Women's Fastbreak On SI

Fever President Notes Request Young Core Made of Front Office Before WNBA Free Agency

The Indiana Fever's core made this one thing clear to their front office this offseason.
Grant Young|
Jun 10, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston (7) and guard Caitlin Clark (22) react after a basket against the Connecticut Sun in the first quarter at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Jun 10, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston (7) and guard Caitlin Clark (22) react after a basket against the Connecticut Sun in the first quarter at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

In hindsight, the fact that the Indiana Fever made it to the 2024 WNBA playoffs after starting their season with a 1-8 record is truly incredible. The Fever looked hapless on the court and could not find any consistent cohesion on either end of the floor during those early contests.

But these early season struggles made their turnaround even more remarkable. In addition to finding chemistry on the court, it became clear that the Fever gradually built locker room camaraderie as their 2024 campaign progressed.

It was obvious that the Fever players (their young core of Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark, specifically) truly enjoyed one another, and this was made apparent by their success on the court.

Now the Fever have a new season ahead of them, and a plethora of new players on their roster. But during Natasha Howard's press conference, Fever president Kelly Krauskopf explained that keeping the culture this young core built was a top offseason priority — if only because the core requested as much.

"The young group that we're bringing back asked us, 'Protect our locker room. Protect the culture that we've got started,'" Krauskopf said, per an X post from @nosyone4.

"So that was very intentional. And so Natasha [Howard], knowing her when she was a young player... I think everywhere she has gone, she has won. She's a winner," she added. "Natasha Howard is a winner. And to have her here, not only as a winner but as a winning person in our locker room."

Krauskopf is now hoping Howard's winning ways will rub off on these young Fever players during the 2025 campaign.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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