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Stephanie White Credits WNBA Veteran With 'Coach's Mind' Amid Caitlin Clark's Absence

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated Jul 22, 2025 9:10 PM ET

Tuesday evening at Barclays Center, the Indiana Fever (12–11) prepared to face the New York Liberty (15-6) in what has become a pivotal stretch of their season.

Despite riding the high of hosting their first-ever WNBA All-Star Weekend and winning their first-ever Commissioner's Cup, the Fever nevertheless find themselves navigating a season marked by key injuries and roster turbulence.

The biggest of all is the absence of star guard Caitlin Clark, who has missed 11 of Indiana's first 23 games due to multiple injuries and will be sidelined again for Tuesday's contest against the Liberty.

As coach Stephanie White met with reporters ahead of tipoff, questions turned to who has stepped up into that leadership role amid such fluctuation in the rotation.

White pointed directly to Sophie Cunningham.

"Sophie is just, her personality is infectious. She is naturally a gifted leader... Her voice carries. People listen. People are impacted by it. She knows the right thing to say. She's another one that really has a coach's mind. And she leads by example with how she shows up every day."

Stephanie White on player leadership in the Fever locker room pic.twitter.com/qHKJ8K1JBm
— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) July 22, 2025

Cunningham carved out a standout collegiate career at the University of Missouri, where she averaged 17.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists over 129 starts, earning First Team All-SEC and AP Third-Team All-American in her senior year.

Selected 13th overall in the 2019 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury, Cunningham spent her first six WNBA seasons in the desert before being traded to Indiana at the start of the year.

This season with the Fever, Cunningham is averaging 6.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.9 steals in 23.1 minutes across her first 18 games, including a season-best performance on July 11, scoring 16 points and securing 10 rebounds in a 99-82 win over the 13-9 Atlanta Dream.

As Indianapolis braces for what promises to be a tightly contested second half of the season, the Fever’s fortunes may hinge on whether Cunningham can continue translating her "coach’s mind" into consistent on-court success.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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