After a rough road trip, the Indiana Fever are searching for answers. The Fever’s 0-2 trip included a viral bench spat between Caitlin Clark and Indiana head coach Stephanie White.
On Tuesday, guard Sophie Cunningham told media members that the Fever held a team meeting to get everyone back on the same page following back-to-back losses on their brief West Coast trip.
“We had a team meeting (Monday) — a long meeting — and so hopefully we’ve kind of turned the page,” Cunningham said. “I think we were in there an hour and a half, almost two hours, and we peeled back all the layers. I think everyone’s on a good page right now and ready to work. We’ll say it started (as a) coaches (meeting) and then ended up being players. It was much needed, though,” Cunningham said.
While Cunningham and All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell did not divulge specifics of what was discussed, it’s clear that everyone in the organization believed it was necessary and valuable to hold the meeting.
“We have all the pieces we need (to win), but it’s knowing your role, owning your role and also just being tough,” Cunningham said. “We’re just too soft right now, and that’s not what our identity is, so we need to get away from that.”
While these difficult and emotional times may appear alarming to fans and the media, Cunningham expressed that the team meeting will hopefully be part of a long-term solution to what the organization hopes is a short-term problem.
“No one wants to have these meetings, but everyone, every team has them,” Cunningham said. “Everyone has trials, everyone has shortcomings, and I’m just thankful ours is at the beginning of the season and not during September, October.”
Fever All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell echoed those sentiments.
“I think it’s a part of being a family,” Mitchell said. “If you think everything is glitz and glamour, then you’re mistaken. I think hard times can make you or break you and, hopefully, it doesn’t break us, and I think losing is important because you find out a lot about yourself, about where you need to be, where you’re missing the mark and I’m happy that’s happening now. If there is frustration, I’d rather it be now than later.”
The Fever (4-4) will look to bounce back into the win column on Thursday night when they host Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream (6-2) from Gainbridge Fieldhouse for their second WNBA Commissioner’s Cup game.
Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT, with the game streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Indiana Fever team meeting: Team optimistic it can turn page
Reporting by Scout Springgate, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
