Fever Coach Stephanie White Stands by DiJonai Carrington After Hard Foul on Sophie Cunningham
Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White has sparked controversy with her defense of Chicago Sky's DiJonai Carrington after a hard foul on Sophie Cunningham.
Carrington was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul after slamming her arm into Cunningham's neck as she went up for a layup in the first quarter of their game. While most viewers, including Cunningham, believe the foul was intentional, coach White sees it differently.
White views the situation as a competitive action, stating, "One of the things about Nai (DiJonai Carrington) is that she's going to compete. No one's going to walk in for an easy layup, so I don't oppose the hard foul. But I also don't think she intentionally went for the neck."
This stance is surprising given that Carrington's foul clearly crossed the line, and the official rightfully judged it as worthy of an ejection. A coach usually sticks up for their own player in a situation like this, but White's comments try to soften the blow on Carrington's end.
Carrington spent two seasons under White on the Connecticut Sun, which might explain White's defense. However, she likely should have prioritized her current player in Cunningham here.
Cunningham spoke to the media after the game and said Carrington's foul was clearly unnecessary. "From my point of view, I mean clearly I think it was unnecessary. I've never really spoken to her and have no beef with her. But I guess she has some pent-up stuff. So get your s— off. That's fine. I can take it."
Cunningham ended the game with three points, one rebound, and two steals in 17 minutes, ending the game with a -28 plus/minus. Carrington had eight points on 3-3 shooting in four minutes of the first quarter before she was ejected for her foul, as the Sky lost 86-90.
This incident has sparked a heated debate about physicality in the WNBA and how coaches should respond to their players' actions. As the Fever and Sky face each other again in the near future, it will be interesting to see how White's defense of Carrington affects the team's dynamics.
Source: Yahoo Sports