Stephanie White led the Connecticut Sun to a 55-25 record in two seasons as head coach. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Stephanie White, who spent two seasons at the helm of the Connecticut Sun, will not return as the Sun’s head coach next year. Connecticut announced Monday that the team and White had parted ways, and reports said the decision was mutual.
White won the WNBA Coach of the Year award in 2023, his first year in Connecticut. She led the Sun to two consecutive playoff appearances, but lost in the second round both years. Connecticut posted a 55-25 record in two seasons under White.
The Sun started the 2024 season strong with nine straight wins. The team spent several weeks at the top of the WNBA rankings, ultimately finishing in third place and securing their eighth straight playoff berth. Despite winning Game 5, Connecticut lost to the Minnesota Lynx and did not advance to the WNBA Finals.
White joined the Sun in 2023 after serving as head coach at Vanderbilt for five seasons. Prior to that, he spent six years with the Fever and served as Indiana’s head coach from 2015-2016.
There are several options as to where she goes next. As of Saturday, White was talking to multiple teams about his future, and was reportedly in talks with the Sun, Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky, according to Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times. are. Indiana announced Sunday that the team fired head coach Christy Sides, and the Sky fired Teresa Weatherspoon last month.
White’s departure from Connecticut marks the seventh head coaching vacancy so far this offseason, an unprecedented number for the WNBA. Other empty hands include the Washington Mystics, who fired general manager Mike Thibault and head coach Eric Thibault earlier this week, and the Dallas Wings, who fired Latricia Trammell earlier this month. Additionally, the Los Angeles Sparks and Atlanta Dream also have vacancies due to parting ways with Kurt Miller and Tanisha Wright, respectively.
