Stephanie White is back in the WNBA, coaching the Sun and for the first time this weekend, an All-Star team
Stephanie White is back in the WNBA, coaching the Sun and for the first time this weekend, an All-Star team
Indiana native Stephanie White returned to the WNBA after being away since 2016. Leading the Sun with a staff of former players, White made her Sun debut in Indy.
Indiana basketball legend Stephanie White has accomplished a lot in her career, nearly everything that is possible. From being named Gatorade Player of the Year and Indiana Miss Basketball in 1995 to a NCAA National Championship at Purdue in 1999, WNBA player, coach and champion (2012), to college coach.
It’s easier to list what she hasn’t done.
This summer, she is back where she belongs coaching the pro game. And in her first season leading the Connecticut Sun, her coaching staff was one of two to earn a spot in the All-Star game this weekend in Las Vegas — Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC — which has become the summer hub for basketball.
This all coincides with NBA Summer League, a big AAU tournament, 3x3 and soon, Team USA in Vegas.
When she takes the floor and coaches one of the teams, it’ll be her first-ever appearance at the WNBA All-Star game. When she was on Lin Dunn’s Indiana Fever staff in 2013, she couldn’t make it for a very good reason — the birth of her twins, Avery and Aiden.
On her Sun staff is former Fever star guard Briann January and Austin Kelly, husband to former Fever player and current assistant Karima Christmas. Notably, Karima just gave birth to the Kelly’s first child, Zayn, last week.
The WNBA schedule makers had some fun crafting the 2023 slate that sent White’s team back to Indiana for the season opener on May 19. Back where she played high school and college basketball, played and coached for the Fever, won a title, served as a TV game analyst for Pacers games and where she has so many friends.
“It’s good to be back in Indiana, good to see a lot of familiar faces and people that I’ve not just grown up with and grown close to, but have been impactful and meaningful in pretty much every stage in my life,” she said before Game 1.
When she arrived at the arena, now named Gainbridge Fieldhouse, she first thought back to the birth of her kids — how Landon was born during Game 3 of the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals and the twins in 2013 when they were in Tulsa, right before All-Star break.
“And then winning the championship,” she said. “Being a part of a franchise from its inaugural season as a player to the first championship as a coach to celebrating in the practice gym. All of those memories just come flooding back.”
(Note: I finished the 2012 season, my 10th with the franchise, as equipment manager.)
During her return to Indy, White talked with Dunn, who is now Fever general manager, Tamika Catchings, ushers and so many more who were in the building. It’s a place where she poured more than 10,000 hours of sweat equity.
This time was even more special because it marks her return to the WNBA after being away since 2016. She left to become the head coach of the women’s basketball team at Vanderbilt University. She was awfully close to being hired as head coach of the Phoenix Mercury last offseason, but circumstances prevented that from happening.
And so White is now leading the Sun, who lost to the dominant Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Finals last postseason. The Aces supercharged over the offseason and are 11-1 while the Sun are 15-5 — good for third in the WNBA at the break.
White will coach Team Stewart and Becky Hammon of the Las Vegas Aces will coach Team Wilson.
See Also: A championship conversation: 1-on-1 with former Pacers assistant Tyler Marsh, now with the Aces
What White is enjoying most about this new coaching opportunity is the chance to share it with her sons. They’re now old enough to understand it, to see what she does and to be inspired by the work.
She made sure to bring her kids back home to Indiana for her debut with the Sun.
“They were so young when we left here and just starting to grasp what I did being a coach,” she said. “Now to come back and watch our team and see Karima and see Austin (Kelly) out there, I don’t think they quite realized they were on opposing benches until we got up here.
“Hopefully they appreciate the experiences that they get and I think it’s important to set a good example for them. You have to work really hard at the things that you want to accomplish. For them to be around me doing what I love, be around strong women and understand how important it is to continue to support women’s sports … they get immersed in it and I’m thankful for that.”
She acknowledges that the league has changed a lot since 2016. Now there are superteams, a lot more talent and the league is more visible.
“More than anything, we continue to see the trend of players are better,” said White. “They’re bigger, faster, stronger, more athletic, more versatile than they’ve ever been. The game is faster pace, the game is more wide open, efficiency is better and we have a lot more information in terms of analytics and understanding. The game is different.
“From going back to college and now coming back to the W, (I have) an appreciation for working with pros and what they bring every day, the fact that this is your job and the way that they approach every single day.”
It’s helpful that she has January, Kelly and Abi Olajuwon — all former players — on her staff. That was by design.
“As a coach, you always see player who you think will make really good coaches,” she said. “And you have conversations with them along the way. In Bri’s case, I’ve been trying to hire her for a long time. Finally, she retired so I was able to do that.”
January was an All-Star and a five-time member of the All-Defensive First Team. She has a wealth of knowledge to share and got her first taste of coaching at her alma mater, Arizona State University, a few years ago.
“Bri is definitely the head of the defense, giving us all the points of emphasis and when we watch film and break it down, we’re watching with Bri,” said fourth-year guard Natisha Hiedeman. “She obviously has been an elite defender her whole career so just having her on staff is amazing on both sides of the floor.”
Saturday is all about the players, but White and her staff appreciate the honor because it’s reflective of team success. However, it takes good coaching to bring it all together.
“We’re definitely wanting to make sure we assert ourselves,” said Sun veteran guard Rebecca Allen from Melbourne. “That’s gonna be a really big point for us, but also to be a fast team, a team that moves the ball and has that 0.5-second reaction time. I think that’s a big part of what we’re trying to showcase.”
White knows how the game, how to lead and communicate, and she’s been in their shoes playing in this league. All that helps, especially with a veteran team like she had.
Before tipping off the season in Indy, it was easy to get sentimental. The Fever appropriately highlighted White and January before tipoff — which can be seen in the video below.