Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides becomes sixth WNBA team to make a change

The Indiana Fever fired coach Christie Sides on Sunday, the organization announced.

Sides went 33-47 in his two seasons with the team, including a 20-20 mark this season. The Fever made the playoffs as the sixth seed and were swept in the first round by the Connecticut Sun.

Indiana is the sixth team to make a coaching change this offseason, joining dallas, atlanta, chicago, Washington and Los Angeles. All of the fired coaches had three years or less of experience.

Whoever takes over Fever will have a strong young core to work with, led by Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston. The pair has won the last two WNBA Rookie of the Year awards.

“We are incredibly grateful to Coach Sides for accepting the challenge of guiding us through a comprehensive transition period over the past two seasons, while also positioning us well for future growth,” said Fever President of Basketball Operations Kelly Krauskopf.

“While decisions like these are never easy, it is also imperative that we be bold and assertive in pursuing our goals, which include maximizing our talent and bringing another WNBA championship back to Indiana. “Coach Sides was an incredible representative of the Fever and our community, and we wish her nothing but success in the future.”

Krauskopf returned to the Fever earlier this month after spending time with the Indiana Pacers.

Sides was a longtime assistant in the league, spending time with Chicago (2011-16), the Fever (2017-19) and Atlanta (2022) before landing the head coaching job. She replaced Marianne Stanley and her interim successor, Carlos Knox, who coached into the 2022 season.

Sides had two years left on his contract.

The Fever have not had a head coach for more than three years since Lin Dunn, who coached from 2008 to 2014. Since then, they have had Stephanie White (2015-16), Pokey Chatman (2017-19) and Stanley (2020 -22).

Indiana had a brutal schedule to start the season and lost eight of its first nine games. The Fever finally got going after the Olympic break, winning seven of eight to enter playoff contention.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball