When mulling over her decision to join the Indiana Fever, Stephanie White took into consideration what her life would look like both on and off the court.
Back in October, the Sun parted ways with White after she commanded Connecticut to a combined 55-25 record and back-to-back playoff semifinal berths. Several days later, the 47-year-old was named the newest head coach of the Fever – where she spent a considerable amount of time as a player and coach.
After spending her rookie season with the Charlotte Sting – who selected the Purdue product with the No. 21 overall pick in the 1999 WNBA Draft – White was acquired by the Fever in their inaugural season. She went on to spend the next four seasons in Indiana from 2000-2004, and actively ranks within the franchise’s top 20 rankings in games played (112), assists (225), steals (115) and three-pointers (92).
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Several years later, White returned to Indiana as an assistant coach, helping lead the Fever to its first WNBA Championship in 2012. She’d eventually assume head coaching duties, spending two seasons in the role before leaving for Vanderbilt in 2016.
“This is just a really, really special place, special franchise,” White said last month. “It’s been a part of my DNA from day one, and will always continue to be a part of my DNA. And… [Fever announcer Pat Boylan] would ask me, every time I come back, ‘What’s it feel like, you know, when you come back in this building?’ And every time I said, ‘It feels like home.’”
Given the demanding nature of her job, White conceded that being away from Indiana – particularly during her coaching tenure in Connecticut – was a difficult challenge for her family. The 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year was forced to spend a considerable amount of time away from her partner, ESPN sideline host Lisa Salters, and their four teenage boys while with the Sun.
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“You know, being out in Connecticut every year, I would sit down with my kids and my family, even before I took the job, when I was interviewing for other jobs, and just say, ’Hey, are we on board with this?’” White said. “Each fall, it has been really difficult, because I did not see my children a lot from the time they go back to school in August until I get home in October.”
When searching for her next job in the WNBA, White ultimately felt as though Indiana was the perfect landing spot. The Fever’s team facility is just a drive away from her hometown of West Lebanon as well as Nashville, where her kids actively attend school.
“For those of us who have children, you know, you don’t get these years back, right?” she said. “You don’t get this time back. And my family sacrificed a lot of time with my children, and for them to now be able to have them around more often, for me to be closer to home, it was really important.
“There’s always a time in your life where you feel like everything needs to be grounded, everything needs to be centered, so that you can be where your feet are.”
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