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Dawn Staley Sends Strong Message About Indiana Fever's WNBA Championship Chances

South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley shared her stance on whether the Indiana Fever have the tools to win a 2025 WNBA championship.
Grant Young|
Apr 4, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley reacts during the first quarter in a semifinal of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament against the Texas Longhorns at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Apr 4, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley reacts during the first quarter in a semifinal of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament against the Texas Longhorns at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Indiana Fever entered the 2025 WNBA season looking like a team that could truly compete for a championship, especially after all the moves they made in the offseason to improve their roster and overhaul their coaching staff.

However, the Fever haven't gotten off to the start that many were expecting. They currently hold a 4-4 record heading into their June 10 game against the Atlanta Dream, and were 2-4 before producing two consecutive victories against the Washington Mystics and Chicago Sky over the past week.

Of course, one can't discount the fact that star guard Caitlin Clark has missed half of Indiana's games with a left quad strain, which is obviously detrimental. And given that the Fever started last season off slow before playing like one of the league's best teams during the second half of the year (despite having a less talented roster compared to this year), they seem poised to make a run once they get healthy and find their chemistry.

This is the sentiment that South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley shared during a June 8 appearance on CBS Sports' Women's Basketball show.

"A healthy Indiana Fever team," Staley said when asked whether there are any teams who can challenge the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty for a WNBA championship this season.

"They orchestrated a team that should be able to compete with Minnesota and with the New York Liberty. But the season is still young," Staley added.

Fever fans are surely hoping that Staley's sentiment rings true — especially the bit about their team getting healthy at some point.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the Indiana Fever 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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