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Caitlin Clark has a new coach. Here’s what to expect from Indiana Fever’s Stephanie White

Published

1 year ago

November 7, 2024

Caitlin Clark has a new coach. Here’s what to expect from Indiana Fever’s Stephanie White

Stephanie White couldn’t hide her enthusiasm at her introductory press conference for the Indiana Fever. Beyond her extensive ties to the organization and the region, White is stepping into a particularly exciting role as the head coach of a talented young team, led by the last two rookies of the year, Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark.

It was Clark’s historic rookie season that vaulted the Fever into the next phase of team building and prompted the franchise to seek out a coach of White’s pedigree — one who could make Indiana a championship contender. White has already been effusive in her praise of the Fever guard, suggesting that Clark could be the greatest point guard of all time and that her No. 22 (which was also White’s number as an Indiana player from 2000-2004) won’t ever be worn by another Fever player. Clark was already one of the best players in the league before White arrived in Indianapolis, but a primary role will be further developing Clark.

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Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever championship timeline accelerated by sudden coaching change

Here’s how she’ll try to do it:

• White’s desire to reduce Clark’s ball dominance has emerged as a theme. Although Clark was prolific as a passer and scorer, carrying both duties was a heavy weight. A 2025 goal will be to reduce that burden. That means playing Clark for fewer minutes but also experimenting with her role.

“Helping her anticipate what’s going to be coming her way, trying to move her around a little bit more on the floor so she’s not quite as easily predictable in what action’s happening,” White said.

• Looking back at White’s previous two seasons in Connecticut, much of the facilitating came from Alyssa Thomas in the frontcourt, which allowed the Sun to spring their shooters off the ball in a variety of ways. No other forward in the league can match Thomas’ playmaking, but Boston and NaLyssa Smith have enough passing ability to replicate one of Connecticut’s favorite sets.

The Sun often started possessions with Thomas at the top of the key, and a guard or wing running off of a stagger from the corner to then setting a screen for Thomas in the middle of the court. The staggered screens already put the defense in a bind to start the play, and if Clark were the backcourt player coming, that would put additional pressure on defenders to navigate the screens to stay attached. Even if the defense managed that, the result would be the ballhandler able to rumble her way through the paint. Smith seems ideally suited for that role.

That play is one of many examples of Connecticut stacking actions on top of actions. Look at this possession from opening night of 2024 when three separate screens led to a pick-and-roll for Ty Harris and Thomas. Presumably, the defense wouldn’t go under if Clark acts as the ballhandler, but with all the space cleared on that side of the floor, the screen-setter would at least have an easy roll to the basket.

More @ConnecticutSun stacking actions
Drag by ONO.
AT swings and then they set a stagger for Dijonai.
AT sets a wide pin for Ty Harris.
Empty corner PnR with Thomas & Ty.
The Indiana defense goes under and that’s too much airspace to give Ty Harris = Ty 3. pic.twitter.com/g8tq4llrHX
— Evin Gualberto (@evin_gual) May 15, 2024

• White has expressed how impressed she is by Boston’s passing in the half court. Several of the Sun’s layered sets were intended to result in a big catching the ball at the elbow, where Boston (mimicking Brionna Jones) could then direct the action from the post. Indiana has great cutters, specifically Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull, for Boston to find from that setup in the elbow. Again, the idea is Clark factoring into the play by drawing her defender beyond the 3-point line but not required to create the scoring chance.

Of course, the combination of drag screens, pin-downs, and flares could all be decoys to eventually get Clark the ball anyway, albeit with the opportunity to attack a shifted defense rather than a set one.

“We can get to the same action on the second or third side,” White said. “We can get to it after a first or second action, being able to move her around a little bit more.”

White noted that Clark needs to add strength, which would aid in all of the goals she has laid out for the star guard. Strength should help Clark’s consistency on her jumper and her durability down the stretch of games — she shot 31.3 percent on 3s in clutch situations compared to 34.4 percent overall. It could also make her a better screener if she can generate more contact, and shooters already make the deadliest screeners because defenders don’t want to leave them.

• Clark’s main area of improvement, one that White has coached to great effect in Connecticut the last two years, will be focused on defense. Clark has been a non-factor on that end, and a player that the Sun even tried to hunt. In their first-round playoff series, Connecticut regularly ran the offense through the perimeter player Clark was defending and found a series of wide-open 3-pointers on the wing when Clark was unable to close out.

During the 2024 season, five of the top 20 players in defensive win shares came from the Sun, with Marina Mabrey, who arrived midseason, just missing the cut. A White-coached team will demand more defensive accountability, even from Clark. Success will require being “a little more tough-minded team on the defensive end of the floor.”

White has proven to be among the more adaptable coaches in the WNBA during her recent tenure. After Jones was lost for the 2023 season, she pivoted to a small-ball lineup, using Thomas essentially as a point center. The next year, Connecticut went back to the double-big look but still had the flexibility to downsize when necessary.

In Indiana, White’s creativity won’t be necessary to keep the Fever afloat. Her No. 1 priority will be to maximize a deeper roster with more talent and get the most out of Clark.

(Photos of Caitlin Clark and Stephanie White: Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE via Getty Images, Chris Coduto / Getty Images)

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Sports

Deion Sanders mourns loss of Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder: ‘One of my favorites’

Published

3 hours ago

March 1, 2026

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Deion Sanders mourns loss of Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder: ‘One of my favorites’

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Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Dominiq Ponder died this weekend, the team’s head coach Deion Sanders confirmed on Sunday with a social media post.

“God please comfort the Ponder family, friends and loved ones,” Sanders wrote on social media. “Dom was one of my favorites! He was Loved, Respected & a Born Leader. Let’s pray for all that knew him & had the opportunity to be in his presence. Lord you’re receiving a good 1. Comfort us Lord Comfort us.”

Ponder was 23 years old.

Details of Ponder’s death are not yet known.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his team warm up before an NCAA college football game against TCU Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo)

Ponder, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound signal caller, joined the Buffaloes and “Coach Prime’s” program in 2024 after spending time at Bethune-Cookman before making his way to Boulder.

Last season, Ponder played just two games for the Buffaloes while serving in his backup role. He recorded two rush attempts and one pass attempt.

The Opa Locka, Fla., native also received tribute from a fellow quarterback with the Buffaloes, Colton Allen.

Bethune-Cookman QB Dominiq Ponder takes a snap during the Wildcats’ spring game Saturday, April 22, 2023, at Daytona Stadium. (IMAGN)

“Dom, you were a blessing to so many people,” Allen wrote on Instagram. “You had a presence about you that just made everything better. You brought so much joy to me and everyone around you. I’m grateful for every lift, every practice, every rep, every conversation we got to share. I’ll carry those with me for the rest of my life.”

Ponder was going to be a part of Colorado’s spring practices, which are set to begin on Monday. It’s unknown if Sanders will postpone the start due to Ponder’s passing.

Ponder also received a tribute from the University of Central Florida.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his players warm up before an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (Tyler Tate/AP Photo)

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“Our prayers are with Dominiq and the Ponder family along with all in the Colorado football program,” the university’s football account on X wrote.

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

Sports

No. 2 UCLA women dominate rival USC to finish Big Ten play undefeated

Published

4 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

No. 2 UCLA women dominate rival USC to finish Big Ten play undefeated

Sunday was “Senior Night” for the USC women’s basketball team at Galen Center, but it was the other team’s seniors who stole the show.

Gabriela Jaquez scored 14 points, Kiki Rice had 11 points and four assists and Lauren Betts had 15 rebounds and five assists as UCLA wrapped up the regular season with a 73-50 victory over its rival and finished undefeated in conference play for the first time since going 18-0 in the Pac-10 in 1998-99 under Kathy Olivier.

Having already clinched the regular-season title, UCLA became the first team to navigate the Big Ten schedule without a loss since Maryland in 2014-15.

“These are two elite programs, we knew it would be different tonight, we knew they’d come with fire,” said UCLA coach Cori Close, who improved to 9-4 against the Trojans since counterpart Lindsay Gottlieb started at USC in 2021. “We knew we’d have to do it with our defense, our rebounding and by taking care of the ball.”

It was the Bruins’ 22nd consecutive win, one shy of the record they set last season. Since their lone loss to then-No. 4 Texas on Nov. 26 in Las Vegas, they have won by 20 or more points 17 times.

Ranked second in the nation in both the Associated Press and coaches’ polls behind defending national champion Connecticut (30-0), the Bruins earned the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament in Indianapolis and got a bye into Friday’s quarterfinals.

Charlisse Leger-Walker, nicknamed “X-ray vision” by teammates, equaled her season high with 20 points for the Bruins (28-1, 18-0) while Gianna Kneepkens added 14 points and five assists.

“Anytime we play together we know we can win,” Leger-Walker said. “We did a good job looking into the scout. Every game we just think about going 1-0. People scouting us know that all five players on the court can score the ball.”

UCLA center Lauren Betts, left, controls the ball in front of USC forward Vivian Iwuchukwu during the first half Sunday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

UCLA held USC to 27% shooting in the teams’ first meeting — a 34-point Bruins victory at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 3 behind Betts’ 18 points. It was USC’s most lopsided loss under coach Lindsay Gottlieb. On Sunday, USC shot 39% and was only three for 19 from three-point range.

“Going undefeated [in conference] is a great step in the right direction towards what we want to accomplish,” said Jaquez, who appreciated the flowers she received before the game from USC. “I love this rivalry. It’s super fun to play against them and it was nice that they honored us too.”

UCLA jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the first five minutes and carried a 19-11 advantage into the second quarter. The Bruins widened the gap to 18 points by halftime, holding the Trojans scoreless for the last 3:08.

USC (17-12, 9-9) opened the second half on an 11-2 run but gave up 14 second-chance points and allowed 22 offensive rebounds.

UCLA guard Kiki Rice, front, and forward Angela Dugalic celebrate as USC guard Kennedy Smith walks away.

“If we get more possessions than our opponent we’re most likely going to win,” Close said. “We didn’t allow one basket on an out-of-bounds play and they lead the conference in that.”

Freshman guard Jazzy Davidson, USC’s leading scorer, got into early foul trouble but still finished with 12 points. She was held to 10 points on four-for-15 shooting in the first meeting.

“It was a great crowd, we were in the fight but we didn’t rebound or shoot well enough,” Gottlieb said. “We wanted to keep them out of our paint. We swarmed Betts, double-teamed her and got it out of her hands but other people scored.”

Londynn Jones, who spent three seasons in Westwood (playing in 108 straight games) before transferring to USC for her senior year, was held to six points in the team’s first meeting and nine points (on four-of-10 shooting) in the rematch. The Trojans’ other senior, Kara Dunn, was held scoreless in the first half and finished with eight points.

“I love Londynn,” Close said. “We think she looks better in blue, but we love her and I told her that. I appreciate all she gave to our programs.”

Asked if this is the best team she has ever coached, Close had a one-word answer.

“Yes.”

Sports

Israeli national gymnastics team suspends all activities after Iranian counter-attack

Published

15 hours ago

March 1, 2026

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Israeli national gymnastics team suspends all activities after Iranian counter-attack

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Israel’s national gymnastics team has suspended all training and team activities amid the recent Iranian counter-attack on the country following the U.S.-assisted strikes on Iran.

The Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) provided a statement to Fox News Digital announcing the violence has caused “unavoidable disruptions.”

“The current security situation in our region has resulted in unavoidable disruptions to our regular training schedule and has created significant uncertainty regarding the national teams’ professional plans, particularly as we are at the outset of the international season,” the statement read.

“At this time, all training activities have been temporarily suspended, pending approval from the relevant authorities to safely resume operations. Naturally, the suspension of training and the closure of airspace are causing considerable stress and concern. However, the safety and well-being of our gymnasts and professional staff remain our highest priority. We sincerely hope for safer and calmer days ahead, when we can focus solely on sport.”

A source within the team told Fox News Digital on Saturday that the gymnasts have been moving between bomb shelters since Iran’s counterstrikes began.

Israel’s gymnastics team is considered one of nation’s strongest Olympic programs alongside its Judo and sailing teams. The team is only a week removed from a successful trip at the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Germany, where the country’s star Artem Dolgopyat won the gold medal in floor gymnastics.

Now, the team will have to seek safety until the attacks are over.

The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has directed all U.S. government employees and their family members to continue to shelter in place either in or near their residences as Iran continues to fire missiles at Israel.

Additionally, the embassy announced that due to the security situation, it would be closed on March 2, and did not give an estimate on when it would be reopening. The closure includes consular sections in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

The embassy also said it is “not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel.” It noted that Ben Gurion Airport remains closed and there there are neither commercial nor charter flights operating from the airport.

On Friday, ahead of the launch of Operation Epic Fury, the embassy gave all non-essential workers permission to leave Israel, with reports that U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee urged those looking to leave to do so as soon as possible.

Iranian airstrikes killed at least eight Israelis on Sunday as Tehran’s latest missile barrage landed just miles from Jerusalem.

The strikes landed in the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh. Initial reports said four people were killed when missiles landed in a residential area on Sunday, but that death toll rose to eight, according to Israel’s national emergency service.

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Iran’s military has carried out counterattacks against Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East after a joint U.S.-Israeli strike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.

The strikes also killed several other top Iranian leaders, including the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.