Aliyah Boston’s Latest Referee Plea That Echoes Caitlin Clark’s Concern Should Command WNBA’s Attention

If the fall league meetings discuss one thing, the coaches might ask it to be around officiating. From New York to the Golden State on the West Coast, the concerns have echoed throughout the season. “Everybody’s getting better, except the officials. So we gotta find a way to remedy it,” Stephanie White suggests. Now, the changes around reffing seem like a far possibility, but if there was one regulation the league could reconsider, then Aliyah Boston has a suggestion. One, Caitlin Clark would agree with, too.

The Fever forward has been hacked, bumped, and pushed under the rim constantly. It is a pattern that has become impossible to ignore. And while Indiana keeps grinding through physical play, the lack of consistency from officials leaves them feeling like they’re fighting a second opponent in every game. So, when a fan raised a question to Boston on her latest podcast, “What is the biggest change you want to see implemented in the W?” she didn’t hesitate.

“I think that there shouldn’t be a limit on your challenges if you continue to win them,” Aliyah Boston shared. “Like, after two, you should still be able to challenge if you won both of them because: 1. you’re great at reviews, and 2. if there’s another call that could be close to the end of the game and you need to challenge it, but you can’t because you’ve already won twice. I feel you should be able to keep your challenge if you keep winning.” While she answered with a smile, her underlying frustration is understandable.

During the August 12 game against the Dallas Wings, while the Indiana Fever actually attempted more free throws, Boston still struggled to get calls near the rim. So, when White challenged a fourth-quarter whistle involving Li Yueru, the review upheld it. And once again, it was the officials’ call against the Fever. This left both Boston and HC White exasperated. But Boston wasn’t the only one to face the ordeal this season.

In the Fever’s second game this season, 3 calls were challenged by the coaches — 2 by Stephanie White and 1 by Atlanta Dream coach, Karl Smesko. After the reviews, all three of them were overturned. “It’s tough when Coach White is put in a position to have to use both her challenges in the first half on calls that were pretty point blank, and then we’re left with none there in the second half,” Clark had expressed.

The reigning ROTY has faced her own share of questionable whistles earlier this season. Back in the game against the New York Liberty, Clark argued against Natasha Cloud’s last-second steal, but the refs never budged. Indiana dropped a narrow 90-88 loss.

While athletes try to push past the challenges, the vicious cycle continues playing out unless the league steps in. Cathy Englebert did announce that they would be looking into officiating, but whether the changes will reflect by next season remains to be seen. Until then, the Fever have a tough road to tread.

Can Indiana Fever clinch a playoffs seat?

The road to the playoffs keeps getting narrower by the day, and so do the Indiana Fever’s hopes of clinching a spot. Sitting at the edge as the eighth seed, the team is already showing signs of spiraling.

While the Fever hold a near-even record of 21-20, they are stuck in a two-game skid. First came a crushing 75-63 loss to the Golden State Valkyries. Then the Phoenix Mercury, the league’s fourth seed, handed them an 85-79 defeat.

With only three games left in the regular season, the Fever are fighting to stay alive. They extended Odyssey Sims on a rest-of-season deal and renewed Shey Peddy’s 7-day hardship contract for the third straight time. What started as a championship run has turned into a race for survival.

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