Helmed by Cheryl Miller, Team WNBA shone in its match-up against Team USA with a 117-109 win. During the game, there was a moment when Miller had some pep talk with Dallas Wings’ Arike Ogunbowale.
There was something about the conversation that made Ogunbowale go on a rampage in the second half, earning her the All-Star MVP honors. The after-effects of this move? Caitlin Clark fans are now campaigning for Miller as Indiana Fever’s new head coach.
The demand is understandable considering Ogunbowale went from being scoreless in the first half to setting an All-Star record with her 34 points. This included shooting 10-for-20 from the field and 8-for-13 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Clark herself also set the record for most assists (10) by a rookie in All-Star Game history. She missed the All-Time mark by just 2 assists.
It is worth mentioning the head coach for the USA’s women’s national team had already predicted that Team USA would face adversity in the All-Star game against Team WNBA. Meanwhile, coach Miller had expressed her excitement about coaching new talent like Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark on the same roster.
“It’s a unique collaboration of the best players in the world… What coach on this planet wouldn’t want to be in that situation?” she stated. The 60-year-old further mentioned her job is to stand back and be the cheerleader while having fun at the game. Consequently, the fans of the Fever rookie want Miller to take Clark under her wings by taking up the role of Indiana’s head coach.
Caitlin Clark fans demand head coaching change
The Fever’s current head coach, Christie Sides, had recently stated that she needs Clark to go for more shots. Notably, Clark has been doing impressively well as a facilitator but not much as a scorer, compared to her NCAA days. And the fans held Sides responsible for Clark taking limited attempts. Now after the All-Star game, yet another fan has expressed his belief that Sides is “wasting CC talent”. “Fire Christie sides . She wasting cc talent . Hire Cheryl miller.”
Meanwhile, one X user termed the present Fever head coach the “Worst coach in WNBA history”. Now, the comment may come out of frustration and may not be entirely true on a factual basis. But there is no denying Christie does not have much to show for in terms of accolades. This is her first stint as a full-fledged head coach of a team. In her first season with the Fever, the win-loss percentage was just 32.5%. This season too, the percentage is below 50% and almost half the season is over.
While the fans were already against Sides, Clark setting an assist record and Ogunbowale setting an All-Star scoring record has fans desiring for Miller to take over as the Fever head coach. “Cheryl Miller to coach indiana fever. Who is with me? #WNBA #WNBAAllStar #CaitlinClark,” posted a fan page of the Fever rookie.
And there is no denying that as compared to Sides, Miller has a clear advantage in terms of experience as she was in the coaching department for decades. While she especially came out of retirement to coach in this game, the Fever fans want her to return permanently. “PUT CHERYL MILLER AT INDIANA,” wrote one of them.
Now, it’s not as if Miller has many accolades to show for her in her coaching resume. But her track record with the teams has mostly been good. In her 4 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury, her win-loss percentage always stayed higher than 50%, except for the 1999 season. She even helped the team to victory in the 1998 Western Conference Finals. So it’s understandable when a fan states, “Cheryl Miller should coach the Fever #WNBA”.
Now, it’s to be seen if the Indiana Fever management takes note of fans’ demands and attempts any action in this regard.
