Indiana Fever Assistant Issues Statement on Stephanie White's Sudden Absence

The Indiana Fever were dealt a significant blow ahead of their game against the Golden State Valkyries on Thursday. This came in the form of head coach Stephanie White having to leave the team to deal with a personal matter, which means that she won't be able to coach the Fever in Thursday's contest. 

Stepping in for White is assistant coach Austin Kelly, who addressed the issue during his pregame press conference. Kelly, however, did not provide any details on White's situation, instead opting to focus on how the Fever are reacting to the sudden turn of events. 

"Steph's got some personal stuff going on," Kelly said. "... It's kinda business as usual. (I'm) just stepping in. Same message. Our team understands that." 

Kelly made it clear, however, that despite White's absence, the team has kept its eye on the goal. 

"This group's focused," he said. "We're refocused. It's our first West Coast trip of the year. We're focused on Golden State right now, and come to play, we're ready."