Caitlin Clark Exposed ‘Only Red Flag’ in Stephanie White’s Coaching, Per WNBA Analyst

An Indiana star herself, a color analyst who recognized the young talent, and a coach who drew plays against the 2024 rookie phenom– Stephanie White seemed every bit ready to be the coach for Caitlin Clark. And when those early workout clips circulated — the 23-year-old working on aspects she had struggled with in her first year — it was only excitement waiting to unfold. But the season that followed hasn’t been it for the Clark faithful. There have been wrong moves, answers, and decisions, but one has stayed with a former ESPN host.

Stephanie White has faced plenty of heat in a season that saw a promising team roll down to a 21-20 record. While the frequency of the blame game against the officiating covers the surface, her choice of rotations has stemmed a stronger sentiment. Sure, the head coach has helped Clark focus on her midrange shots, floaters, as well as finishing at the rim through her left hand, but her decision to keep the guard off-ball hasn’t been well-received. And neither has been the decision to have Kelsey Mitchell bring up the ball in Clark’s presence. But if you ask Rachel DeMita, one instance was particularly off-putting.

“The only thing that was like a really big red flag to me was when Caitlin mentioned on the Sue Bird podcast how she had a couple turnovers and then she got benched. And then when she went back in the game she was timid to throw the risky pass because she was like, “Oh, like that could have been another turnover,” the analyst shared on Courtside Club.

The game in question is the one against the New York Liberty mid-June when Clark had the iconic 7 3-pointer spree. But it was also the game she had 7 turnovers — 3 consecutive to begin the fourth quarter. So Stephanie White had to sub in Lexie Hull and say to Clark: “This is a learning moment… yes, maybe it could have been there, maybe you could have thrown a little better, maybe they could have caught it, but do we need that in this moment?”

One of the many pointers in White’s coaching book this season was to get Clark to reduce her turnover numbers. The 23-year-old had led the league in that aspect in her rookie year with an average of 5.6 per game. Clark even jokes she might have led the NCAA in turnovers. Well, the least she averaged in her 4-year run was 4.2. So White seemed to be well within her rights to bench Clark after a bad stretch. But what DeMita disliked about the instance was the hesitation it caused the young guard upon her return.

“And when you watch back the replay, like that was a play that it was a wide open pass and she just didn’t go for it because like, ‘maybe there’s a little risk there,'” the podcaster added. “ I just want her to be able to have the confidence to let Caitlin play freely. However, Caitlin seems like she really respects and really loves coach Steph.” Indeed.

Clark did hesitate to pass that ball in transition to Mitchell during the Liberty game, but she admits it was a “learning process.” 

The 21-20 record may not have lived up to the pre-season hype, but Stephanie White is known to be a player’s coach and the team continues to lay its trust in her. And even in her injury, the head coach is only looking out for what’s best for her star player.

Indiana Fever has a positive update surrounding Caitlin Clark

IndyStar reporter, Chloe Peterson shared a clip featuring Caitlin Clark during practice. But what was surprising to watch was Clark practice alongside her teammates. Peterson shared the clip on X with a caption that read, “Caitlin Clark is running with the Fever backups in their full-court 5-on-0 this morning.”

Clark can be seen making a bucket before running full-court ahead of the tipoff against the Phoenix mercury. However, Stephanie White clarified that the athlete did not participate in any practice with direct contact.

As the road to the playoffs gets narrower, can the Fever claw back to the sixth place? Standing on the threshold of the top 8 currently, Stephanie White & co. are left with no choice but to win every remaining game.

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