Clark feeling 'stronger'; Fever camp vibes 'good'

INDIANAPOLIS -- A new chapter kicked off this weekend as the new-look Indiana Fever began a training camp headlined by star Caitlin Clark and just four other returners. But the reviews through two days of practice are so far, so good.

"I think the vibes are really good," Clark said Tuesday, speaking for the first time this preseason. "Obviously we're probably not in the heat of battle yet, we're out here competing with one another, but at the same time, everybody's here supporting one another and having fun and enjoying it."

Added All-Star teammate Kelsey Mitchell: "Everything is just absolutely new. It feels really good. It's kind of like when you take your clothes out of the dryer. It feels fresh."

Coming off their first playoff berth since 2016 and an aggressive run in free agency, the Fever enter the 2025 WNBA season as early championship contenders. Their ascension has been supercharged by Clark, who as a rookie finished fourth in MVP voting. While most of her counterparts spent this offseason playing overseas or in the new Unrivaled league, Clark opted not to play organized basketball, though she did stay in the area to work on her game.

"I thought it was going to feel long. It really didn't. It felt really short," Clark said. "We played a lot of pickup. We were in here all the time. I was in here with [player development coach] Keith [Porter] all the time. Had teammates coming in and out all offseason, working with me, wanting to get better."

Clark's main focus in the offseason was getting stronger to better handle the physicality of the pros, and she feels the results already.

"I certainly feel a lot stronger," Clark said. "I'm a pretty self-aware person. I knew that was going to be a huge part of [the offseason]. ... Even through these two practices, I can certainly feel it."

Added coach Stephanie White: "Being able to address getting in the weight room, getting stronger, being able to stay on balance, better time under tension, core stability, all of those things, and then to be able to get in the gym and really hone in on on some nuance of her game, that's going to help her get to another level."

It was also Clark's first real time off since before her whirlwind senior season at Iowa, allowing her to step away from the spotlight a bit after emerging as one of sports' biggest stars and to "be able to live my life as a normal person." Last season, training camp opened April 28 and the regular season started May 14, some five weeks after Clark played in the national title game.

"I admire the college players that have to come from playing a 40-plus-game college season to them having to come straight into the W," White said. "It's physically grueling. It's mentally taxing, let alone what Caitlin's had to deal with. I think it was great for her to get a break. I think it was great for her body, for her mind, her soul, probably."

Clark, fellow former No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston and 2018 No. 2 pick Mitchell are the big three that the Fever looked to build around this offseason as they revamped their roster. Targeting shooting, defense, versatility and championship pedigree, Indiana brought in a new cast headlined by DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard, Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson, with Bonner, Howard and Colson boasting a combined seven WNBA titles.

"As far as teams that I've coached in the W, it's the deepest, most talented roster that I've really been a part of," White said.

The changes organizationally were top-down: White, an Indiana legend and former Fever player, was hired in November for her second stint as head coach for the franchise. The team brought back former longtime Fever executive Kelly Krauskopf to serve as president and hired Amber Cox as GM. Players and White stressed Tuesday that meshing so many new pieces, while implementing a new system and introducing a new staff, will be more of a "learning process," as Clark put it, than an instant success.

These early days of training camp and preseason competition -- including Sunday's exhibition against the Brazil national team at Clark's alma mater, Iowa -- will be the first steps in starting to form that chemistry.

"We're not anywhere near where we're going to be when it comes time for the playoffs," White said. "Every single day, we've got to grow through some uncomfortable things, and so to hold one another accountable, to hold yourself accountable, to be held accountable, but also to give grace throughout this process [is important] ... We have to be able to keep our focus on where we want to be, but also understand that it's not linear."