Stephanie White’s ‘Psycho’ Caitlin Clark Admission Sheds Light on Fever Star’s Fire
One of the best aspects of the Indiana Fever's 2025 WNBA season for fans to witness was the relationship between head coach Stephanie White and star guard Caitlin Clark.
White came to the team during the last offseason after spending the past couple of years coaching the Connecticut Sun. Therefore, White had experience playing and game planning against Clark before getting to game plan around her. There was a lot of interest and intrigue around how Clark and White's relationship would develop, given the question marks around the dynamic between No. 22 and Christie Sides, who was Clark's head coach during her rookie 2024 season.
And while the 2025 campaign didn't work out in the way Clark wanted because of injuries (she only played in 13 contests because of various soft tissue injuries), that didn't stop the bond between her and White from strengthening as the season progressed, which was shown by the kind words and mutual adoration both showed for each other when speaking to the media and when interacting on the bench.
Stephanie White Sees Some of Herself in "Psycho" Caitlin Clark
White was the guest on a December 5 episode of Bird's Eye View, which is a podcast hosted by WNBA legend Sue Bird. Bird asked her what it was like to coach Clark, which prompted a fascinating answer.
"It was very important [to forge a relationship with Clark]. Look, she is obviously the centerpiece of everything that we do. And most importantly for me, was just connecting and building trust. I don't know how she does what she does, and handles it so gracefully. I'm not sure, myself, as a 23-year-old, would have been able to handle it that way that she does, and still perform at the elite level that she's able to perform with and at.
"So building trust, getting to know her. I'm a firm believer that you have to coach and challenge your best players. And for me to be able to do that, I needed to earn her trust. And I need to be honest. You're gonna know what I'm thinking, or where I'm coming from. And if you don't, and you certainly want to ask, but I'm gonna be honest. And I certainly appreciate that about her," White added.
"And I'm also the same like of psycho she is, in terms of competitiveness," White continued of Clark. "Now, it comes out in different ways. But we both just really want to win, and we want to set ourselves and our teammates up for success."
Clark's competitive fire is one thing her fans adore the most about her. And the fact that she shared that fire with White speaks volumes about what the Fever were able to accomplish last season, and what they can accomplish once Clark is back healthy on the court.
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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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