Stephanie White isn't to blame for Fever's first loss after Caitlin Clark injury

The Indiana Fever lost the team's first match without Caitlin Clark Wednesday night, a result that was not entirely unexpected considering they were up against the Washington Mystics (and their strong rookie class, as well as a healthy Shakira Austin). While plenty of fans were understandably disappointed by the loss, it also sparked something less understandable — calls for Coach Stephanie White's removal.

White joined the Fever as Head Coach on November 1, 2024. The hiring immediately signaled that the Fever is serious about being championship contenders this season; White brings with her a wealth of experience and knowledge as a player and coach, as well as her own deep history with the Fever franchise.

The decision to hire White followed the disappointing performance of former Fever coach Christie Sides, who was often accused of not understanding how to maximize then-rookie Caitlin Clark's skills on the court. The 2025 season is young, but White has already demonstrated she definitely knows how to maximize Clark — but now Clark is out, which means the entire team has to come up with a new plan.

Some fans are already upset with Stephanie White

Calls against White after one game without Caitlin Clark are unnecessary and indicate a lack of understanding of the sport of basketball, especially when it is played at an elite level by the best athletes in the world. The Fever were never going to come into the 2025 season undefeated (so far, only the defending champs the New York Liberty and last year's second place team, the Minnesota Lynx, hold that record) no matter who was the coach, and Clark alone cannot propel a team to a perfet record.

Fever fans are known for their heightened responses to any decision the team makes (especially post-2024 WNBA Draft), so in some ways it's not entirely surprising that a pocket of fans are putting the blame for the team's performance Wednesday night entirely on White. The coach also acknowledged that she and her staff need to improve in some areas (like making sure Aliyah Boston gets the ball when she needs it). But fans need to take a deep breath and undertand everything that's happening on the court and behind the scenes: the team is navigating a lot, their star player is injured, fair weather fans are selling their tickets, and now they have to completely reengineer defensive and offensive schemes that they only just started learning this preseason.

The best thing Fever fans can do right now — especially if they are true Fever fans — is show up at games, watch games at home, and have faith in the coach and team that so many were such strong advocates for before Monday, May 26. White is an elite coach who is an asset to this team and franchise, and that's something that should be trusted (and appreciated).