Basketball
By Isabelle McCarthy June 4, 2024 8:00 pm
By Isabelle McCarthy | June 4, 2024 8:00 pm ET
The Indiana Fever have had back-to-back number one overall picks so far and are projected to have the first overall pick again for the third straight year. Currently the Fever are 2-9, they have multiple stars on the team, with the biggest name being Caitlin Clark. The biggest headline in why there should be a coaching change is bringing somebody who has a ton of experience to coach such a young team. For somebody like Jenny Boucek, she brings a ton of experience, having coached in the WNBA before, but currently she resides as part of Rick Carlisle’s staff as an assistant coach on the Indiana Pacers.
What Jenny Boucek Brings
Jenny Boucek brings over 20 years of coaching experience, both being in the WNBA and NBA. She did spend a few years as a player professionally, however she graduated with a double major in sports medicine and sports management. With Boucek’s experience in coaching, she has quite the experience in player development. With such a young Indiana Fever team, having rookie Caitlin Clark and second year Aliyah Boston, this could be a prime opportunity for Indiana to have a coach help develop these young stars in a way they are supposed to. One thing that stands out with Boucek is how she approaches coaching, as she has said:
“You can’t deal with them holistically if you don’t know them. The first thing to be really good in developing your players is getting to know them, and their game. Then you can meet them where they are at and hopefully help guide them into where they can be.”
A coach who has this kind of mentality, who works with her players on what to improve and making little tweaks to their game is what the Fever absolutely need to succeed. Boucek’s approach to how she has been helping the Indiana Pacers can translate to the Fever, because in many ways the Pacers are just like the Fever, a very young core looking to find an identity. Boucek recognizes this with Tyrese Haliburton, as she explained in an interview that the Pacers have to find a way to build around Haliburton and his strengths. For the Indiana Fever, this is exactly a coach who can get you right when you have the headline star Caitlin Clark. Many fans and media have criticized Christie Sides for not utilizing Clark in games, not surrounding the offense around her, or having the proper gameplan for her as a point guard. Boucek has worked closely with many professional basketball players, one specific example being point guard T.J. McConnell, with this kind of player progression and working closely with a point guard, this could be the kind of coach Caitlin Clark needs in order to succeed. With Boucek having a lot of experience in player development itself, not only could this benefit Caitlin Clark, but the entire Indiana Fever roster as well.
The Fever Need to Move On
The Fever need a coach who will be there for their players, as we have seen Christie Sides be there but not exactly be all fighting for her players. We have seen Sides throw her players under the bus, and to be fair the Indiana Fever have had a very rough schedule to begin with, but there has to be some accountability besides the fact that the team hasn’t had much practice time. We have seen Sides take out her players that are doing exceptionally well during crucial time periods, which lead to the opposing team taking advantage and eventually winning the game. One thing that has really stood out to call for Sides being fired is how she left in starters in a blowout loss against the New York Liberty. Aliyah Boston went down in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury and Caitlin Clark went to the locker room with an ear issue. In the post-game press conference, Christie Sides explained she left her players in due to them wanting “to fight.” In these situations, a coach has to put their foot down and know what is better for their players in the long term. Situations like these are why the Fever needs to move on from Sides.
Why Jenny Boucek
There are videos of Jenny Boucek running to help break up “fights” between players, with that kind of attitude, there is a lot of belief that Boucek would fight for her players and defend them in ways that are much needed right now. It’s more about how Boucek explains and shows her style of coaching that she would make a great fit for the Indiana Fever, having already being connected in Indiana with the Pacers, it probably wouldn’t be too hard to get her to switch to the WNBA, as she has coached in the WNBA before. Jenny Boucek has a lot of experience that it’s hard to pass on her name for the ideal coaching candidate for the Fever, she has served as a scout when she was with the Seattle Storm, a color commentator for ACC women’s basketball games, a player development coach for the Sacramento Kings, and then her assistant coaching positions with the Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers. Boucek being mentored by a very experienced coach in Rick Carlisle also helps, as Carlisle has many accolades to his name.
The Indiana Fever need to make a head coaching change quickly, especially when you have the biggest headline name on your roster, having that experienced veteran coach will go a long way for such a young team. If the Indiana Fever want to become a competitor in the WNBA, they will need to move on from Christie Sides and currently the best candidate to take her place is Jenny Boucek.
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Angel Reese, Cailtin Clark, Chennedy Carter, Fever, Indiana Fever, Jenny Boucek, Stephen A Smith, WNBA, WNBA Props, Basketball, NBA, WNBA
