The Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark have come under intense scrutiny this season as Clark has returned to the floor following a sophomore season as a professional that saw her miss all but 13 games with nagging soft tissue injuries.
A lot of the focus this season has centered on the system employed by Fever head coach Stephanie White, with many feeling that her plan of frequently featuring Clark off-ball is counterproductive to Indiana’s success.
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On Wednesday, reporter Christine Brennan asked White about the noise around the issue.
“You see social media, of course you do, and we all do, and we see frustration if Caitlin doesn’t have the ball or if something goes wrong or if the team doesn’t play well in the fourth quarter, all those things that happen in sports. What’s your answer to those fans?” Christine Brennan asked White.
White was blunt and honest in her response.
“I don’t know that I really have an answer for the fans,” she said. “You know, I think, um, you know, I, I have to answer to our team, um, you know, and, and our franchise, um, and we’re trying to win ball games. You know, we’re not trying to appease the masses. We’re trying to win ball games.
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“And so I think for us, um, figuring it out on a consistent basis, um, you know, our big three are, are learning to play together again, um, you know, with Caitlin missing as much time as she did a year ago. And, and finding a flow does take time, um, especially when our— when Caitlin or when, uh, Kelsey and Aaliyah had the ball in their hands so much a year ago. Um, and then we’ve got other pieces that are trying to find their way as well.
“I think when you see us find continuity, um, you’ll see what, what seems to be easier shot opportunities, um, and better shot quality. And that’s what I’m focused on, is, is the best shot quality we can get, uh, the best shot opportunities we can get, and how we keep that balanced enough to make sure that we stay in a rhythm and flow and be the best that we can be when we head into, you know, September, October, um, and get ready for the playoffs.”
The Fever are coming off a win that White and the Fever are hoping will turn the season around as they’ve hovered .500 for most of the season. If that isn’t the case, White may be unable to avoid the noise from outside the building.
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The post ‘I don’t have an answer for fans’: Caitlin Clark’s head coach gets brutally honest appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.
