Stephanie White, Lin Dunn, and Mickie DeMoss coached the Fever to a 2012 WNBA Championship.
The Indiana Fever coaching staff from the franchise’s only WNBA Championship (in 2012) is together again — in the SEC.
Stephanie White. Lin Dunn. Mickie DeMoss.
All three made offseason moves ultimately reuniting them in SEC country, with three different teams.
Hall of Fame coach Linn Dunn came out of retirement to be an assistant at the University of Kentucky, where she was a consultant this past year. Maybe that bug to coach, the bug to teach and be around the game never goes away.
Mickie DeMoss is now an assistant down at LSU. DeMoss, who has been a coach since 1977 (!!!) and primarily in the SEC Conference, spent the last two seasons at Louisiana Tech as the associate head coach under Tyler Summitt. The fallout forced Summitt, son of legendary coach Pat at Tennessee, to resign.
Finally, the youngest of the bunch is Stephanie White. 1995 Indiana Miss Basketball, 1999 NCAA National Champion at Purdue. Fever player, assistant coach, associate head coach, head coach …
and now, Vanderbilt head coach.
White, who’s just 38, accepted the job to lead Vandy earlier this week. She hired Carolyn Peck as her associate head coach and will finish out the Fever season before focusing on Vanderbilt full-time.
When White was at Seeger High School and making a decision about where she would play college ball, Vandy was her second choice behind Purdue, and now she gets stability — a six-year deal — and the opportunity to coach at a great institution.
[VIDEOS: Stephanie White discusses the Vanderbilt job and why it’s the right move]
Having worked for the Fever basketball staff for a decade, including that special 2012 Championship Season, I had the pleasure of knowing them well. They are a smart, yet fun bunch. The SEC is better off for having them impact three different programs.
I can’t wait for that first Vanderbilt – Kentucky meeting.
(There’s one more former Fever coach in the SEC as well. Gail Goestenkors, an assistant during the 2015 season under White, is now with SEC network as an analyst.)