Fever coach Stephanie White slams 'unacceptable' aspect of Caitlin Clark return

Jeremy Beren

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Fever coach Stephanie White slams 'unacceptable' aspect of Caitlin Clark return image

Caitlin Clark's return from a five-game absence on Wednesday was not supposed to go like this.

The Golden State Valkyries stormed Gainbridge Fieldhouse and walked away with an 80-61 victory over the host Fever, spoiling Clark's comeback from a groin injury that had cost her nearly three weeks of action. The Valkyries knocked down 12 3-pointers, but more importantly, they held Clark to 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting over 25 minutes.

Golden State's level of poise and teamwork differed significantly from what Indiana showed on Wednesday. The Fever as a team shot 31 percent from the floor and were out-rebounded by 11. The season is nearly half-over and Indiana is one game below .500, with a worse record than Golden State, a first-year franchise.

MORE: Valkyries' Veronica Burton outplays Caitlin Clark, is leading the most surprising team in the WNBA

None of this has escaped Stephanie White's attention. The Fever's first-year coach told reporters Wednesday that her team's "lack of competitive fire" prompted a lot of disappointment, and that her players were not focusing enough on the details.

"A prime example is when we get defensive stops, but then they get multiple offensive rebounds," White said. "That's 'want to.'" That's competitive fire. And that's unacceptable."

Stephanie White talks about the team's lack of focus/fire in the loss to Valkyries:

"There was a lack of competitive fire. Our attention to detail was poor, undisciplined" pic.twitter.com/M9WVGUcLiN
— AK (@Sudharsan_AK10) July 9, 2025

White further acknowledged that re-integrating Clark into the lineup was always going to prompt adjustments, but her focus was squarely on the Fever's competitive desire, or lack thereof, against the Valkyries. That is something the former WNBA Coach of the Year will be challenging her players to rediscover when they host the Atlanta Dream on Friday night.

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Jeremy Beren

Jeremy Beren is a freelance WNBA writer with The Sporting News. A Phoenix native, he is a graduate of Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and he has a decade’s worth of sports journalism experience. Jeremy's work has appeared in publications such as Marca, SB Nation, Athlon Sports and Vice Sports. He currently lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.