Caitlin Clark given target by new coach Stephanie | NBA News

Stephanie White has delivered a highly effective assertion to Caitlin Clark after her extraordinary first yr within the WNBA. Clark, 22, has made a super influence on ladies’s basketball, delivering one of essentially the most outstanding rookie campaigns ever seen within the league.

Playing for the Indiana Fever, she earned the Rookie of the Year title, shattered information for single-season and single-game assists, surpassed the rookie scoring milestone, and have become the primary rookie to document a triple-double. Her efforts additionally noticed her secure a spot on the All-WNBA First Team.

During an look on the Coaching U Podcast, Fever head coach White emphasised that Clark has limitless potential however highlighted the significance of growth each on and off the court docket. “She’s a great player, she’s a high IQ player,” White mentioned.

“She adjusted really quickly to this league, unbelievably quickly. And now it’s about becoming not just a great player but a great leader for this team, so we can win not just a championship but championships.“

White, who led her Connecticut Sun squad to remove Clark’s Fever from the WNBA playoffs in September, stepped into the top teaching position for Indiana in November, succeeding Christie Sides. Not long after taking charge, she mentioned methods for Clark to raise her recreation and shared that the younger level guard is “hungry to grow.”

She mentioned: “I started watching Caitlin Clark since she was in eighth grade, and then I called a lot of her games in college when she was in Iowa. And so I’ve really watched her continue to learn and grow.

“I had great relationships along with her coaches and had a number of conversations about what her subsequent steps could be, and what the subsequent stage could be. She’s hungry to grow and hungry to get higher.

“My first conversation with her the other day about Xs and Os was like, ‘Well how do you want to improve?’ And then we’ll talk about how we want to do that. And then I talk about how we can use her and help her but more efficient and more effective in general.”

White, a former WNBA participant who spent 5 seasons within the league and, like Clark, performed for the Indiana Fever, has some insight into the pressures Clark is at the moment going through. She believes her own experiences can function invaluable steerage to help the younger star progress in her profession.

“Just being there to help her navigate some of the things she’s navigating [is something I’m happy to be able to do],” the 47-year-old mentioned. “I don’t think that anyone of us can understand what she goes through on a daily basis.

“She carries a heavy load with our league and along with her talents and her recognition. She’s like Taylor Swift 2.0. So simply being somebody who’s been a participant on this league and somebody who’s navigated some of the issues, not all of the issues, however some of the issues she’s going by way of and being a useful resource for her [will hopefully help].

“We both see the game the way, we both love the game, we’re both competitors, so I think it’s going to be a smooth transition, and I’m really looking forward to it.”