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Some fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse booed Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White during pre-game introductions before Tuesday's 106-92 victory over the New York Liberty. Caitlin Clark later said she had told White Indiana couldn't lose before the game.
Clark said she talked with White earlier and shared her own experience, emphasizing coaches are human and some moments are tough.
"I talked to Steph earlier in the day and you know I think we forget a lot of times, like, we're humans and she has feelings and there are moments that are really hard and sometimes that's the job we sign up for," Clark said. "At the same time, it's OK to feel those emotions and I told her I've been through the same thing."
Clark mentioned that the booing affected her more than any other event in the game.
"There was like no way we were losing this game. Like, that's my head coach. Like, I hated that our fans booed her before the game," Clark explained. "That made me a little sick to be honest."
Clark stated that the Fever will continue supporting White.
"We're going to ride for her, and we're always going to have her back," Clark said.
Criticism of White built over the weekend. Chicago guard DiJonai Carrington was ejected on a flagrant 2 for a foul on Sophie Cunningham in Indiana's 90-86 win at Chicago on Saturday.
White said afterward that she did not think Carrington went for Cunningham's neck on purpose. Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith posted on X the next day that the Fever should let White go.
White read a statement to reporters before Tuesday's game and left the room without taking questions. Fever president Kelly Krauskopf issued a statement supporting her later that night.
Clark scored 22 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists versus New York. She shot 7-of-15 overall, 4-of-8 from three, and made all four free throws.
That was Clark's second consecutive double-double. She scored 26 points and handed out 11 assists in Chicago on Saturday, a game in which she also picked up a technical foul that the league office rescinded.
Clark is averaging 21.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 8.1 assists across 28 appearances this season. She has missed five of Indiana's 33 games.
Her career best occurred at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 17 against Seattle, where she scored 45 points and provided 10 assists in a 110-107 victory. This was the inaugural 40-point, 10-assist game in WNBA history.
Indiana drafted Clark using the first overall pick in the 2024 draft from Iowa. She averaged 19.2 points and 8.4 assists during her rookie season and received almost unanimous Rookie of the Year honors. She's currently in her third season with the Fever.
White is in her second year in her current stint and previously coached Indiana in 2015 and 2016. She played for the franchise, spent 2011 through 2014 on Lin Dunn's staff, and won Coach of the Year with the Connecticut Sun in 2023.
Indiana is 21-12 and 9-3 over its past 12 games. The Fever have won both meetings with New York this season and play the Liberty again on Aug. 22.
Indiana plays in front of the Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd again on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET when they host the Dallas Wings.
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Clark said she talked with White earlier and shared her own experience, emphasizing coaches are human and some moments are tough.
"I talked to Steph earlier in the day and you know I think we forget a lot of times, like, we're humans and she has feelings and there are moments that are really hard and sometimes that's the job we sign up for," Clark said. "At the same time, it's OK to feel those emotions and I told her I've been through the same thing."
Clark mentioned that the booing affected her more than any other event in the game.
"There was like no way we were losing this game. Like, that's my head coach. Like, I hated that our fans booed her before the game," Clark explained. "That made me a little sick to be honest."
Clark stated that the Fever will continue supporting White.
"We're going to ride for her, and we're always going to have her back," Clark said.
Criticism of White built over the weekend. Chicago guard DiJonai Carrington was ejected on a flagrant 2 for a foul on Sophie Cunningham in Indiana's 90-86 win at Chicago on Saturday.
White said afterward that she did not think Carrington went for Cunningham's neck on purpose. Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith posted on X the next day that the Fever should let White go.
White read a statement to reporters before Tuesday's game and left the room without taking questions. Fever president Kelly Krauskopf issued a statement supporting her later that night.
Clark scored 22 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists versus New York. She shot 7-of-15 overall, 4-of-8 from three, and made all four free throws.
That was Clark's second consecutive double-double. She scored 26 points and handed out 11 assists in Chicago on Saturday, a game in which she also picked up a technical foul that the league office rescinded.
Clark is averaging 21.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 8.1 assists across 28 appearances this season. She has missed five of Indiana's 33 games.
Her career best occurred at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 17 against Seattle, where she scored 45 points and provided 10 assists in a 110-107 victory. This was the inaugural 40-point, 10-assist game in WNBA history.
Indiana drafted Clark using the first overall pick in the 2024 draft from Iowa. She averaged 19.2 points and 8.4 assists during her rookie season and received almost unanimous Rookie of the Year honors. She's currently in her third season with the Fever.
White is in her second year in her current stint and previously coached Indiana in 2015 and 2016. She played for the franchise, spent 2011 through 2014 on Lin Dunn's staff, and won Coach of the Year with the Connecticut Sun in 2023.
Indiana is 21-12 and 9-3 over its past 12 games. The Fever have won both meetings with New York this season and play the Liberty again on Aug. 22.
Indiana plays in front of the Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd again on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET when they host the Dallas Wings.
Continue reading...
