Does it appear to you that she is "coaching" Clark to the best use of her skills, or is she doing everything she can to pull the leash tighter? That's the question....We run in transition faster with RJ, was Whites quote. Really? And to what end? So now RJ is a better facilitator then CC22?The calls to fire Stephanie White are hysterical nonsense.
Problems? - yes, but more than enough time to iron things out. The WNBA playoffs begin 9/27 - the day after the 4-0 Iowa Hawkeyes defeat Michigan in football. Plenty of time
Unlike Sides, White is a legend in Indiana as a prep and college player with a shelf full of POY trophies. She was recently voted WNBA Coach of the Year (2023). Absent a personal scandal, she isn’t getting fired anytime soon.
I would like to see more pick and roll plays with Clark, Clark/Boston PnR is dynamic.
"Time for her to sit" in other words "I'm in control......
If her experiment trying to develop Raven into Caitlin doesn't fail, well...she might be around for a bit...Has White been fired yet?
Future civilizations will study her first quarter substitutions and scratch their heads trying to make sense of them. Most likely they will conclude that White mistakenly thought this was an exhibition game.Clark, Hull, and Boston subbed out at that moment as you've said. White, in the post-game presser, when asked why she subbed Clark out there at that particular moment, said that that was typically when they've been subbing her out. Not for needed rest, just that it was time for her to sit. SMH.
Oh the drama! If White was “doing everything in her power to leash Clark” then she wouldn’t start Clark because that is certainly within her power, or play Clark even less minutes - also within her power. Ridiculous assertion.Except she is doing everything in her power to leash Clark, including playing half the game or benching her. There's still the rumor that Clark didn't play in the game because White benched her. Hard to believe until you see some of the things that happened in the last game.
Been traveling and I’m sure it’s been discussed ad nauseum but Caitlin was cooking and then for reasons I do not understand, white took out Clark and Boston, and then Portland went on a 15-2 run. What in the **** was that all about?As soon as Boston subbed out at 6:30 in the 1st quarter (with the Fever leading 8-4), Gustafson went to work scoring 6 consecutive points in a 45 second span simply by setting picks on Kelsey and then Raven, creating a switch, and rolling to the basket for two "and ones" over undersize guards. Portland never looked back after that run, This is a predictable result of a defensive strategy of automatically switching on every screen.
This continued into the second half where I recall Megan scoring at least another two by posting up Mitchell.
What's scary is that these suicide switches aren't defensive breakdowns. This is what the coaching staff draws up and implements as the Fever's
go-to defense. Amazing.
I'm sorry, but how can this be explained any other way than by incompetence.
I have never understood coaches who stick to substitution patterns regardless of the flow of the game. I am starting to think White is a dip****. JMO.Future civilizations will study her first quarter substitutions and scratch their heads trying to make sense of them. Most likely they will conclude that White mistakenly thought this was an exhibition game.
I’ll go back to my Paul Westhead example…he won a championship, then won 54 games, yet he was fired 11 games into his third season because he didn’t know how to coach Magic Johnson. People called Jerry Buss crazy for firing him, but it turned out to be brilliant. Stephanie didn’t really coach Clark last year so people couldn’t see she’s lost in how to coach CC. I see no reason to think that’s going to change. White even said she wants to go fast when Raven is in the game, not Clark….that’s a level of ignorance that can’t be fixed.
A good way to think about it is this. The best women's basketball coaches are at the best Division 1 schools in the NCAA not in the WNBA. The best coaches earn the most money usually.I have never understood coaches who stick to substitution patterns regardless of the flow of the game. I am starting to think White is a dip****. JMO.
Front Office Intel.Been traveling and I’m sure it’s been discussed ad nauseum but Caitlin was cooking and then for reasons I do not understand, white took out Clark and Boston, and then Portland went on a 15-2 run. What in the **** was that all about?
A good way to think about it is this. The best women's basketball coaches are at the best Division 1 schools in the NCAA not in the WNBA. The best coaches earn the most money usually.
Tibbets earns $1.2MM, Hammon earns $1MM, Reeve earns $700k. Reeve didn't even win 50% of her games as head coach at Indiana State for several seasons, and she's considered likely the best coach in WNBA history.
Mulkey, Geno, and Staley all earn over $3MM per year. Even Jan Jensen earns about $1.2MM from us as an unproven head coach. Bluder earned almost $1.5MM her last few years.
Steph White was a pretty piss poor coach at Vanderbilt in her 5 years there, .357 overall and winning less than 20% of her conference games. In the WNBA she has a .600 regular season record and a .500 postseason record. For Indiana her salary isn't public but is estimated somewhere between $600-700k. Why on earth would we think she would be a mastermind coach compared to the many top college coaches that actually know what they're doing?
Look, I’m not a huge fan of White, but comparing college to the pros is just not the same. Look at Pitino and other college coaches who go to the pros. Most have failed. In college you get to control everything. And most college coaches are control freaks. I’m not sure if Vandy had any resources for women’s bball when she was there. But yes, she was clearly lousy in her time there. I’m not sure what she’s trying to prove or do here with CC, and there is clearly a power struggle going on. Neither one seems very happy right now.A good way to think about it is this. The best women's basketball coaches are at the best Division 1 schools in the NCAA not in the WNBA. The best coaches earn the most money usually.
Tibbets earns $1.2MM, Hammon earns $1MM, Reeve earns $700k. Reeve didn't even win 50% of her games as head coach at Indiana State for several seasons, and she's considered likely the best coach in WNBA history.
Mulkey, Geno, and Staley all earn over $3MM per year. Even Jan Jensen earns about $1.2MM from us as an unproven head coach. Bluder earned almost $1.5MM her last few years.
Steph White was a pretty piss poor coach at Vanderbilt in her 5 years there, .357 overall and winning less than 20% of her conference games. In the WNBA she has a .600 regular season record and a .500 postseason record. For Indiana her salary isn't public but is estimated somewhere between $600-700k. Why on earth would we think she would be a mastermind coach compared to the many top college coaches that actually know what they're doing?
Words have meanings and details are important.Super. Thanks for the update, on those "pretty packed houses". Just a question, do you EVER add anything here except critique other peoples posts. Frankly your Fran on steroids without the useful information he brings to the group. So basically just an annoyance.
Clark won't be gone regardless of her performance because she puts butts in the stands. It's all about the money.Just for fun, I'll make a prediction. Before the season is over, either White and her entire staff will be gone, OR, Clark will be gone. Remember, it's just for fun. Right?
Clark, Hull, and Boston subbed out at that moment as you've said. White, in the post-game presser, when asked why she subbed Clark out there at that particular moment, said that that was typically when they've been subbing her out. Not for needed rest, just that it was time for her to sit. SMH.
The difference is that last night she pulled 3 starters after just 3 1/2 minutes when they were dictating the tempo and basically having their way with Portland. And then she pulled Raven after just 2 minutes to sub in Harris. It was like if a football team used a different QB every drive.Yeah they've done that for the last few games ever since she came back from her injury.
In the Washington game the Fever jumped out to an early lead, CC played the first 7-8 minutes of the game then came back a couple of minutes into the 2nd and s lot of people here complained that they sat CC too long.
Pretty obvious they are trying to manage her load and are still trying to get the patterns down.
Nobody subs out 3 starters 3 1/2 minutes into the game and especially when you’ve gotten off to a hot start and the other team played the night before. I get that Boston is still on a minutes restriction but why not let it go 6 minutes (at a minimum) and see if you can get up 10-12 pts. Especially when they have no backup Center with her clearly losing faith in Dantas. With no Boston it’s a straight line to the basket for other teams. It’s going to be a long season for the Fever.The difference is that last night she pulled 3 starters after just 3 1/2 minutes when they were dictating the tempo and basically having their way with Portland. And then she pulled Raven after just 2 minutes to sub in Harris. It was like if a football team used a different QB every drive.
White employed 21 different lineups vs Fire.The difference is that last night she pulled 3 starters after just 3 1/2 minutes when they were dictating the tempo and basically having their way with Portland. And then she pulled Raven after just 2 minutes to sub in Harris. It was like if a football team used a different QB every drive.
I'm serious lol. Check this out.Nobody subs out 3 starters 3 1/2 minutes into the game and especially when you’ve gotten off to a hot start and the other team played the night before. I get that Boston is still on a minutes restriction but why not let it go 6 minutes (at a minimum) and see if you can get up 10-12 pts. Especially when they have no backup Center with her clearly losing faith in Dantas. With no Boston it’s a straight line to the basket for other teams. It’s going to be a long season for the Fever.
I'm serious lol. Check this out.Video set to the lineups she used.
Oh, sure, "Ledgie"."Stephanie White gets it."
"Stephanie White is prepared."
"Championship DNA."
If she was so blatant as to not start Clark or played her even less then she is she would be overwhelmed with Questions from the media, and you know that. Several seem like they are already sniffing around the stench coming off of this. Her minutes are way down from previous, and every game is on TV so there are plenty of time outs. This whole "managing her work load" thing is a smoke screen. She is certainly "managing " Clark though that's pretty obvious. I don't see how you can watch that video of them going at each other in the TO and watch White bench her and think its "all good". And before people jump in with this is all on Clark, confrontations in the mens game between STARS and the coaches are commen place. Mostly because the big stars make 5-10 times what the coaches make when you add in off the floor $. This may be another layer with White, with Clark making 16 million last year in her portfolio. Who knows, but this has gotten progressively worse since the season started.Oh the drama! If White was “doing everything in her power to leash Clark” then she wouldn’t start Clark because that is certainly within her power, or play Clark even less minutes - also within her power. Ridiculous assertion.
Also, loved the tabloid level “rumor” about Clark.
To add you think a coach making that and her "star" making over 16 million off the court and 500K on the court MIGHT have an issue?A good way to think about it is this. The best women's basketball coaches are at the best Division 1 schools in the NCAA not in the WNBA. The best coaches earn the most money usually.
Tibbets earns $1.2MM, Hammon earns $1MM, Reeve earns $700k. Reeve didn't even win 50% of her games as head coach at Indiana State for several seasons, and she's considered likely the best coach in WNBA history.
Mulkey, Geno, and Staley all earn over $3MM per year. Even Jan Jensen earns about $1.2MM from us as an unproven head coach. Bluder earned almost $1.5MM her last few years.
Steph White was a pretty piss poor coach at Vanderbilt in her 5 years there, .357 overall and winning less than 20% of her conference games. In the WNBA she has a .600 regular season record and a .500 postseason record. For Indiana her salary isn't public but is estimated somewhere between $600-700k. Why on earth would we think she would be a mastermind coach compared to the many top college coaches that actually know what they're doing?
All true, but just like in the mens game, the fans come to see the stars, not the coaches. Now there may never have been a star that shines like Clark in the women's game, and White seems like she wants to remind Clark who the boss is. That doesn't work in the pro's like it does in college.Look, I’m not a huge fan of White, but comparing college to the pros is just not the same. Look at Pitino and other college coaches who go to the pros. Most have failed. In college you get to control everything. And most college coaches are control freaks. I’m not sure if Vandy had any resources for women’s bball when she was there. But yes, she was clearly lousy in her time there. I’m not sure what she’s trying to prove or do here with CC, and there is clearly a power struggle going on. Neither one seems very happy right now.
"Stephanie White gets it."
"Stephanie White is prepared."
"Championship DNA."
Your lengthy reply does not in any way support your earlier claim that White is “doing everything in her power” to “leash” Clark. That claim is patently false.If she was so blatant as to not start Clark or played her even less then she is she would be overwhelmed with Questions from the media, and you know that. Several seem like they are already sniffing around the stench coming off of this. Her minutes are way down from previous, and every game is on TV so there are plenty of time outs. This whole "managing her work load" thing is a smoke screen. She is certainly "managing " Clark though that's pretty obvious. I don't see how you can watch that video of them going at each other in the TO and watch White bench her and think its "all good". And before people jump in with this is all on Clark, confrontations in the mens game between STARS and the coaches are commen place. Mostly because the big stars make 5-10 times what the coaches make when you add in off the floor $. This may be another layer with White, with Clark making 16 million last year in her portfolio. Who knows, but this has gotten progressively worse since the season started.
Speaking of Sides, the Fever traded in the Edsel for a Pacer.Unimpressive compared to who? She had 16/6/4 last game…most point guards would kill for that stat line. She was bad tonight and she will have other bad games throughout the season, but her good games could be much better with a system that fits her style of play. There should never ever be a game where she shoots 7 times and only twice from the three point line no matter how cold she starts off. A coach needs to give her the ball and get out of the way- ask Lisa Bluder and Christie Sides.
That actually had more to do with Pat Riley than it did to Westhead. They were running a hybrid type of system from the coach that was in an accident and a Riley/Westhead combo of interpreting that system. When Westhead was given control, his ego in his system got the best of him.It wasn't that he didn't know how to coach Magic, it's that Magic only wanted to play a certain way, even if the other way had already produced a title.