Stephanie Joanne White (formerly Stephanie White-McCarty; born June 20, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player and the head coach of the Indiana Fever of the WNBA.[1] She was previously head coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores women's basketball team from 2016 to 2021.[2] Prior to Vanderbilt, she was the head coach of the Indiana Fever of the WNBA for the 2015 and 2016 season.[3] As an intercollegiate athlete, she was named the winner of the Wade Trophy in 1999, which recognizes the top female basketball player in the nation.[4]
White began her coaching career with several assistant coaching positions at Ball State, Kansas State, and the University of Toledo before joining the Chicago Sky as an assistant coach in 2007. After serving as assistant coach for four years, she became head coach of the Indiana Fever in 2014, leading the team to the WNBA Finals in her first season. White then served as head coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores from 2016 to 2021. Following a brief hiatus, she returned to the WNBA in 2023 to coach the Connecticut Sun, leading them to consecutive playoff appearances. She rejoined the Fever as head coach in 2024.
College career
White attended Purdue University, where she was named National College Player of the Year, Indiana NCAA Woman of the Year, and Big Ten Conference Player of the Year on the way to leading Purdue to the NCAA National Championship in 1999.
Professional career
White began her five-year WNBA career with the Charlotte Sting in 1999 under her married name, Stephanie White-McCarty. She was acquired a year later in an expansion draft by the Indiana Fever to lead the team's inaugural season roster. After four years with the Fever, she ranked third in games played (112) and three point field goals (92), and fourth in scoring (684). She averaged 5.9 points and 2.0 assists per game.
National team career
White competed with USA Basketball as a member of the 1997 Jones Cup Team that won the silver medal in Taipei. Several of the games were close, with the USA team winning four games by six points or fewer, including an overtime game in the semifinal match against Japan. The gold medal game against South Korea was also close, but the USA fell 76–71 to claim the silver medal for the event. White was the second leading scorer for the team, averaging 10.3 points per game.[7]
Since 2007, White has also served as a college basketball analyst for ESPN and the Big Ten Network, including studio work and co-hosting the network's coverage of the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament.[citation needed]
White returned to the Indiana Fever as an assistant coach in 2011.[8] When Lin Dunn retired as head coach of the Fever in 2014, White became head coach.[9] In her first season as head coach, Indiana went 20–14 overall and made their second WNBA Finals appearance, losing the best-of-five series to Minnesota. In her second season with the Fever, White finished the season with a 17–17 record and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Phoenix Mercury.[citation needed]
On May 23, 2016, White accepted the head coaching job for the Vanderbilt Commodores women's basketball team. She completed the 2016 season with the Fever finishing her time there with a 37–31 overall record and a 6–6 record in the postseason. Through her first two seasons at Vanderbilt, White compiled a 21–40 overall record and went 7–25 against Southeastern Conference competition.[10][better source needed] Her fifth season at Vanderbilt was shortened in January 2021, due to COVID-19 concerns, injuries, and a depleted roster.[11] The school announced that White would not be returning as coach on April 6, 2021.[12][better source needed]
White returned to coaching in the WNBA in 2023 as head coach of the Connecticut Sun. The team had 27–13 and 28–12 records in 2023 and 2024 respectively, losing in the second round each time. White and the Sun parted ways on October 28, 2024, following two consecutive playoff semifinals appearances.[13]
She was hired by the Indiana Fever for a second stint on November 1.[14]
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
Conference regular season champion
Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
Division regular season champion
Division regular season and conference tournament champion
Conference tournament champion
