Connecticut Sun coach Stephanie White is currently prioritizing a family crisis over her career prospects.
During a recent Zoom call, White spoke emotionally, expressing, “My priority is my family right now. Honestly, just being here for my family getting through this, that’s my priority.”
However, she kept the specifics of the emergency private.
Despite this personal turmoil, White’s accomplishments on the court have led her name to emerge as a potential candidate for several WNBA head coaching positions, as she recently guided the Sun to the semifinals where they were edged out by the Minnesota Lynx in a five-game series.
Teams such as Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles are currently looking for new head coaches.
White emphasized, “I’m not having conversations right now about anything outside of my family,” reiterating her focus on navigating this difficult time with her loved ones.
Over the past two seasons, she has served as the Sun’s head coach, and prior to that, she led the Indiana Fever in 2015 and 2016 before taking a coaching role at Vanderbilt.
The Sun, who have consistently reached the semifinals for six consecutive seasons, face uncertainty as key players such as Brionna Jones, Alyssa Thomas, and DeWanna Bonner are all unrestricted free agents.
DiJonai Carrington, also in the spotlight after winning the league’s Most Improved Player award, is a restricted free agent.
Reflecting on the season, Thomas shared, “It was a lot of fun on and off (the court) with this group for me. It’s just, it’s about winning. I don’t really care about the moments or the accolades or anything like that. It’s just about trying to get it done, and unfortunately, again, we did not get it done.”
The Sun kicked off the season with a remarkable record, notching 13 wins in their first 14 games, eventually finishing as the No. 3 seed. They advanced past Indiana in the first round but were unable to continue their success against the Lynx.