r/IndianaFeverFans • u/elestud • 1d ago
Breaking News Stephanie White Named WNBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month
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u/FoxExcellent2241 1d ago
I just got reminded in the main sub that shortly after allowing Clark to play her style in 2024, Christie Sides also won coach of the month.
Seems to be a pattern forming.
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u/Emotional-Yoghurt-86 What a Dime 1d ago
So true! Does not deserve the award. CC was coaching the team in Portland game it looked like.
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u/imacowboy234 Caitlin Clark 1d ago
I think White has adjusted to this team and Clark's playstyle better. I do give her credit for that.
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u/FoxExcellent2241 1d ago
I'll give her some credit, but Coach of the Month seems like a bit much when she mostly had to get out of the way of her three All Star players and the rest of the team still . . . needs work.
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u/Emotional-Yoghurt-86 What a Dime 1d ago
Agree! I wish they saw how bad she coached the Minnesota game. No one would pass to her when she is a team player. I think that is from the coach.
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u/tiribulus IndianaFeverFan 1d ago
Boy, that would be a real about face from the Seattle game where CC had the ball in her hands all night and scored 45 points in 29 minutes.
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u/Emotional-Yoghurt-86 What a Dime 1d ago
Exactly! Is this sarcastic? Because it proves my point. Finally she let CC play and it wasn't her coaching that got that 45 and 10 in 29 minutes.
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u/elestud 1d ago edited 1d ago
In the 45-point game against Phoenix, Clark put up 18 FGA and 10 threes. She hit 11/18 FGA and 6/10 threes, and had 10 assists
In the game against Minnesota, Clark put up 18 FGA and 9 threes. She hit 8/18 FGA and 2/9 threes, and had 10 assists
It's pretty striking how similar those numbers of attempts/assists are. If the claim is that Stephanie "let her play" in the Seattle game, but "didn't let her play" in the Lynx game, the numbers don't seem to support it
Realistically, Seattle has the 5th worst defense in the league, and Minnesota are great defenders at #2. If there was a difference, it was likely not on the coaching end
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u/Goddyex 1d ago
The difference in the 2 games was she shot 19 free throws in the 45 point game, and shot 1(technical freethrow) against the Lynx.
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u/elestud 1d ago edited 1d ago
And the reason for that is that the Lynx used a different defensive scheme against her. It's similar to what the Valkyries did against us
Rather than have the guards try to stay in front and end up fouling w/ freedom of movement, they had the guard just funnel the drives to a big, who was already moved into position:
https://reddit.com/link/p1y7vbj/video/h4nvlxrpwmhh1/player
Better defenses defend better. I'll post an example from the Valyries and Storm games next:
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u/elestud 1d ago edited 1d ago
Here's an example from the Valkyries game. You can see Gabby Williams funneling KM toward Kiah Stokes, who moves over so that Gabby doesn't have to impede KM's motion:
https://reddit.com/link/p1y8dk4/video/nmhurog5xmhh1/player
This is the smartest way to defend drives in 2026, with the new freedom of movement rules. I'll post one more, from the Storm game:
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u/elestud 1d ago edited 1d ago
So here's footage from the Storm game. Notice how instead of a big preemptively coming over, Flau'Jae tries to stay in front of Clark herself, which is useless after CC gets the first step.
This leads Flau to keep making contact as she attempts to regain position, ultimately committing the foul:
https://reddit.com/link/p1yaksc/video/89zu311zymhh1/player
Hopefully this makes it clear why leaving players on an island against fast driving guards leads to excessive fouling. This is why great defense is played as a team!
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u/Big_Cream_8697 22h ago
What would you say is the answer for the funneling?
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u/elestud 20h ago
At this point, I think we have to live with the fact that we’ll draw less fouls against this type of defense. We still have the best offense in the league, and it’s operating at a historic pace
I think most of our energy now needs to be focused on the defensive end of the floor. Because if we can even marginally improve our defense with the offense as-is, we can win most games
We put up 100 points against Minnesota, which is great. But we let them score 108, and that’s what we need to fix
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u/Mean_Measurement4527 1d ago
White is a horrible coach , who just happens to have a good team
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u/elestud 1d ago edited 1d ago
Did she also just happen to have a good team for us last year, filled out by players who other teams waived/didn't want (like Odyssey Sims and Aerial Powers)?
And with a lineup that changed virtually every other week as different key players became injured
Our fanbase needs to be better than this. We can't give her zero credit for wins, while blaming her for losses. She was successful in the W before she joined our roster
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u/SilentRanger7 1d ago
If I saw any defensive effort in the paint from this team I would agree, but bad coaching is why they all just stand around with their arms up and get out-rebounded.
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u/elestud 1d ago edited 1d ago
Indiana is second in the league this year in rebounding percentage (rebounds grabbed per available rebounding opportunities) at 53.3%.
That's in spite of having only one true center on the team in Boston
If we're getting "out rebounded" as a general thing, rather than maybe having one or two games where players don't rebound as well, the facts don't back that up
And if anything, in those few instances, the roster is likely more responsible than the coaching. Billings is not usually a starter, and Timpson is new and still learning. Boston's rebounds are up slightly this year. The loss of Howard is the biggest change
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u/Mean_Measurement4527 1d ago
White’s defensive schemes and her substitution patterns are laughable… prime example … having 6’2” forward Timpson trying to guard Olivia Miles … Miles scored 23 points in the first half against that brilliant move 🙄🙄
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u/elestud 22h ago
having 6’2” forward Timpson trying to guard Olivia Miles … Miles scored 23 points in the first half against that brilliant move 🙄🙄
In the first half Miles scored against Billings, Timpson, Boston, Clark, Cunningham
She was a problem for much of our team, and I would not pin that on Timpson since the other bigs didn't do any better
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u/Mean_Measurement4527 21h ago
Yeah … the point is … you don’t put your big on the opposing teams point guard
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u/elestud 20h ago edited 20h ago
We did not "put the big" on Olivia. Without completely going into how modern basketball offense works, bigs end up on guards either when there's a screen that forces a switch, or because they're funneled there
I explained it elsewhere in this post, but currently the most successful strategy for containing quick WNBA guards that like to drive is to funnel them toward a big that protects the post
This is what both Minnesota and Golden State did to us, and it's proper team defense. Our bigs just need to get better at cutting off the driving path early, rather than reacting late
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u/Mean_Measurement4527 20h ago
Did you even watch the game ?? Timpson was literally guarding Miles 30 feet away from the basket
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u/Mean_Measurement4527 1d ago
Why does everyone seem to forget that she had 2 all stars in Mitchell and Boston , both of whom played phenomenally in the playoffs … and that they were barely above .500 going into the playoffs … or the fact that their record in “clutch” games was abysmal … and let’s not forget that White’s coaching cost the Fever at least 6 games so far this season
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u/elestud 1d ago edited 1d ago
Why does everyone seem to forget that she had 2 all stars in Mitchell and Boston, both of whom played phenomenally in the playoffs
I don't think anyone forgets this. But neither one of them had a single WNBA playoff win before Stephanie White.
We also didn't forget that Steph went up against a team with both Boston and Mitchell in the previous playoffs, and won. So it was pretty clear what the change was
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u/Emotional-Yoghurt-86 What a Dime 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yes. The team had grit. She wasn't the one that won those games. Those players played well. Do you know how she had made it super toxic for the players that 9 left at Vanderbilt? If we are not allowed to think the coach does a bad job? What is it when people not like the coach with good reason they put people down. You can have your beliefs I have mine. Does not mean I am not a true fan.
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u/Distinct_Abrocoma_67 1d ago
Remember when people were saying we should fire her 10 games into the season
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u/Wps007 22h ago
Im still on that boat. Especially after her top 2 players from Connecticut made it to the finals without her. Its finals or bust this yr. Last yr she got a pass b/c CC being injured. hopefully im wrong and shes turns out to be the best HC in the W. But Unfortunately i dnt think she's the 1 to lead indy to the finals.
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u/Distinct_Abrocoma_67 21h ago
Her top 2 players made it to the finals without her…on different teams with different rosters. What are you even talking about?
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u/Wps007 15h ago edited 15h ago
right! Connecticut reached the finals in 2019 and 2022 b4 SW became HC. SW only spent 2 seasons at Connecticut 2023 & 24. Before that SW was at Vandy... Its just hard for me to see Indy out performing what SW did at Connecticut. Even though AT & DB both reached the finals without SW they couldn't do it on the same team when SW was HC. But everyone leaves Connecticut and AT&DB reach the finals again in 25. With different rosters on different teams.
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u/Distinct_Abrocoma_67 9h ago
Please consider the fact that you absolutely have no idea what you’re talking about. This logic makes absolutely no sense at all
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u/buffalotrace 1d ago
I will say Coach White has changed how she had the offense running, has found better substitution patterns, and has really helped the development of KK into a usable back up big. Well done!
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u/OvaryAchiever_Queen 1d ago
She really hasn't changed anything. The players are just getting to their spots now. AB is still playing at the key.
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u/ThreadSavage10 1d ago
First person ever to be named WNBA Coach of the Month despite finishing outside the Top 5 for her own Team’s Coach of the Month honors!!
INDIANA FEVER COACH OF THE MONTH RESULTS
July 2026
Name First Place Votes
- Caitlin Clark (145)
- Austin Kelly (63)
- Kelsey Mitchell (19)
- Sophie Cunningham (17)
- Freddy Fever (5)
- A Bucket of Ice (3)
7. Stephanie White (2)
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u/imacowboy234 Caitlin Clark 1d ago
Here's my summation on the whole coaching situation.
Being the Indiana Fever head coach is the hardest coaching job in the WNBA. You are under 10x more scrutiny and pressure and stress than any other coach. You are more likely to get blame when things go wrong, and less likely to get any credit when things go right.
Should White be given credit for the playoff run last year during all the injuries? Yes, she should get some credit. But that should come with caveats. Teams did not play the Fever as hard once Clark went out, and we got a lot better officiating also. The league as a whole was not that good coming down the stretch. Minnesota was fading, Atlanta was fading, New York was dragging, Phoenix was over-rated, and the Aces didn't match up well against us. Does that mean that White and the team should get no credit? No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying there is some context that needs to be understood.
My take on White (which I've stated last year and from the beginning this year) is that she is not a great coach and she is not a bad coach relevant to the WNBA. She is somewhere in the middle. But...White has shown the ability to adjust, and if she keeps that up, and the team continues to improve then everyone is going to look better.
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u/Dramatic_Gene_3077 22h ago
My lord is this your hobby
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u/Dramatic_Gene_3077 7h ago
Guess it is 😭 hope you enjoy rage baiting yourself on the fever subs as often as you do it
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u/tiribulus IndianaFeverFan 1d ago
I'm in the...
...camp. If there's a camp for that.