Stephanie White has sent a clear message to Caitlin Clark following her sensational rookie season in the WNBA.
Clark, 22, has taken women’s basketball by storm after producing one of the finest debut seasons in WNBA history for the Indiana Fever. She was named Rookie of the Year, set single-season and single-game records in assists, broke the rookie scoring record, became the first rookie to achieve a triple-double, and made the All-WNBA First Team.
Speaking on the Coaching U Podcast, Fever head coach White suggested that the sky’s the limit for Clark, but stressed that improving her off the court was just as important as improving her on it. “She’s a great player, she’s a high IQ player,” White said.
“She adjusted really quickly to this league, unbelievably quickly. And now it’s about becoming not just a great player but a great leader for this team, so we can win not just a championship but championships.”
White, whose Connecticut Suns team knocked Clark’s Fever out of the WNBA playoffs in September, took the reins at Indiana in November, replacing Christie Sides. Shortly after, she spoke to Clark about ways to improve her game, and revealed that the point guard is “hungry to grow”.
She said: “I started watching Caitlin Clark since she was in eighth grade, and then I called a lot of her games in college when she was in Iowa. And so I’ve really watched her continue to learn and grow.
“I had great relationships with her coaches and had multiple conversations about what her next steps would be, and what the next level would be. She’s hungry to grow and hungry to get better.
“My first conversation with her the other day about Xs and Os was like, ‘Well how do you want to improve?’ And then we’ll talk about how we want to do that. And then I talk about how we can use her and help her but more efficient and more effective in general.”
As a player, White spent five years in the WNBA, turning out, like Clark, for the Indiana Fever. As such, she understands, to some extent, the sort of pressure Clark is facing, and insists her experience can help the youngster moving forward.
“Just being there to help her navigate some of the things she’s navigating [is something I’m happy to be able to do],” the 47-year-old said. “I don’t think that anyone of us can understand what she goes through on a daily basis.
“She carries a heavy load with our league and with her abilities and her popularity. She’s like Taylor Swift 2.0. So just being someone who’s been a player in this league and someone who’s navigated some of the things, not all of the things, but some of the things she’s going through and being a resource for her [will hopefully help].
“We both see the game the way, we both love the game, we’re both competitors, so I think it’s going to be a smooth transition, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
