Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White with the latest on Caitlin Clark’s injury

• Caitlin Clark injured her right groin, her fourth muscle injury of the season
• Caitlin Clark missed her 11th game of the season on Wednesday

NEW YORK — Caitlin Clark will miss her 11th game of the season on Wednesday night, continuing a frustrating season for the Indiana Fever star.

Clark suffered a right groin injury, her fourth separate muscle injury of the season, on Tuesday night against Connecticut in Boston. She grabbed at her groin area with about 30 seconds left in the game, then was visibly emotional as she left the game, putting a towel over her head.

“The most important thing for me was just making sure that she was okay,” coach Stephanie White said. “You know, anybody who’s been injured, as most of us have right now, being injured and continuing to have setbacks is frustrating, mentally, emotionally, and oftentimes, being injured is isolating. So you know, from my standpoint, the primary conversations that we’ve had last night and today are just checking in. ‘Are you good? How can we help?’”

Clark was originally listed as questionable in the 1 p.m. injury report, then downgraded to out around 5 p.m. White said the downgrade was in response to imaging Clark was able to get on her groin on Wednesday afternoon in New York.

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Still, White is optimistic about Clark’s health, considering her day-to-day.

“I consider it good news, just because, for me, if it’s anything that we’re talking about day-to-day, it’s always good news for me,” White said.

This is the first season Clark has had trouble with injuries, going her entire college career and rookie season without missing a game. She had left quad tightness that kept her out of the preseason opener, then suffered a quad strain in May that kept her out five games. Soon after returning from the quad strain, she had a left groin injury that kept her out another five. Now, she has a right groin injury.

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While Clark hasn’t necessarily re-aggravated any of her injuries this season, being injured in the first place can lead to other, similar injuries because of overcompensation on muscles to make up for the injured one.

“I’m not really sure that it’s a re-injury as much as a different kind of injury,” White said. “I know oftentimes, when you’re working with injuries in the groin and the quad and the hamstring and all of those things, they’re all kind of tied together. And it’s not always just one thing, you know. So I think, yes, absolutely, the big picture is the most important her for her health and wellness long-term.”

White said that she and Clark haven’t talked about her status past Wednesday’s game. The Fever don’t necessarily have a stake in what Clark, who was planning to be a large part of the weekend in Indianapolis, will do. They can make recommendations on if they would like her to participate or not, but it will ultimately be up to Clark and her representatives in how much she will participate in the 3-point contest and All-Star Game, among other appearances.

“Caitlin and her team will make decisions when it comes to All-Star,” White said. “You know, for me, it’s a big deal for us to have All-Star in Indianapolis. And of course, with Caitlin being a focal point of all of that. As the coach of the Indiana Fever, it’s not a bigger deal than our long term season, but it’s also part of the fun. So those are conversations that Caitlin will have with her group. I probably won’t be a part of those, but we’re gonna support her no matter what.”

Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67.

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