A day after Indiana Feverfired coach Christie Sides, the Connecticut Sun parted ways with their coach, Stephanie White – a former Fever player and coach rumored to be a potential name to fill the Indiana vacancy.
Now the Sun, who coached White to a 55-25 regular-season record and a 7-7 postseason record, will also look for a new coach after announcing the move Monday.
“We would like to thank Stephanie for her time in Connecticut and her commitment to our organization over the past two seasons,” Sun President Jen Rizzotti said in a statement. “We wish her the best in her future endeavors.”
White, 47, led Connecticut to the semifinals in consecutive seasons during her two-year tenure as the team’s coach. She was named the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game coach and earned WNBA and AP Coach of the Year honors that season.
White joined the Sun in 2023 after coaching the Vanderbilt program from 2016 to 2021. She previously served as an assistant at Indiana (2011-2014) before taking on head coaching duties from 2015 to 2016.
The Sun went 28-12 last season and lost in five games in the WNBA semifinals to the Minnesota Lynx.
White’s return to the WNBA after a detour into college basketball and broadcasting was wildly successful, as the Sun trailed only the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces (the latter two champions) in wins over the past two seasons. While “breaking up” can sometimes be a euphemism for a layoff, it’s probably the correct expression in this situation.
White was reportedly recruited by multiple other franchises during the offseason. She wouldn’t leave Connecticut without another shot, and there are plenty to choose from as more than half the league has left their coaches since the end of the 2024 regular season.
The obvious landing place for white is in Indiana. There are simply too many connections to overlook. White attended college and high school in Indiana before playing four seasons for the Fever, including on their first roster in 2000. While serving as an assistant and head coach for the franchise, she also worked with then-general manager ( and current team president) Kelly Krauskopf. —
White wouldn’t have sought other opportunities if she was content in Connecticut, and therein lies the problem for an organization that has been a perpetual bridesmaid for the past decade.
The Sun has made it to six consecutive WNBA semifinals but has yet to win a title. Furthermore, under the leadership of the Mohegan Indian tribe, there is a limit to the amount of investment in the team, especially relative to the billionaire ownership groups that pour money into franchises, such as New York, Las Vegas and Phoenix.
With White gone, it may be time for a rebuild in Connecticut. Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner and Bri Jones are all unrestricted free agents, and given the core’s shortcomings in the postseason, the Sun could pivot and build for the future. They currently don’t have a first-round pick in the 2025 draft due to the Marina Mabrey trade, but they could sell some veterans to return to what should be a very deep draft. If the front office chooses to change course, they will need to act quickly as several teams are looking for head coaches who focus on player development. —
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Connecticut Sun, WNBA
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