Sides to start defensive standout guard Lexie Hull over forward Katie Lou Samuelson, despite Hull being the more productive player. Most of Sides’ poor decisions stemmed from the lack of trust she seemed to have in her new star rookie. Instead of allowing Clark to make mistakes and learn, Sides took game-winning opportunities out of her hands and did not let her play the fast transition type of offense that makes her so dangerous. Clark was visibly frustrated with Sides several times throughout the season due to the lack of trust she was receiving from her coach, especially since she was used to having more control of the game throughout her college career. In June, when asked about the most valuable advice she had received mid-match, Clark said, “Nobody gives me advice during the game.” It seems the front office took notice of their star players’ discontent with her treatment.
The Fever were able to turn the season around after the Olympic break, thanks to Clark’s newfound comfort on the court and her growing connection with All-Stars Alyiah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell. Despite Sides winning coach of the month in August, it was too late for her to save her job. Due to the rise in the WNBA’s popularity, thanks in part to the “Caitlin Clark Effect,” players, coaches, and front offices found themselves under higher levels of public pressure to perform. Sides took the job when the Fever’s future prospects looked bleak. Since then, circumstances have shifted, and her role changed dramatically in a way she seemed unprepared for. She did what she could with her limited coaching experience and, despite the issues, led the Fever to the playoffs. However, she is not the coach the front office decided should be responsible for a generational talent like Clark. Perhaps Sides could have become a championship-level coach if given the time, but the Fever are unwilling to wait.
Before parting ways with Sides, the Fever had already set their sights on a new coach. One day after the announcement that Sides was not returning, the Connecticut Sun announced that their head coach, Stephanie White, would not rejoin the team in 2025 after leading them to back-to-back semi-final appearances. Shortly after, White was announced as the Fever’s new head coach. White has deep Indiana roots, first having played at Purdue University before spending four of her professional playing years with the Fever. With Indiana, she was the assistant coach for several years before becoming the head coach from 2015-16, leading the team to the championship series and their last playoff appearance until this past season. During the press release, White said she wants to “help deliver another WNBA title to the greatest basketball fans in the world.” White is the experienced basketball mastermind that the Fever have been missing and is one of the most respected coaches in the league.
More important than her resume is the relationship and trust she is already building with Clark. White and Clark have spoken highly of each other for years, with Clark during a mid-season interview saying, “She has obviously called a lot of my games all throughout college, and I just think she has a really great basketball mind.” Clark also commented on White’s hiring announcement post, expressing her enthusiasm for next season. Meanwhile, in her introduction interview (which Clark, Boston, and Hull attended), White displayed her trust and admiration for Clark and her fellow young teammates, stating Clark and Boston would end up “going down in history as the greatest.” She also has made it clear that she trusts the players to do what they do best, something Sides was unwilling to do, commenting, “Everyone knows at the end of the day, players win ball games.”
With a new coach steering the ship, a prolific star in Clark, and a front office committed to building a championship-level team, the Indiana Fever are setting themselves up to return to the top of the WNBA. The 2024 season slogan for the team was “Fever Rising.” Doing just that, they have blown expectations away and show no sign of slowing down. Do not be surprised if, in the next few years, the Fever are raising their next championship banner at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
