Dawn Staley Doesn’t Hold Back About Indiana Fever Star
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Dawn Staley Breaks Down Why Caitlin Clark’s Passing, Not Shooting, Makes Her ‘Most Dangerous’
Caitlin Clark is the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year. The 23-year-old is also the AP Coach and Player of the year. South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley says she is the most difficult to scout. Staley believes Clark’s ability to make other people better is what makes her such a threat to other teams. Clark is a three-time championship-winning coach as well as a star player. The Indiana Fever are the current WNBA champions. The WNBA season starts on June 14. The NBA season runs until July 17. The season runs through to the end of August. The 2014-15 season will be the first time the WNBA has had back-to-back seasons of back to back titles.
As loud as the hate Caitlin Clark receives is, the love is just as loud. Those who compete with and against the Indiana Fever star recognize her greatness. Her popularity began during her four years at the University of Iowa. One of the greatest coaches in the history of women’s basketball gave Clark praise that she hasn’t given any other player.
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Although Clark fell short of winning a National Championship in college, she still put forth amazing performances. Two of those outstanding outings came against South Carolina, coached by the great Dawn Staley.
In all her years of coaching, she has a good grasp of how to scout opposing players. Clark, on the other hand, raised challenges unlike any other.
“We only played against Caitlin twice, and both times she had over 30 [points],” Staley said on the Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce podcast. “She’s probably the most difficult to scout. She can beat you in a variety of ways.”
Those two games came on the biggest stage in the NCAA Tournament. In Clark’s first battle against Staley, the two duelled in the Final Four in 2023. Clark finished with 41 points while leading Iowa to the victory and a National Championship appearance.
The second instance came a year later, this time in the National Championship game. She finished with a game-high 30 points in a disappointing losing effort. Clark’s ability to put the ball in the basket is a thing of beauty. However, Staley doesn’t believe that’s what makes her such a threat.
“The most dangerous thing of Caitlin Clark is her passing ability. Her ability to make other people better,” Staley revealed. “That was our emphasis when we won in the Finals last year. Caitlin Clark is going to get 30 [points], but she can’t have 12 assists.”
The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year can get the crowd on their feet with logo three-point shots. However, once she gets her teammates involved, it leads to an avalanche that few teams can overcome.
Clark reads the game more profoundly than fans give her credit for. Her highlight plays will be what attracts the views and clicks on social media, but her basketball IQ is on full display each game. Coaches such as Staley are aware of this ability of Clark’s, which has changed their approach to preparing when it comes to facing her.
The three-time championship-winning coach holds Clark in high regard as a player. She can’t understate what the 23-year-old has done for women’s basketball at her young age. Many people are becoming fans of the game through the recognition Clark is providing.
“She brought more eyeballs to our game… But they found out that there’s more really great players in our game,” Staley proclaimed.
Clark’s impact on women’s basketball continues to be felt every single day. As she continues to expand her game, there is no telling the lengths her greatness could truly reach.
WNBA Rival Points Out Caitlin Clark’s Influence in All-Star Voting
The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game is set for July 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Eight of the top 40 players listed, including four in the top 10, came from the Fever. Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams noticed how the Fever had eight of theTop 40 vote-getters and discussed it on her Twitch stream, “studbudz” “Her influence is insane,” Williams said. “Even folks that came off they bench was on that list, bro. That’s crazy, bro, but that really show you the influence that Caitlin Clark got,” teammate Natisha Hiedeman said. The results of the draft will be revealed on July 8.
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has been one of the main reasons the WNBA has seen a major increase in attention over the past couple of seasons. Since going No. 1 overall in the 2024 draft, TV ratings, ticket sales and jersey sales have all climbed, especially for the Fever and their players.
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With the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game set for July 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, fan voting is already in full swing. On Friday, the league released its first update on the top vote-getters.
Out of the top 40 players listed, eight of them came from the Fever, including four in the top 10. Here is where each of them stands:
(1) Caitlin Clark, Guard – 515,993
(3) Aliyah Boston, Frontcourt – 446,961
(7) Kelsey Mitchell, Guard – 277,664
(9) Lexie Hull, Guard – 217,438
(16) Natasha Howard, Frontcourt – 158,331
(23) Sophie Cunningham, Guard – 95,116
(30) Damiris Dantas, Frontcourt – 72,262
(38) DeWanna Bonner, Frontcourt – 56,775
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) celebrates after scoring a 3-pointer.© Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams noticed how the Fever had eight of the top 40 vote-getters and discussed it on her Twitch stream, “studbudz.”
“They whole starting five was on that list,” Williams said. “Even folks that came off they bench was on that list, bro. No cap. That’s crazy, bro, but that really show you the influence that Caitlin Clark got.”
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“No, facts,” her teammate Natisha Hiedeman replied.
“Her influence is insane,” Williams said.
“And people try to say that… Let’s just state the facts, bro,” Hiedeman said.
“You can’t even hate on it cause it’s like you got motion,” Williams said.
While this update gives a good sense of who might make the All-Star game, it’s important to remember that it’s just the first update, and fan voting only accounts for 50% of the final vote. The other half is split evenly between current players and a media panel.
Once the league has announced the players who make it, the WNBA will host a draft to determine the rosters. The results of the draft will be revealed on July 8.
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Related: Caitlin Clark Sends Strong Two-Word Message to Aliyah Boston After Fever Loss
Related: Dawn Staley Doesn’t Hold Back About Caitlin Clark
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
Former Fever Guard Reacts to Sophie Cunningham’s High School Football Clip
Caitlin Clark was involved in a scuffle during Tuesday night’s 88-71 win over the Connecticut Sun. She was poked in the eye by Sun guard Jacy Sheldon during the third quarter. Fellow Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who was on the bench at the time, knew she was going to get back at Sheldon the next chance she got. Cunningham wrapped her arms around Sheldon and brought her to the ground. Cunningham is in her first season with the Fever after being traded this past offseason. The Fever visit the Golden State Valkyries at 10 p.m. ET Thursday.
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark was involved in a scuffle during Tuesday night’s 88-71 win over the Connecticut Sun. While Clark finished with 20 points, one rebound and six assists, she was poked in the eye by Sun guard Jacy Sheldon during the third quarter.
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Things escalated when Sheldon’s teammate, Marina Mabrey, shoved Clark to the ground immediately afterward. Meanwhile, Clark’s teammate, Sophie Cunningham, who was on the bench at the time, knew she was going to get back at Sheldon the next chance she got.
With under a minute left in the game, Sheldon was on a fast break with only Cunningham back to defend. As Sheldon went up for a layup, Cunningham wrapped her arms around her and brought her to the ground.
After the game, the conversation among Fever fans on social media focused on Cunningham standing up for Clark.
Fans dug up old photos, and Overtime Women’s Basketball shared one of Cunningham as a black belt when she was younger, along with a clip of her in full pads playing high school football.
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The post generated a lot of activity, and even former Fever guard Aari McDonald, who was waived by the team on Friday, reacted by liking it.
Aari McDonald’s like on @overtimewbb’s post.@overtimewbb/Instagram
Here’s a video of Cunningham during an actual play, drilling an extra point as a kicker for Rock Bridge High School in Missouri:
Cunningham, 28, is in her first season with the Fever after being traded this past offseason from the Phoenix Mercury. The 6-foot-1 guard was originally a second-round pick by Phoenix in the 2019 WNBA draft.
She played six seasons there, having her best season in 2022, averaging 12.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
In six games played in 2025, though, Cunningham is averaging 6 points, 4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
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The Fever visit the Golden State Valkyries at 10 p.m. ET Thursday. The game will be streamed on Amazon Prime.
Related: Dawn Staley Doesn’t Hold Back About Caitlin Clark
Related: Fever Draft Pick Reacts to Joining New Team Before Caitlin Clark Matchup
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Fever, Stephanie White News Emerges Before Valkyries Clash
Fever, Stephanie White News Emerges Before Valkyries Clash. This marks the first-ever meeting between the two teams, with Golden State in its inaugural season. White also missed the team’s June 7 game against the Chicago Sky due to personal reasons, as well as a practice around that time. With assistant coach Austin Kelly leading the way, the Fever won that one 79-52 as Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham sat out with injuries.
The Indiana Fever are in San Francisco for Thursday night’s game against the Golden State Valkyries. This marks the first-ever meeting between the two teams, with Golden State in its inaugural season.
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However, just hours before tip-off, news broke that Stephanie White would not be in attendance.
Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files reported, “Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White will miss tonight’s game at Golden State due to personal reasons. Lead assistant Austin Kelly will serve as acting head coach for the second time this season.”
White also missed the team’s June 7 game against the Chicago Sky due to personal reasons, as well as a practice around that time. With assistant coach Austin Kelly leading the way, the Fever won that one 79-52 as Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham sat out with injuries.
It’s unclear when White will return to the team or if her absence will continue. It’s worth noting that her partner, ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters, also missed Games 2-4 of the NBA Finals due to what the network described as a “personal matter.”
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Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White watches the action© Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
As it stands, Salters is still scheduled to be in Indianapolis for Thursday night’s Game 6 between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
White and Salters have been in a relationship since at least 2016 and raise a blended family together. White has three children from a previous marriage, and Salters has one adopted son.
While White stays in Indiana during the WNBA season, the family lives together in their Nashville, Tennessee, home during the offseason.
Related: Dawn Staley Doesn’t Hold Back About Caitlin Clark
Related: Former Fever Guard Reacts to Sophie Cunningham’s High School Football Clip
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Dawn Staley Reveals the Most ‘Dangerous’ Thing About Indiana Fever Superstar Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark just entered her second year in the WNBA. South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley recently called this “the most dangerous thing’ about Clark’s game. Clark is currently putting up 21.3 points per game and is averaging 8.7 assists per game. When Clark missed time this season due to injury, WNBA viewership dropped by 50 percent. When she does play, she carries both the league ratings and her teammates to success. She’ll turn the ball over some, and that’s a great thing if you’re her opposition,” she said. “I would say she’m probably the most difficult to scout, to play against, in that she can beat you a variety of ways.” Clark set a WNBA rookie record with 223 turnovers.
However, that’s not the case for Clark. The Iowa product is perhaps the biggest star in the WNBA, as evident by the league’s ratings. When Clark missed time this season due to injury, WNBA viewership dropped by 50 percent.
And when she does play, she carries both the league ratings and her teammates to success. Like a true star, the team looks different when she is out of the lineup. South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley recently called this “the most dangerous thing” about Clark’s game.
Dawn Staley Doesn’t Hold Back About Caitlin Clark
It’s time evaluators start appreciating a side of Clark that often goes unnoticed. We know her as a sharp scorer and fearless beyond the arc. Defenders collapse the moment she gets the ball.
But very few have pointed out her most underrated strength, which is her ability to make her teammates better. With all of the discussions placed around her, this might be the most refreshing thing fans have heard about her so far.
Speaking on the “Not Gonna Lie” podcast with Kylie Kelce, Staley gave an honest look into what it’s like to coach against Clark.
Dawn Staley on Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce: On coaching against Caitlin Clark- “The most dangerous thing of Caitlin Clark is her passing ability, her ability to make other people better and her ability to have other people’s production along with her production” pic.twitter.com/Zy1AzOzZ9t — lo (@caitscroptop) June 19, 2025
“I don’t know if there’s a player that I coached against that had 30 points against us in the two times that they played,” Stanley said. “Both one’s a win and one’s a loss. I would say she’s probably the most difficult to scout, to play against, in that she can beat you a variety of ways. She can beat you with her, obviously, a three-point shot.”
She then revealed Clark’s most underrated ability that truly defines her real value.
“But for me, the most dangerous thing of Caitlin Clark is her passing ability,” Staley continued, “her ability to make other people better and her ability to have, you know, other people’s production along with her production. That’s how you win. If you can get somebody to produce along with her.”
Staley coached against Clark twice in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. She watched her closely and knows firsthand what makes the Fever’s guard a terror on the court.
Clark is currently putting up 21.3 points per game and is averaging 8.7 assists per game. While some fans might not have noticed her all-around game, Stanley is well aware of it. That said, the legendary coach acknowledged potential risks that come with Clark’s profile.
“She’s a risk taker when it comes to passing the ball. She’ll turn the ball over some, and that’s a great thing if you’re her opposition,” she said.
In 2024, Clark set a WNBA rookie record with 223 turnovers. But those rookie days are behind her. Now she’s evolving into a true team player, and her high-risk, high-reward approach is helping fuel her team’s overall growth.
Source: https://athlonsports.com/wnba/indiana-fever/dawn-staley-doesnt-hold-back-about-indiana-fever-star