INDIANAPOLIS — Stephanie White spent her offseason as part of a league committee aimed to fix the constant problems players and coaches had with officiating throughout the WNBA.
The committee was created in hopes officiating would become more consistent throughout the league, especially as they usher in more teams and longer seasons. So far, she’s not seeing any results. Especially with one of the most prominent players in the league.
“We spent all offseason looking at officiating,” White said, with Fever GM Amber Cox looking on, following Indiana’s 111-109 loss to Phoenix on Wednesday. “All offseason. And I still say the one thing that we keep asking for is consistency. (Caitlin Clark) is not called the same way everyone else is called.”
Clark, who had some issues with her back earlier this season, left Wednesday night’s against the Phoenix Mercury in the third quarter with a back injury.
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It’s unknown what ultimately prompted her to leave the game, but she looked to tweak her back around the six-minute mark of the third quarter when Mercury forward Valeriane Ayayi fouled her on a 3-point attempt. Clark came down on Ayayi’s foot, then fell to the ground. She grabbed at her back quickly, then stood up and looked uncomfortable as she walked to the bench.
The call was reviewed, but not upgraded. Clark stayed in the game to take her three free-throw shots, and played through to the third quarter, when she checked out of the game at the 5:15 mark, went back to the locker room, and did not return.
But what really fired White up was the complete non-call just a minute earlier in the game.
While fighting to keep control of the ball, Clark fell to the ground and managed to push the ball out to Aliyah Boston. Multiple defenders, including Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner and Lexi Held.
Thomas appeared to knee Clark in the groin multiple times while she was on the ground, even as the ball bounced out of their immediate area. Thomas then pressed her first into Clark’s neck as she was getting up, stepping over Clark’s legs.
Officials did not call a foul of any kind throughout the interaction.
“I’m not sure if it had any impact on her health or not, but it was egregious, the fact that it was a no-call,” White said in a fiery postgame availability. “I heard about it at halftime, I brought it to the attention of the officials at halftime … absolutely unacceptable. And the reckless closeout that they actually review, and the foot still comes down on top of the defender’s foot, that was an upgrade. Absolutely disrespectful. We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called, and again, absolutely unacceptable.”
White later said that the officials told her that they didn’t see the play where Thomas pressed her fist into Clark’s neck. But, after what has been a season full of what she thinks is inconsistent refereeing on Clark, she’s not going to stand for it.
“The fist in the throat is crazy. It’s crazy. It’s dangerous,” White said. “… When you have these things continue to happen time and time and time again, eventually it gets frustrating, but I thought those were just more egregious.”
IndyStar requested a pool report following White’s press conference, but it was outside the allotted time pool reports were able to be requested following the game. At the time of publication, a league spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on if the WNBA was going to review the play.
The Fever have an off day on Thursday, then practice Friday ahead of their home game against the Los Angeles Sparks.
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 Stephanie White blasts WNBA officiating for ‘egregious’ non-calls to Caitlin Clark
Reporting by Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
