With Steph White out, Fever don't miss a beat with Austin Kelly acting as head coach

Indianapolis Star

7 hours ago

CHICAGO – Austin Kelly had to make an outfit change before he came in for his first postgame news conference as the Indiana Fever's acting head coach.
Taking over as Steph White is away from the team for personal reasons, he spent the game pacing the sidelines in a tan suit, directing players through plays and defensive actions. It was his first time as a head coach, but really, it didn't feel like it. He was cool, calm and collected, managing a 79-52 win over the Chicago Sky in front of an announced crowd of 19,000 at the United Center.
Minutes after he walked off the court, his team rewarded him for it with shower of water bottles, soaking that suit to the bone.
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So, after changing into a blue Fever-branded long-sleeve shirt and shorts, he walked into his first postgame news conference with his toddler, Zayn, on his hip.
'It's special,' Kelly said, holding a wiggling toddler. 'We got a great group, so being in that locker room there, it means a lot. It's something I'll never forget. First win, and they did a hell of a job for 40 minutes.'
As is typical with most toddlers, Zayn didn't last too long in Kelly's postgame presser — he first flung a piece of paper to the ground, then wriggled out of Kelly's grip, picked up the piece of paper to give back to his dad, then ran off to find his mom, assistant coach Karima Christmas-Kelly.
The Fever have a family culture: Kelly and Christmas-Kelly bring Zayn to every game, White has her four boys at practices and games, and guard DeWanna Bonner frequently brings her twin girls.
It's what made the adjustment from White to Kelly so easy, especially on such short notice.
'I think it's just a product of us being a family, honestly,' Kelly said of why the team adjusted to him so quickly. 'We really enjoy each other's company, from our staff to our players, and we're super competitive. Our staff, we'll get out there and play. That competitiveness, that 'lock-in' that we have as a group allows for whatever piece comes in to be able to pick it up quickly.'
That family culture, too, made the Fever even more motivated to win this game. Both for Kelly's first win as an acting head coach and to do it for White, who is working through a family emergency.
'I really want to win for Steph, she's going through a tough time with her family right now,' Fever guard DeWanna Bonner told IndyStar pregame. 'We want to rally together and get this one for her, but it's also Austin's first time at the helm, so it's double-duty right now.'
And the transition was seamless — maybe because of how in-tune the Fever coaching staff has been with each other for years.
'I feel like they've kind of morphed into the same person,' Fever center Aliyah Boston said postgame with a laugh. 'I mean, I think they both instill that confidence in us and also just continue to coach us through each possession on defense, make sure they're communicating with us.'
The entire coaching staff has known each other for over a decade, dating back to the 2012 Fever championship team where White was an assistant coach, Christmas-Kelly and fellow assistant Briann January were players and Kelly was a practice player.
Kelly has worked with White in multiple aspects over the years. He was the director of recruiting on White's staff at Vanderbilt from 2019-21, and she gave him his first opportunity in the WNBA when she brought him on as an assistant in Connecticut in 2023.
'None of this is possible without her,' Kelly said. 'I owe her everything. She's been a great mentor for me, and she made the transition easy with the amount of trust she put in me, so I owe her a lot.'
White texted Kelly after Indiana's win Saturday night, and he said he planned to give her a call after his news conference.
There's not a timetable for her return to the Fever, but she's still staying connected. And she's putting her complete confidence in Kelly and staff to keep the Fever going while she has to be away.
"My staff is so good and trusting in them that if I needed to be away for a period of time, it's status quo," White told IndyStar ahead of the season. "Our team knows that, they have great respect for them, and I know that, and I trust them implicitly, so it gives even more peace of mind."
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at [e-mail] or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67.