Christie Sides is OUT as head coach of the Indiana Fever after just two years. The fastest-rising team in the WNBA will undergo a complete front office overhaul prior to its season season with Caitlin Clark.
Although this decision does come as a little bit of a surprise, the organization clearly feels like it needs to go in a different direction after seeing how its pair of No. 1 overall picks played under the previous regime.
Indiana announced its decision to fire Sides on Sunday morning.
We have parted ways with head coach Christie Sides.
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) October 27, 2024
More: https://t.co/eBb0wRuBlF pic.twitter.com/Ja5S3uGPOb
The Fever is prioritizing a championship.
We are incredibly thankful to Coach Sides for embracing the challenge of leading us through an integral transition period over the last two seasons, while also positioning us well for future growth. While decisions like these are never easy, it is also imperative that we remain bold and assertive in the pursuit of our goals, which includes maximizing our talent and bringing another WNBA championship back to Indiana. Coach Sides was an incredible representative of the Fever and our community, and we wish her nothing but success in the future.
— Fever President of Basketball Operations Kelly Krauskopf
Sides went 33-47 during two regular seasons as head coach, including a 20-20 record in 2024. She actually led Indiana to the postseason for the first time since 2016 but .500 and a two-game sweep in the first round of the playoffs clearly will not cut it.
Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark are back-to-back Rookies of the Year. Kelsey Mitchell continued to be one of the best scorers in the league. NaLyssa Smith, despite her frustrations, was largely dominant on the glass as a rebounder. The Fever should’ve been much better than they were.
However, 10 of their 20 losses came during the first 13 games of the season while Clark was still trying to acclimate to the WNBA. Her team was also trying to acclimate to her.
Indiana’s mid-season turnaround and push to the playoffs was expected to save Sides’ job for at least another year. That did not happen. She is gone.
There were a few different moments throughout the season that likely got her fired. The way in which Sides utilized Clark and moved the offense through the greatest scorer in college basketball history was questionable at times. A hot mic even caught Clark complain about her head coach to her teammates way back in May.
The Fever is completely overhauling its top brass from the inside out.
It (re)hired Kelly Krauskopf, the original architect of the franchise, as the team’s president of basketball and business operations at the end of September and named veteran sports executive Amber Cox as the team’s new chief operating officer and general manager at the beginning of October. It will hire a new head coach at some point in November.
Of course, the name most closely attached to the opening is former Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder. She retired from coaching at the end of Clark’s senior season. Cheryl Miller is another name to watch.
However, Connecticut Sun coach Stephanie White has been “in talks” with multiple WNBA teams regarding her coaching future over the last few weeks, including the Indiana Fever. The 47-year-old is an Indiana-native and previously led the Fever to the WNBA championship game in 2015.
Perhaps the timing of this sudden move to fire Christie Sides is not as strange as it seems? Is Stephanie White going to reunite with Krauskopf in Indianapolis?