Caitlin Clark has been hitting the gym in the offseason.
The WNBA‘s Rookie of the Year is not resting on her laurels after a strong maiden campaign for the Indiana Fever.
Stephanie White has been brought in as head coach and tasked with capitalizing on Clark’s prowess by bringing titles to Indiana.
She has been hyping up her superstar guard all offseason and sat down with The Athletic to go into more depth.
“She is stronger, first and foremost,” White said of Clark’s offseason work. “She’s got a lot of self-awareness.
“She figured out right away, ‘I need to get stronger, I can’t get knocked around as much.’
“She’s done a great job of getting in the weight room and focusing on her strength, in terms of low center of gravity, time under tension, all of those things.
“I think the next step is efficiency. Not so many turnovers, higher field goal percentages.”
Clark has been dealing with rough treatment from hardened pros determined to make her step up from the college ranks as difficult as possible.
She is no shrinking violet on the court and wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself.
Clark helped the Fever into the postseason for the first time since 2016 with a 20-20 record.
But her team fell at the first hurdle and White is determined to go on a deeper run.
DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard, and Sydney Colson, who have won seven WNBA championships between them, have been brought in, as well as Angel Reese‘s former Chicago Sky teammate Brianna Turner.
White is also planning to push Clark into a more significant role on defense.
“[She is] gonna see all kinds of coverages, all kinds of matchups,” the experienced coach added.
“It’s working on how to become a little bit more efficient, whether that’s angles of attack, not avoiding contact, how we get by people, different cadences in dribbling, different cadences in footwork and different finishes around the rim.
“For us as coaches, it’s moving her off the ball a little bit more so she’s not getting worn out in-game.
“We’re challenging her on the defensive end of the floor, as well — being a better defender.
“As an opponent, you want to attack a good offensive player by making them play on the defensive end, putting them through the wringer.
“We will be creative as a staff in how we utilize her and how we utilize her talents.”
Clark is feeling positive about the new campaign after the Fever went hard to pack the roster.
“They know what it takes to win, they know what it takes to get to the Finals, they know what it takes to win championships,” Clark said in a ringing endorsement of the new arrivals.
“I think it’s exactly what we needed in our locker room. They’re not just really good basketball players, they’re great leaders and great people and I know the front office prioritized that.”
With White ready to unleash Clark 2.0 and a stronger supporting cast, the Fever have put the rest of the WNBA on notice.
