INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Fever hired Stephanie White as coach on Friday, putting her in charge of a team led by WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark.

White spent the last two seasons as head coach of the Connecticut Sun before parting ways with the team earlier this week.

The former star at Purdue was on the Fever coaching staff from 2011 to 2016, including as head coach in the final two of those seasons. The Fever won the WNBA title in 2012 with White on the team.

“I am incredibly proud and honored to return to Indiana and lead the Fever at such a pivotal moment in this franchise’s history, as well as such an important time in women’s athletics as a whole,” White said in a statement. “This franchise has always been committed to winning and I look forward to working every day to bring another WNBA title to the biggest basketball fans in the world.”

White replaces Christie Sides, who led the Fever to a 20-20 record last season and the franchise's first playoff appearance since 2016. The organization announced it was leaving Sides, who was head coach for two seasons before being fired last Sunday.

Indiana is the first of seven open head coaching positions in the league to be filled.

“As we enter this new era of Fever basketball, I am thrilled to welcome Stephanie back to the franchise,” said Kelly Krauskopf, Fever president of basketball operations. “Stephanie is a part of the fabric of this franchise, both as a former player and as a member of our championship coaching staff, so I am quite familiar with her elite basketball IQ and leadership style. I am confident there is no one who better understands our culture or is better positioned to take our group of players to the next level.”

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