Women's Fastbreak On SI

Stephanie White Beating Christie Sides During Playing Days Resurfaces Amid Fever Rumor

Rumored future Fever head coach Stephanie White had the edge over Christie Sides back when they were still playing.
Grant Young|
Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides yells Saturday, July 6, 2024, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides yells Saturday, July 6, 2024, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

The most compelling component of the WNBA offseason to this point has been that over half of the 12 teams have made changes to their head coach role.

Two of these changes have received the most attention. These were the Indiana Fever parting ways with Christie Sides and the Connecticut Sun parting ways with Stephanie White.

One reason why these two specific coaching changes caught a ton of attention (in addition to the Fever being extremely popular and the Sun being one win away from making the WNBA Finals) is that all indications are that White will likely take over Sides' role as Indiana's next head coach.

This has prompted some comparisons between both coaches within the women's basketball community on social media. A few fans have even delved deep into the archives and found some footage of White and Sides competing against each other on the basketball court over 20 years ago.

X user @slowlyslide posted a video of White shaking Sides (both of whom were wearing No. 22, which Caitlin Clark now wears for the Fever) and then making a reverse layup when White's Purdue team played Sides' Louisiana Tech squad in the 1999 NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four.

And that wasn't the only win White secured over Sides that night. Another X user posted a photo of the box score, showing that White finished the game with 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in 40 minutes played while Sides scored 0 points and tallied just 1 rebound in 10 minutes played.

Plus White's Purdue squad beat Louisiana Tech 77-63 in that game, which sent them to the 1999 NCAA National Championship game (which they won).

White seems to have the edge over Sides both on the court and on the sidelines.

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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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