INDIANAPOLIS – Stephanie White leaned back in her chair. The Indiana Fever coach wanted to show off her T-shirt while sitting behind the dais inside the media room at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The message on her black crewneck was clear.
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“MVP Mitchell,” it said In big red lettering.
Initiated by Fever players, Indiana wore T-shirts supporting Kelsey Mitchell’s case for MVP this season on Friday against the Minnesota Lynx. It was a surprise to Mitchell, who is fourth in the league in scoring with 20.4 points per game.
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”I was taken aback,” Mitchell said postgame. “It was fun; it was funny. I was very humbled and grateful for my group. I love the people I play with and to know that they’d go out their way to make something like that happen for me, it means a lot more than people know because I have been here the longest … and to know that my teammates see that I have value somewhere, they make me feel like I’m important to them.
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”Anybody who knows me knows that I’m a loyal person, so I’m going to forever look at them as forever friends after something like that.”
The Lynx defeated the Fever 95-90 on Friday as guard Caitlin Clark missed her 14th straight game with a right groin injury. Indiana has been plagued by injuries this year. Guards Sydney Colson (foot) and Aari McDonald (ACL) suffered season-ending injuries in an Aug. 7 loss at Phoenix. Sophie Cunningham will miss the remainder of the year due to a torn MCL.
Through the setbacks, Mitchell has been a steady asset for the Fever.
“Kelsey has been carrying us. You look at the numbers, and her numbers have been incredible all season long,” White said. “When we’ve needed her most, she stepped up and has been even better. There’s a lot of great MVP candidates out there, but Kelsey Mitchell should certainly be in the conversation.”
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White has constantly praised her group’s unity amid the adversity of this season. The Mitchell shirts were another reminder that the Fever are of one mind and accord.
“Our players bust their ass. They battle every single game. … This is a special group of women with what they’ve been going through,” White said. “ … No matter what happens, win or lose, the roots that this group is forming culturally (and) in terms of competitive spirit and what it means to compete at this level, those are what allow us to withstand these storms.
“The numbers tell a story, but their hearts and their character tell another one.”
Follow Josh Heron on Twitter at @HeronReports. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Fever players wear ‘MVP Mitchell’ shirts versus Minnesota Lynx
