Stephanie White didn’t hide her feelings after the Indiana Fever closed out their preseason with an 81–76 victory over the Atlanta Dream. Although the win looked solid on paper, White admitted she was “disappointed” by the performance. Well, everyone saw it coming since White has been harping about how her standards are far loftier than preseason tallies. “We want to position ourselves every single day to win a championship,” she’d expressed earlier. And if you look at what unfolded on the court, then even in victory, the Fever revealed cracks. In the first half alone, they surrendered 10 turnovers—a troubling total by five different players. Yet, as everyone knows, not all fingers can be turned towards players.
So far, the Fever have played three preseason games and won all of them. But their win against the Atlanta Dream is the most talked about, as it marked 15 total turnovers and 16 points allowed off those turnovers. And yes, it was just a preseason game, but probably also the most important time to gauge stuff. So, obviously, White will have to sniff out the reason before the real stakes tip off. Luckily for her, national analyst Rosalina Lee has already done the work.
According to her examination, it’s not the roster, but rather a coaching flaw from Stephanie White herself. “Syd Colson, I—you know, I think they’ve got to rethink her position here because she’s having a hard time adjusting to the passing, maybe to the pacing of the Fever. I’m not totally sure,” she said. Well, she might be right. Colson’s role has undergone a notable transformation under Indiana Fever’s head coach compared to her previous tenure with the Las Vegas Aces.
Las Vegas Aces guard Sydney Colson (51) and Las Vegas Aces forward Alysha Clark (7) reacts to a call Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
So, according to Rosalina, Colson might be having problems with White’s forward-thinking, creative approach. And to be fair, White’s had this creative vision brewing since as far back as November. “Offensively we can be more creative. I think we can utilize more versatility. Utilize certain players in different ways. I’m a forward thinking outside the box kind of coach…but also giving them the freedom to make plays,” she had said.
Honestly, Colson’s struggles were evident enough in the training camp, and maybe White should have scrolled Twitter then, as fans made it very clear: Colson had bad body language in the Fever camp. In a practice video that made rounds online, one could see the frustration on Colson’s face when she tried to make a pass, and it went Bonner’s way, who was playing for the other squad. Fans pointed out her turnover issues, and well, did not hold any punches.
But then, that video was barely 15 seconds long, and as for this game, she is still adjusting. Because if you look at her numbers, then you’d see how she has had a decent assist-to-turnover ratio, and while she did hit bumps at times, it was when her playing time saw a bump, too. Considering that in recent years, her court time has shrunk, is she truly underperforming then, or is everyone expecting a bit too much, too soon?
However, if Rosalina’s words do keep taking hold with every game and White’s long-term vision fails to translate, then everyone would be sadly wondering about what Colson had said about her likely role in the team, right before the camp began. “I think [it’s] similar to other places where I’ve been. I’m bringing veteran leadership, knowledge, energy, swinging the defensive momentum. Just being that person that’s dependable,” Colson said. “I’m going to always come in and do my job, and I’m going to be happy in my role, and I’ll thrive. Whether it’s eight minutes, if it’s 15 minutes, if it’s two minutes, I’m gonna play hard and get everybody involved, and I want to win.”
So, we hope that what the analyst feels “isn’t working” is just part of the bigger picture that White has for the Fever.
Indiana Fever HC has a different vision…
When White took up the throne, her vision and philosophy were quite clear. “Each player that we brought in complements what we already have in a tremendous way. Each player that we brought in is at a different point in their career, so they understand what it takes to put a championship-caliber team together,” she shared.
She wanted her players to embrace a unique offensive philosophy. She told them to play with freedom and pace while focusing on making plays rather than strictly running set plays. “We’ll have certain play calls that give us space to operate, and then whichever pass we make determines one of three actions that our players can read from.”
And that worked too. The Fever’s preseason games have been a game-changer. Notably, in their preseason victory over the Dream, Clark returned from a minor left injury and contributed 13 points with seven assists. But the Indiana Fever sensation wasn’t the only one under the spotlight. Colson also contributed three points to the team’s total in 20 minutes of gameplay. You might think that’s low, but if you compare it with her earlier preseason games, you’ll notice her minutes and points have increased in just two games.
While it was 15 minutes in her first game, it increased to 20 in her third. Even in scoring, zero points in her first game versus three in her third, there has been progress. Small, but it’s an improvement. So, simply put, White’s strategies and hit-and-trial methods might begin showing better results in a couple of games. Who knows???
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