Indiana Fever acting head coach breaks silence on Stephanie White’s abrupt absence

Stephanie White missed Saturday’s game against the Chicago Sky due to personal reasons, and acting Indiana Fever head coach Austin Kelly provided reporters with an update

Indiana Fever first assistant Austin Kelly addressed Stephanie White’s absence before Saturday’s game against the Chicago Sky, as he stepped up as acting head coach.

The Fever were already without Caitlin Clark for Saturday’s game after she suffered a quadriceps injury against the New York Liberty on May 24. However, Coach White missed Friday’s practice due to personal reasons, and it was confirmed Saturday morning that she would also sit out the primetime game against Chicago.

As a result, first assistant Kelly assumed her role, with assistants Karima Christmas-Kelly and Briann January also stepping up elsewhere. Ahead of tip-off, Kelly gave an update regarding White’s situation and when she may return to her head coaching duties.

“I think that’s another situation where we will see tonight, after this one is done,” Kelly told reporters. “We’ve been in communication. We have her in our thoughts, let her know that we have her back. But I think we will know more after this.”

The Fever may have been 1-2 since Clark suffered her injury, but Kelly was very comfortable leading the team against Chicago. Indiana had a 41-28 lead at halftime and was dominating the Sky, who have won just two games all season.

White spoke about the faith she has in her coaching team prior to this season, and even hypothetically suggested what would happen if she had to step away from her role. “My staff is so good and trusting in them that if I needed to be away for a period of time, it’s status quo,” White told the IndyStar

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Our team knows that, they have great respect for them, and I know that, and I trust them implicitly, so it gives even more peace of mind.” Kelly is now in his third WNBA season under coach White, after acting as her assistant at the Connecticut Sun in 2023 and 2024.

Together, they guided Connecticut to the WNBA Semifinals in both seasons. Now, they are working with an exciting Fever roster that houses a generational talent in Clark, who is playing alongside veterans such as DeWanna Bonner.

Clark will be evaluated on Sunday after missing two weeks of action, but on Thursday she confirmed that she was not ready to face the Sky. “I’ll miss this weekend’s game, but after that, it’s day-by-day and see how I feel, and just turn to the medical staff and what they think,” Clark said.

Indiana is yet to confirm when White or Caitlin Clark will officially return(Image: Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

“I feel like I’ve made a lot of progress and I feel good, and I’m not going to rush coming back. It’s just not worth it. But after this weekend, I’ll be reevaluated and we’ll have a better idea of when I’ll return.

The Fever next face the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday, but Clark refused to confirm whether that may be her comeback game. “We’ll see,” Clark said. “We’re trying not to put an exact date out there.

“It is kind of a day-by-day thing and see how I feel. It’s the type of injury like, you don’t know, when I wake up, I’ll feel different than the day before. We’ll see. It could be a possibility, but I could also not be available for that game, too.”

Clark has never missed games during her career, as she stayed healthy during her four years and 139 games at Iowa before playing the entirety of her rookie WNBA season. Clark has now been sidelined for four WNBA games, which may impact her MVP pursuit, as no one has ever won the award and missed more than three games