Reports: Stephanie White to Leave For College Job
The Indiana Fever head coach and 1995 Indiana Miss Basketball is expected to be the next Vanderbilt University women’s basketball head coach. Multiple reports, including The Tennessean in Nashville, say Stephanie White will be introduced Tuesday as the Commodores next coach.
On Friday, the Fever announced White had interviewed for the job and President and General Manager Kelly Krauskopf said White and the organization agreed White will finish the current season as the Fever head coach. Krauskopf said White made it known in the offseason she was interested in going after a job in the college ranks. In the statement, White said "it has always been a goal of mine to get back into college coaching at some point in my career, but it had to be the ‘perfect’ opportunity in order for me to consider leaving this job that I love very much. Vanderbilt did reach out to me and I was given permission to speak with them. No matter what happens in this process, my focus is on the Indiana Fever and leading this team to a WNBA championship this season. I love this team, our players, staff and organization and I will continue to give them all everything I have."
Following the 2014 season, she was named the fifth head coach of the Fever, succeeding Lin Dunn. In 2015, White became the first WNBA head coach to win a conference championship in her first season. She also played for the team for four seasons in the early 2000s and returned to the franchise as an assistant in 2011.
The Fever are 2-1 this season and currently in a three-way tie atop the Eastern Conference. The team’s next game is Friday against the Minnesota Lynx.