Coaching U Podcast Ep. 279 Stephanie White, Indiana Fever

In Episode 279 of the Coaching U Podcast, presented by Noah Basketball, Brendan Suhr welcomes Stephanie White, head coach of the Indiana Fever. An Indiana native and Purdue alumna, Stephanie has a storied basketball career spanning over 17 years as a player and coach in the WNBA.
After leading the Connecticut Sun to back-to-back WNBA semifinal appearances and being named WNBA Coach of the Year in 2023, she returns to Indiana where she guided the Fever to a WNBA Finals appearance in 2015, contributed to their 2012 championship as an assistant coach.
In this episode, Stephanie reflects on returning to Indiana to lead the Fever’s talented young roster, including Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell, while sharing her vision for building a championship culture. She breaks down her offensive philosophy, emphasizing pace, instinctive play, and maximizing player strengths within a system designed to exploit matchups. On the defensive side, she dives into the importance of using analytics to force low-percentage shots and the foundational principles of communication, positioning, and activity.
Stephanie also shares her approach to coaching generational talents like Caitlin Clark, tailoring strategies to enhance her efficiency and leadership while continuing to build team chemistry. Drawing on her experience as both a player and coach, she offers lessons on how to empower players, build a team identity, and adapt to the evolving game.
All that and more on episode 279 of the Coaching U Podcast pres. by Noah Basketball!

More about Noah Basketball

Cyber Savings on Coaching U+
We're excited to offer 25% off all Coaching U+ subscriptions through Cyber Monday. Claim your discount by using promo code CYBER25 at checkout

Special Offers!
FASTMODEL SPORTS: Save 15% on FastDraw or other FastModel products with Promo Code "CoachingU15"

[tmfhale]

I am so happy CC and all the ladies of the Fever now have a coach who sees and believes in their amazing talent!

I couldn't be more excited to watch this team grow and win championships! 😊

[grb]

The Fever are full of players that will literally eat this up. Coach White is very lucky to have a team of young ladies who are extremely coachable. They’re eager to learn and grow. I think of CC, Aliyah and Lexie, and I can’t think of three players who are more eager to learn and be taught how to succeed.

[stevehardwick]

She has such a great basketball mind and communicates so well.I think CC is going to love her as a coach, they're on the same wave length.

[jonathanjohnston]

As a Fever fan, I was glad to hear Coach White say she wants the team to play with _"pace"_. They're a young team with the energy to play at a high pace. CC has said she wants to sprint & seems content to play almost the full game. I don't have the stats, but I suspect there were few, if any, PGs with more minutes per game, last year. With CC making those amazing passes, the Fever are at their best in transition play. Fast breaks. They seem to enjoy playing that way &, for the fans, that's when they're the most fun to watch.

[nono-murw]

so excited for next season with coach white, I wish it would start asap

[cindycollins]

So excited for 2025 to see the fever and Coach White!!!! I started watching because of Caitlin and now I love love me some Fever 🏀

[CharlieBrown-qdvc]

Wow! High IQ coach for talented high IQ players. This is going to be fun to watch! Totally impressed with her approach with the Fever.

[quintyss]

I'm really glad SW has the inside on Caitlin Clark from the Hawkeye coaches. Stephanie White seems to be the real coaching deal. Looking forward to watching how the Fever evolves!

[angelas]

Great conversation. I'm so excited to see what the Fever do in 2025.

[grb]

White’s confidence will be such a wonderful thing for this team. I completely believe that their last coach was usually operating from a position of fear, rather than confidence, which really hindered their potential. Not so with White.

[Struwwel]

Fever front office is making the right moves so far. They hired a competent coach who sounds like she's aligned with the team's superstar Caitlin Clark. Now they need to add, and subtract, the right players to complement Clark. They've got a good core with Boston, Mitchell, and Hull.

[cathygregory]

She asks Caitlin questions? She listens? She trusts players' instincts? Can't wait! The team has to be so happy.

[johnbrady]

Strong leaders surround themselves with Smart people. Excited to see how the Fever do this. coming year!

[kenswift]

So great to hear Stephanie. The Fever needed a real coach and she’s going to be a great fit

[zealazax]

I wish I didn't have to wait 6 months to watch the Fever play again.

[chanin]

I'm so happy my favorite W coach is now coaching the Fever!

[devonsmith]

This was such a great episode with 2 brilliant minds. I wish she would hire him for her staff. He would be amazing.

[staffordlee]

Coach White is really smart! The Fever are going to have an Epic season and CC is going to be next level! I cannot wait for May!

[Raindeux]

Smart idea using analytics to explain why a player should to do a certain thing in a game. Might be hard to get them to buy in if your answer is "Because I said so", but showing them straight numbers as to why its the best decision might get them to buy in a little easier lol.

[PhillipSiddiq]

I can't wait to see them! BOW BOW BOW!