INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White is familiar with Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas’s game.
White was Thomas’ coach for two seasons in Connecticut, and Thomas was the engine that propelled the Sun to the WNBA semifinals each year. Thomas is known as an aggressive player, using it to her advantage when needed.
Still, White was surprised when she saw Thomas put her fist into Fever guard Caitlin Clark’s neck in the second quarter Wednesday night.
“I didn’t see it in real time, so when I went back to see it, yeah, I was surprised,” White said at practice Friday. “I was more surprised that it wasn’t seen by the officials in real time. I think the eye discipline, for lack of a better term, sometimes I feel like all the officials are watching the ball and nobody’s watching the play. You have a player that’s down on the ground, certainly some things are going to happen, so I was very disappointed they didn’t see that in real time.”
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It happened when Clark fell to the ground while trying to keep control of the ball. She kicked the ball out to Aliyah Boston while surrounded by three defenders, including Thomas. Even after the ball was out of their immediate vicinity, Thomas appeared to knee Clark in the groin multiple times, then press her fist onto Clark’s neck while getting up.
Originally, no foul of any kind was called on the play, and Clark later left the game in the third quarter with a back injury. White blasted officials postgame, calling it “crazy” and “dangerous” for the officials to miss something like that. White said that as of Friday’s practice, she has not been fined by the league for her comments criticizing the officiating.
On Thursday, the WNBA gave Thomas a Flagrant 2 foul for “recklessly making contact” to Clark’s throat. She was also given a one-game suspension, which will be served in the Mercury’s next game against the Tempo on Saturday.
White said she thought the suspension was a fair punishment. But it doesn’t make up for the officials’ failure to see it in-game.
“I think the biggest thing for me is that we have to see it in real time,” White said. “I mean, yes, I’m thankful that the league went back and used their ability to go back and review it, but these are things that we can’t miss in real time. We’ve got to be better.”
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at chloe.peterson@indystar.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Fever coach ‘thankful’ for WNBA suspending Alyssa Thomas, but says officials ‘got to be better’
Reporting by Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
