Stephanie White sends clear cut message to Caitlin Clark over toning down in-game outbursts

Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White wants their resident superstar Caitlin Clark to continue playing with fire but to tone down the in-game outbursts that are detrimental to the team.

The returning Fever bench tactician, who handled the Connecticut Sun last season, made this known on her appearance on the latest episode of "Good Follow" with Ros Gold-Onwude. She shared that the incoming sophomore should do a better job of controlling her emotions during games so as not to disrupt their flow.

White was reacting to what Caitlin Clark said in a separate podcast with Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, where she shared that her goal for the upcoming WNBA season was to have only two technical fouls.The Fever coach said:

"My initial reaction to it was, like, momentum-changing technicals we can't have. The unnecessary ones like we can't have... But you don't want to take any of that [fire] away because that's what makes her special. [She may need] to channel some of that, you know, in a way that may not hinder our team.

Caitlin Clark was among the WNBA leaders with six technical fouls in 2024. Had she gotten one more, she would have been suspended for a game as per league rules.

But her competitive fire was one of the things that made her a huge draw in the WNBA and helped the Fever achieve renewed competitiveness, making the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

Stephanie White wants Caitlin Clark to develop her strength for the new WNBA season

Apart from channeling her competitive fire, Stephanie White also wants Caitlin Clark to develop her strength to keep up with the demands of the WNBA.

She shared this in the same interview with Ros Gold-Onwude on Good Follow, highlighting how opposing teams will continue to make it tougher for Clark in the new season.

White said:

"Certainly, getting stronger is one. That's the way that teams have to try to keep her off balance. Keeping a low center of gravity. There are times where she plays a little bit upright. Making sure core strength and her ability to move with time under tension, and stay in a low center of gravity, are important."

White assured that she will be doing everything she can to help Caitlin Clark to continue to grow and use her abilities in a far-ranging way.

DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard, Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson, Brianna Turner, and Jaelyn Brown, as well as rookies Makayla Timpson, Bree Hall, and Yvonne Ejim, will support Clark and the team.

They join the team's holdovers, who include the 'Big Three' of Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston.