Stephanie White doesn't mince words while addressing toxic narratives surrounding Caitlin Clark: "Not that hard to not be a jerk"

The phenomenal impact of Caitlin Clark has come at a price, as she has been on the receiving end of criticism and hurtful words for the past few years. To Clark's credit, she hardly seems deterred by any of it as she has scooped up records and accolades, whether in the NCAA or the WNBA.

Her new Indiana Fever head coach, however, won't put up with any of it. On Wednesday's episode of the online show "Good Follow," Stephanie White delivered a strong statement on the type of fan behavior that she deems unacceptable:

"You can root for your team, you can dislike an opponent...but don't be a bad human being," White said. "Don't be a jerk. It's not that hard to not be a jerk."

The Fever head coach pointed to "the hate, the vitriol, the language, the narratives" that have been hurled at Clark, her fellow WNBA players, and the WNBA in general. White, who has over a decade's worth of experience as a WNBA coach in addition to a six-year playing career, called for the league to be firm in its stance against these unwelcome elements.

"As a league, we have to continue to be vocal about what is expected, what is accepted and what is not," White said.

Though White acknowledged that the negativity comes with the territory as far as the WNBA's global reach is concerned, she maintained that there is a distinction between criticizing the players' performance on the court and attacking their personal attributes, such as race and sexual orientation.

Stephanie White on Caitlin Clark's preparations for year 2 in WNBA: "We've got to be able to diversify"

Even as White puts her foot down in terms of protecting her players, she remains hard at work when it comes to fine-tuning the skills of her team's crown jewel.

On the same episode of "Good Follow," White detailed the different ways in which she is helping Clark elevate her game.

"From just a straight basketball perspective, [we are] making sure that we help her diversify her finishing ability," White said. "To be able to be equal in terms of production and facilitation, going right and left...we've got to be able to diversify."

White also talked about using Clark in off-ball situations like screening, in order to unlock her teammates' skill sets while giving her some "rest" from handling the rock.