Connecticut Sun part ways with head coach Stephanie White

After two seasons at the helm of the Connecticut Sun, Stephanie White will not return as the Sun’s head coach next year. Connecticut announced Monday that the team and White have parted ways, with reports indicating that the decision was mutual.

White won WNBA Coach of the Year in 2023, her first year in Connecticut. She led the Sun to two straight playoff appearances in two years, losing in the second round both years. Connecticut had a 55-25 record in two seasons under White.

The Sun began the 2024 season strong with a nine-game winning streak. The team spent several weeks at the top of the WNBA standings before ultimately ending in third place and securing an eighth-straight playoff berth. Connecticut failed to advance to the WNBA Finals after losing to the Minnesota Lynx, despite forcing a deciding Game 5.

White joined the Sun in 2023 after five seasons as head coach at Vanderbilt. Prior to that, she spent six years with the Fever, becoming Indiana’s head coach from 2015-16.

As for where she will end up next, there are a few options. As of Saturday, White was reportedly speaking to multiple teams about her future, and was in talks with the Sun, the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky, per Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times. Indiana announced Sunday that the team had fired head coach Christie Sides, while the Sky fired Teresa Weatherspoon last month.

White leaving Connecticut marks the seventh head coaching vacancy so far this offseason — an unprecedented number for the WNBA. Other openings include the Washington Mystics, who fired GM Mike Thibault and head coach Eric Thibault earlier this week, and the Dallas Wings, who fired Latricia Trammell earlier this month; additionally, the Los Angeles Sparks and Atlanta Dream also have vacancies after parting ways with Curt Miller and Tanisha Wright, respectively.