Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White will leave her home state to become a college head coach for the first time. White takes over the Vanderbilt University women's basketball program, but not until the current Fever season ends.
"We have some unfinished business here," White said after Fever practice Tuesday. "I love this franchise. I love this organization. I love this team. There's no way that anything would work out if I wasn't able to finish and complete and go to battle with these guys every day."
The WNBA season will take a break during the Olympics in Brazil this summer. That will allow White some time to prepare for her new job at Vanderbilt that begins later this fall. But she insists the Fever has her full attention otherwise.
"It's not going to be a distraction for me, because I'm focusing on our team and I'm focused on what we want to accomplish," said White. "I'm a person that's in the moment. In the moment, I want to win a championship for the Indiana Fever. In the moment, I want Tamika Catchings' last year to be special. I love this franchise. There are not a lot of jobs that I would want to leave this franchise for."
"I have a lot of confidence in Stephanie," said Fever President and Chief Operating Officer Kelly Krauskopf. "I do, and this group of players. It's unorthodox. There's no question about it, but it doesn't affect what we're doing now and how we're going forward."
"Really shocked, but I'm excited for Steph and just the opportunity," said Tamika Catchings, in her 15th and final season with the Fever. "Obviously, she and I have been longtime friends, so even more so. It's something that she talked about even before she came here."
"It was shocking," said Fever veteran forward Erlana Larkins. "We didn't see it coming. But we're happy for coach. This was always a dream of hers. Right now we're just going to handle business this summer and worry about the rest after."
"I'm sad that I won't get the opportunity to have her as my coach in the next coming seasons," said Fever rookie guard Tiffany Mitchell, "but I know it was a great opportunity for her."
White is an Indiana basketball legend. The 1995 Miss Basketball from tiny Seeger High School went to Purdue and led the Boilermakers to a national championship in 1999. She played four seasons for the Fever from 2000-03. Last year, White led the Fever to the WNBA Finals in her first season as head coach.
"The Indiana Fever is in my blood," said White. "It's in my DNA. The state of Indiana has always been in my DNA. So from that standpoint, it's a very difficult decision."
But the economic reality is that Title IX legislation makes some college coaching jobs more lucrative than the WNBA. College athletic departments are compelled by Title IX to invest in women's basketball programs somewhat equitably with men's basketball programs. White agreed to a six-year deal and sizable pay raise to move to Nashville, Tennessee, this fall. She called the opportunity a "no-brainer" financially.
"No we can't compete with that," admitted Krauskopf. "We're a business that has survived for 20 years and thrived. We're going to continue to push forward. But if you want to be around the best women in the game and be in a league that's really set a standard for professional team sports for women, this is it."
White said she has been impressed with Vanderbilt since she was recruited by the program in high school. She calls this a "dream job" she could not pass up, comparing the opportunity to when the Boston Celtics hired Brad Stevens away from Butler.
"Steph's married, three kids, trying to look like any parent would at the future for your children and being able to put them in a great position," said Catchings. "I think that you have to take advantage of every single situation that you have."
So now Coach White and the retiring Catchings will go out together at the end of 2016. This Fever season will be a long goodbye. The Fever is 2-1 with their next game Friday night on the road against the defending WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx.
"When we're on this court, we focus on what we're doing," said Catchings. "Everything is going to be the same. It's not like she's leaving here anytime soon. We're going to get through the season. Hopefully, still go for winning a championship."
White has already tabbed ESPN analyst Carolyn Peck to join her Vanderbilt staff. Peck could help run the program in Nashville while White finishes the Fever season. Peck coached White at Purdue, including the national championship season in 1999.
After retiring from the WNBA in 2003, White worked as a college assistant coach at Ball State, Kansas State and Toledo. She then worked as an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky of the WNBA before joining Lin Dunn's Fever staff in 2011. The Fever promoted White to Associate head coach in 2014 and put a plan in place for her to succeed Dunn, but that plan will last only two years.
