Stephanie White leaves no doubt on Caitlin Clark’s role for Fever

There’s a lot of pressure on Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White now that she’s in her second season with the team. Last year, the former WNBA Coach of the Year had a memorable debut campaign despite losing the services of Caitlin Clark due to injury.

Apart from Clark, four other players, including Sophie Cunningham, suffered season-ending injuries. Despite the setbacks, White still led the Fever to its first Commissioner’s Cup title. They also reached the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs for the first time since 2015.

White and the Fever are now expected to go on a deeper postseason run in 2026, with championship aspirations on the table.

Caitlin Clark is Indiana Fever’s first option, asserts Stephanie White

The good news for White is that she has a healthy Caitlin Clark this season. After being limited to just 13 games in 2025, the two-time WNBA All-Star is back to full strength for Year 3.

While there has been chatter about some disconnect between White and Clark, the Fever coach asserted in a recent interview that the former Rookie of the Year is the team’s unquestionable No. 1 option.

“Our first offensive option is usually Caitlin Clark,” White said Wednesday on the “Query & Company” podcast. “But, you know, it’s in different ways, and she does a great job of playing in transition and finding — especially Aliyah Boston — in the paint, running the floor, finding Kelsey (Mitchell) on the wing.

“You know, the challenge is that good defensive teams aren’t always going to give you your first option. So how do we get high-quality options for everybody on the floor? Obviously our big three are going to get the bulk of the shots.”

White, however, also made it abundantly clear that Clark’s supporting cast will need to step up.

“And we need to fill in the pieces with everybody else and our role players, understanding where they’re going to get their looks, how we’re going to get it to them, and putting them in position for success so it takes some pressure off the big three to carry us,” White continued.

“They certainly do a great job, but we’ve got players who can knock down shots. We’ve got players who can really run the floor. We’ve got players who are elite cutters. Making sure that you have the right pieces around them is really important.”

The Fever will go as far as Clark and White take them. However, each player must play their respective roles in order for the team to achieve ultimate success.

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