Ruling out Caitlin Clark's return a 'big picture' call, Fever say - ESPN

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White said Friday that she hopes star Caitlin Clark's injury-riddled second season will be a blip on the radar for her career and that Clark will learn from experiencing adversity so early as a pro.

«There's a hunger and drive that comes with not having played and not wanting to do that again,» White said Friday, a day after Clark was officially ruled out for the season. «So what does that look like from a training perspective, what does that look like from a mentality perspective, from a preparation perspective, [is] just as much [impactful] as what you learn about the game and your teammates.»

Clark, the 2024 No. 1 pick, was limited to 13 games this year and had not played since July 15, when she suffered a right groin injury in the final minute of the Fever's win over the Connecticut Sun. She had been sidelined earlier in the year with left quad and left groin injuries, and then in an August workout suffered a bone bruise in her right ankle that she had to rehab concurrently with her groin.

White said Friday that the team has had a «preliminary conversation» about what Clark's continued rehab will look like through the end of the season, but then will sit and talk more thoroughly about an offseason plan once the Fever season is done.

Clark had been «working her butt off to be able to get back,» White said, and the team's recent road trip to the West Coast was a crucial opportunity for the Fever to see if they could get her on the floor with contact and build her endurance back to a high level in consecutive days, White said.

But with Indiana's regular season ending Tuesday and a playoff berth far from guaranteed, the Fever felt they ran out of time.

«We just weren't able to