Though she would love to have at least one more season with her current coaching staff, Fever coach Stephanie White recognizes it’s only a matter of time before Briann January and Austin Kelly land their first WNBA head coaching gigs.
And when that time comes, she said Wednesday on IndyStar’s Fever Insider Live, “they’re going to be great head coaches in this league for a long time.”
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“They each bring different personalities, different experiences and what they lack in ‘head coaching experience,’ they’ve gained in basketball experience and sport experience,” White continued. “And in the three years we’ve been working together, the way they’ve grown in terms of their leadership and communication and strategizing — all those things matter.”
The Fever coach’s comments come as coaching vacancies in this current cycle begin to dwindle.
Two of the five positions have been hired over the past week, with expansion teams in Toronto hiring former New York Liberty coach Sandy Brondello and Portland hiring Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Alex Sarama. And ESPN reported Thursday that the Dallas Wings are expected to hire longtime South Florida coach Jose Fernandez. USF confirmed Fernandez’s decision to “pursue an opportunity to coach at the next level in the WNBA” later in the day.
That leaves two openings: the Seattle Storm and Liberty.
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January’s name has been mentioned as a candidate for both jobs; Kelly would also make sense given his experience at both the college and professional levels.
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“It’s about finding the right fit, having the right opportunity for success and the right franchise that will also help them continue to grow,” White said. “And one of the most important things is surrounding yourself with a great staff and I’m thankful that I’ve been able to do that. I’ll continue to enjoy that as long as we can.”
Kelly served as acting head coach when White had to miss two games on different occasions for a family emergency during the season, with January and fellow assistant Karima Christmas-Kelly taking on bigger roles on the bench in support of him.
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White said she talks with other teams if/when they call about one of her assistants, adding it’s important for them to experience going through the hiring process, regardless.
“Most every coach wants an opportunity to lead their own team — not all of them, but a lot do — and I have the utmost confidence in our coaching staff,” White said. “Certainly I would love to keep our coaching staff together, but at the same time, preparing them to be head coaches, I feel like it’s part of my responsibility.”
White began her WNBA coaching career as an assistant with the Chicago Sky, then returned to Indy as an assistant under Lin Dunn from 2011-14. White credited Dunn, now a senior advisor with the Fever, with challenging her and giving her ownership of certain aspects of the job as an assistant. That experience, she continued, prepared her to step in as head coach when Dunn retired following the 2015 season.
WATCH: Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White joins IndyStar’s Fever Insider Live to break down season
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“We in our organization take great pride in helping prepare future head coaches,” White said. “I want to keep (January and Kelly) around for as long as I can, but I also know they’re going to be ready when their numbers are called and are going to go on to do great things.”
“We’ll see what happens, but I’m thankful for the time that we’ve had,” she continued. “I hope we have more of it together, because I think we can do some really special things, but I will be their No. 1 fan and supporter when it’s time to move on and become a head coach.”
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar’s YouTube channel for Fever Insider Live.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: WNBA coach rumors: Briann January, Austin Kelly have Stephanie White’s support
