Fever Promote White to Head Coach
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana Fever have named Stephanie White head coach. She previously served as an assistant coach for the team and succeeds Lin Dunn, who retired at the end of last season. September 23, 2014
News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Fever President and General Manager formally introduced Stephanie White as the newest head coach of the Indiana Fever on Tuesday afternoon at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
White takes over for Hall of Famer Lin Dunn, who completed her final season in coaching in 2014. White spent the past four seasons as an assistant on Dunn's staff and was promoted to associate head coach for the 2014 season.
“This is a moment that I feel like I've been preparing for my entire life,” White said. “And I'm so glad that it's happening in this state. I'm so glad it's happening with this franchise. There's not a better franchise to model yourself after, to be a part of, in the entire league.”
One of the club's original players and a member of the Fever's All-Decade Team announced in 2009, White has coached in the college and pro ranks since 2003. She retired from playing in the WNBA following the 2004 season.
White's hiring in 2011 marked the first time the Fever had hired an assistant coach with pro playing experience. She was re-united with Fever Head Coach Lin Dunn, the former Purdue coach who recruited White to its West Lafayette campus.
Prior to re-joining the Fever, White spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the Chicago Sky after previous stints as a college assistant at Ball State, Kansas State and Toledo.
White also has parlayed her playing and coaching into a prominent broadcasting career with the Big Ten Network and ESPN. She appears regularly on BTN's women's basketball studio show and provides game analysis for both networks. During the 2013-14 NBA season, she began work as a sideline reporter with FOX Sports Indiana, covering the Indiana Pacers.
After leading Purdue to a national championship in 1999 and being drafted by the Charlotte Sting, White was eventually acquired by the Fever in a draft-day trade in December 1999 to lead her hometown team into its first season of existence. A former Indiana Miss Basketball and a Purdue All-American, White played four pro seasons with the Fever where she was a teammate of current Fever star Tamika Catchings.
She played five pro seasons between 1999-04, capping her career with the Fever for whom she was one of the club's top playmakers, 3-point artists and free throw shooters. She still ranks prominently among franchise leaders in games played, minutes, 3-pointers, assists, steals, 3-point percentage and free throw percentage. Her 93 percent free throw shooting in 2003 remains a Fever record.
White's legacy as a prep and college star made her one of the state's most popular figures even before she donned a Fever uniform. Beginning at nearby Seeger Memorial High School, White set early standards for basketball excellence while becoming an Indiana icon. She averaged 36.9 points and 13.1 rebounds per game while being named the 1995 national high school player of the year. She led Seeger to a 92-7 record over four seasons and finished her prep career with an Indiana record 2,869 points.
At Purdue she averaged double-figure scoring in four straight seasons. As a senior she averaged 20.2 points and 4.5 assists per game while earning the 1999 Wade Trophy as the national college player of the year. She led Purdue to its first NCAA title and finished second in school history in points and assists. She has since been inducted into the Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame.
She gave birth to her first child, Landon Fletcher White, on Sept. 27, 2011, the morning of Game 3 of the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals. White and partner Michelle welcomed twin boys, Aiden and Avery, on Aug. 3, 2013.
Source: The Indiana Fever