The Indiana Fever are scheduled to begin training camp on Sunday, April 19. They have a week to prepare before their first preseason game scheduled for April 25 against the Dallas Wings.
Fever coach Stephanie White has brought in 16 players so far, including holdovers from last season, such as Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, Lexie Hull, Sophie Cunningham, Damiris Dantas and Makayla Timpson.
All eyes are on Clark, who played just 13 games last season because of multiple muscle-related injuries. She’s entering her third year, with the Fever among the favorites to contend for the title, as per Covers.
Coach White’s Cautious Plan for Clark at Training Camp
GettyCaitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever plays against the Chicago Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 17, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Due to her injury history, the Fever are expected to be very cautious with Clark during training camp. Coach White told Query & Company how they are going to approach the two-time All-Star’s playing time before the season.
“We also want to be smart,” White said, via EssentiallySports. “She doesn’t need every rep in practice. We want to continue to ramp her up. It’s a long season, 44 games, and we play a heavy cadence of games in a week.”
The coach added, “I don’t want to say ease her into it, because she’s ready for camp, but we want to make sure that we manage the reps, and what kinds of reps she’s getting, just to build her up so that she’s ready to go, and we don’t have any kind of questions about that.”
Clark already got her reps in December and March for Team USA. She was part of the December training camp and was named to the 12-player roster for the 2026 FIBA World Cup qualifying tournament last March in Puerto Rico.
Clark’s Injury History
GettyCaitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever reacts after hitting a basket against the Atlanta Dream during the second quarter at State Farm Arena on May 22, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.
It’s understandable why the Fever are going to take the cautious approach on Clark. She’s the most valuable player for the franchise, so they want her on the court all season long. But what did happen to the superstar point guard last year?
Ian Levy of FanSided listed all of Clark’s injuries from the 2025 WNBA season. She already experienced lower leg tightness in the preseason, but she was able to play the first four games of the campaign.
Clark’s first injury was a strained left quad, which caused her to miss five consecutive games. She returned on June 14 against the New York Liberty and dropped 32 points to give the then-defending champs their first loss of the season.
However, Clark suffered a strained groin in just her fifth game back. It wasn’t initially ruled out as a serious injury since she only missed four games. She was able to play four more contests before re-aggravating her groin injury before the WNBA All-Star break.
There was hope that Clark could return late in the season and help the Fever in the playoffs. But she suffered a sprained ankle during rehab, and the Fever ended up shutting her down for the rest of the year on September 4.
Stephanie White Reveals Cautious Caitlin Clark Plan Ahead of Fever Training Camp