Stephanie White was having a pretty normal Friday night—or as normal as you can get when your phone is on the verge of spontaneous combustion. White, the newly-minted head coach of the Indiana Fever, was calmly commentating on the NBA matchup between the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers when her phone went rogue, blowing up with congratulatory messages. She wasn’t exactly left in peace to enjoy the game.
During the broadcast, play-by-play partner Ryan Ruocco couldn’t help but notice her buzzing phone, making light of the situation by asking if she’d ever get around to replying to the influx of texts. Stephanie, ever the cool customer, casually dropped the bombshell: “One ninety-seven. And I’ve responded to some already.” Yeah, you read that right—197 messages. If that’s not a flex, I don’t know what is.
It all started just hours earlier when White was announced as the Fever’s new head coach, returning to the team she’s practically synonymous with. Born in West Lebanon, Indiana, and a Purdue alum, White’s been there, done that with the Fever—both as a player and coach. It’s like coming home, but instead of a cozy couch and Netflix, she’s facing a roster and a whole lot of playoff expectations.
Of course, Ruocco had to push the envelope, jokingly suggesting that she might need to block out a whole weekend just to answer all those texts. But with 197 messages (and counting!), White is probably planning to take a sabbatical just to catch up on them all. Let’s hope there’s some kind of “mark all as read” feature for moments like this.
Back to Where It All Began
The Fever didn’t just pluck White out of a coaching hat—she’s been part of their DNA for years. After her rookie stint with the Charlotte Sting in 1999, White joined the Fever and played five seasons. Later, she transitioned to coaching, first as an assistant from 2011 to 2014, and then taking over as head coach from 2015 to 2016. Along the way, she snagged a WNBA championship in 2012 and even led the team to the 2015 WNBA Finals—no small feat in a league that was still establishing its foothold.
In a statement that practically oozed enthusiasm, Fever’s president of basketball operations, Kelly Krauskopf, could hardly contain her excitement about White’s return. “Stephanie is a part of the fabric of this franchise,” Krauskopf said, in the kind of heartfelt statement that makes it sound like White is the Fever’s long-lost family member. “I am confident there is no one who better understands our culture or is more equipped to lead our group of players to the next level.”
Translation: Welcome back, Steph. No pressure—just steer this ship back to championship land.
Playoffs and Possibilities: The Fever’s Future Looks Bright
With rookie phenom Caitlin Clark now leading the charge, the Fever snapped an eight-year playoff drought in 2024. Sure, they were ousted by the Connecticut Sun in the first round—White’s former team, mind you—but hey, progress is progress. When Ruocco asked White during the broadcast what she was most excited about in her return, she didn’t hold back.
“I think there’s so many things,” she said, almost wistfully. “First and foremost, it is home, right? This is a franchise that’s a part of my DNA—player there, coach there, part of the championship there.” You could almost see her tearing up, but White kept it professional, quickly adding, “Certainly working with Kelly Krauskopf, working with Linda again, and then this exciting young roster. It’s just really special.”
In case you missed it, White knows her way around a WNBA bench. Over the last two seasons, she took the Sun to back-to-back semifinals and finished with an impressive 55-25 record. Oh, and she casually won the WNBA Coach of the Year award in 2023, along with the Associated Press Coach of the Year. No big deal.
Now, with the Fever, she has a chance to bring even more magic to the court—assuming her phone doesn’t blow up first from all those notifications.
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