The Indiana Fever announced that head coach Stephanie White will miss Thursday night’s road game against the Golden State Valkyries for personal reasons.
Fever assistant Austin Kelly will serve as acting head coach.
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Kelly, who has worked with White for three years now dating back to White’s stint with the Connecticut Sun, stepped into the acting head coach role on June 7 and made a seamless transition. Even without superstar point guard Caitlin Clark, Kelly coached the Fever to a 79-52 win over the Chicago Sky.
That weekend, both White and her partner, ESPN/ABC broadcaster Lisa Salters, were off for personal reasons. Salters was missing from the sidelines of Game 2 of the NBA Finals while attending to her mother, who has been dealing with “some serious health issues for a while now,” longtime ABC/ESPN play-by-play announcer Mike Breen explained during the ABC broadcast on June 8.
It’s not known whether White’s absence Thursday is related to the reason she missed that game.
“Thanks. You know, I’m doing all right,” White said earlier this month after she returned from her one-game absence, according to IndyStar. “It’s helpful that we have such a great group, pouring into me and helping give me strength. I’ve said it all along, we’ve got three head coaches on our staff. And so knowing that they continue to step up and do great things gives me comfort.”
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White, at the time, added: “You know, our family is working through a hard time right now. And no matter what, I’m gonna be where my feet are, but I’m really thankful for this group.”
White is in her first year as Fever head coach. Indiana, now 6-5 after an 88-71 win over the Sun on Tuesday, will take on the 5-6 Valkyries at 10 p.m. ET Thursday in the Chase Center.
Since Clark’s return from her quad injury, the Fever have strung together back-to-back, double-digit victories, getting over. 500 for the first time since late May.
Clark poured in 32 points, in large part thanks to seven 3-pointers, against the previously undefeated New York Liberty. She then tacked on 20 more points in a physical win over the Sun that also made headlines because of the mid-game scuffles involving her.
This is the first season the Fever have advanced to the final of the Commissioner’s Cup in the annual in-season tournament’s five-year history. They will represent the Eastern Conference in a July 1 showdown with the Western Conference’s Minnesota Lynx for the midseason trophy.
