Stephanie White explains the pressure that comes with coaching Caitlin Calrk

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White talks with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) on Saturday, May 2, 2026, during the first half of a preseason game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Indiana Fever opens its 2026 season on Saturday against the Dallas Wings in a game that will feature the last four number one overall picks. One of those picks, 2024 selection Caitlin Clark, has completely transformed both the league and the way that it’s covered.

On Thursday, Fever head coach Stephanie White appeared on Women’s Sports Now and spoke about the scrutiny that comes with coaching the biggest player in the league.

“You know, I think it’s a blessing, you know, it’s an opportunity,” White said. “She challenges me. Every day to be better. I mean, her skill set is elite. Her basketball mind is elite. She challenges us as coaches to be better, and it challenges us to put our team in positions for success, but also allow her to do what she does best. So, again, I don’t think it’s pressure.

“I think it’s great players wanna be around great players, right? And great coaches wanna be around great players, and they challenge you in a different way. And I’m a basketball junkie, so watching games to try to find different ways that we can get her you know, easier looks is an outstanding challenge. And she wants to be coached. She wants to be the best, and she wants to be pushed, and she wants to— she wants that challenge too. And so I think that that makes it a lot easier.”

A new role

As much as Clark wants to be the best in the world, White knows she has to protect her young star, and one way she plans on doing that is taking Clark off the ball more than the guard was in her first two seasons.

“The way that people and teams play Caitlin is different than (how) they play everyone else. It’s the nature of her skillset, what she brings to the table, and it’s really the ultimate compliment,” White told reporters this week.

“And so, in order to alleviate how hard she has to work on every single possession, it’s important to get her off the ball sometimes. When you think about what are the ways that you can rest when on the floor, that’s one way. I know people are freaking out about this thing, it’s not all the time thing either. It’s a way to help her load management. It’s a way to help alleviate some of the extra stuff that’s put on her shoulders throughout the course of the game.”