Stephanie White out as Connecticut Sun coach, the seventh job to open in WNBA since end of season
Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White reacts after a foul called on the Sun during the first half of Game 5 of a WNBA basketball semifinals against the Minnesota Lynx, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Minneapolis. Credit: AP/Abbie Parr
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Stephanie White and the Connecticut Sun have parted ways after she led the team to the WNBA semifinals both of her seasons as coach, the team announced Monday.
The Sun finished third in the regular season with a 28-12 record, swept Indiana in the first round of the playoffs and lost a five-game semifinal series to Minnesota.
“We want to thank Stephanie for her time in Connecticut and her commitment to our organization over the past two seasons,” Sun president Jen Rizzotti said. “We wish her the best in her future endeavors.”
The Sun are the seventh WNBA team to make a coaching change, and the announcement came a day after the Indiana Fever fired Christie Sides.
White had said on a zoom with reporters two weeks ago that she was dealing with a family emergency and was not thinking about her coaching future.
White led the Sun to a franchise-best 27-13 record in her first season and was named 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year and Associated Press Coach of the Year.
White previously was an assistant and head coach with the Indiana Fever. She was on the staff of the Fever's 2012 WNBA championship team, and as head coach she led the team to the finals in 2015. She was head coach at Vanderbilt from 2016-21.
Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White reacts during the first half of a WNBA basketball semifinal game against the Minnesota Lynx, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. Credit: AP/Jessica Hill
White played five seasons in the WNBA after her college career at Purdue. The Indiana native played the last four of her five WNBA seasons with the Fever.
White also has worked in television as a college basketball analyst for ESPN and the Big Ten Network.
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