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In a shocking off-season move, Connecticut Suns head coach Stephanie White is departing the team. White, the 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year, led the Sun to contender status in her short tenure with the team. White went 55-25 in her time with the team and she coached Connecticut to a 28-12 record this season, as the team ultimately lost to the Minnesota Lynx in the Semi-finals.
Connecticut Sun president Jen Rizzotti spoke with ESPN about White's departure, saying, “We parted on good terms because some of [White's] decision-making process was not just about basketball.”
Meanwhile, White expressed gratitude about her time with the Suns organization in comments to ESPN.
“It's not an easy decision to leave Connecticut, but I think the best one for my family and my career. It's meant a lot to me — I'm so grateful to Jen and the organization. It's meant a lot to me — I'm so grateful to Jen and the organization. It's a top-notch organization. For me to be able to return to coaching — which I didn't know if it would be possible — with such a great team and coaching staff, it's meant a lot to me. So this has not been easy. But certainly, at the end of the day, it's tough for me being away from my family. So from a professional standpoint and a personal standpoint, I feel like it's the best decision.”
White's departure from the Sun marks the seventh coaching vacancy in the WNBA this offseason. White has been rumored to be an ideal coaching candidate for the Indiana Fever, a squad that she led in the 2015 and 2016 seasons. She also played for the organization from 2000-2004 before ultimately starting her coaching career in the college ranks.
Indiana fired head coach Christie Sides after a two-year stint with the team. Ironically, the Fever made the playoffs and were swept in the first round by White and the Sun. A reunion with the Fever could allow White the ability to coach reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark and further develop her into a WNBA superstar.
