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Not much went wrong for Indiana Fever phenom Caitlin Clark during her rookie year last season.
She made the WNBA All-Star team, was named All-WNBA first team and seemingly broke records every night. However, if there was one thing she struggled with as a rookie, it’d have to be how frequently she was assessed a technical. On the year she was hit with six techs, which was one short of a one-game suspension.
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Being that she is the catalyst of the team, the Fever simply cannot afford to have her take herself out of games or help out opponents. Something that her new head coach, Stephanie White, touched on when making an appearance on the “Good Follow Show.” White expressed that there is a time and place for Clark’s passion to be on display and that she is doing her best to help her stay out of trouble in those situations.
“The ones that happen in the heat of the moment competitive whatever, okay,” White said. “Like yeah, we live with those. It’s the nagging ones right? Like getting on the official and continuing to nag…That’s my job. That’s my job. So I think for me, it’s helping her navigate when to do it and when not to. Helping her maintain a constructive channel for a lot of that competitive spirit.”
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts to a play.Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
White also revealed that she has urged Clark to use Indiana Fever and WNBA legend Tamika Catchings as a resource, as she, too, played with a lot of fire. White explained that, ultimately, her goal is not to “stifle” what helps Clark thrive but to channel it into something that won’t hurt the team.
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Clark isn’t oblivious to her technical problems, as she confirmed on the NCAA Tournament Championship broadcast with Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird she plans to cut down on them this year. Clark even went as far as to predict a maximum of two in the year.
Only time will tell if Clark is able to stay on the good side of the officials, but clearly, it has been a point of emphasis for both her and White.
Related: Hailey Van Lith Facing Backlash for New Caitlin Clark Comments
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