Indiana Fever move on from interim coach Carlos Knox after last-place finish in 2022 WNBA season
Knox filled in for Marianne Stanley who was fired nine games into the 2022 season
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The Indiana Fever announced Wednesday that the team will not be bringing back interim head coach Carlos Knox for the 2023 season. Knox was elevated to head coach after the Fever fired Marianne Stanley just nine games into the 2022 WNBA season. At that point, Indiana was 2-7, which was the second-worst record in the league. The Fever didn't improve much after Knox took over, finishing 3-24 over the remainder of the season and in last place.
"We thank Carlos for stepping into this role last season and for helping our young, talented team continue to improve. We took important steps forward this year, but the expectation for this team and this franchise is sustained success on the court. We are working hard to build a coaching staff that will deliver on that expectation," Fever interim General Manager Lin Dunn said in a statement.
Starting a new coaching search is a smart move for the Fever, who have undergone a significant amount of change over the past year. It started with Tamika Catchings stepping down as the team's vice president and general manager in February.
That led to Dunn filling in that role on an interim basis. One of Dunn's first moves was trading Teaira McCowan to the Dallas Wings, who was one of Indiana's most productive players a season ago. Dunn then fired Stanley after starting the season 2-7, which was a bit surprising given this was seen as a rebuilding year for the Fever.
But seeing as Dunn has now dismissed two head coaches in one season, it's clear she wants to turn the page on the old regime and hire her own coach for next season. It's not surprising that Dunn is being aggressive in trying to turn this franchise around, given she coached this team to its only championship in 2012. In seven seasons coaching the Fever, Dunn made the playoffs each year and advanced to the WNBA Finals twice. Since Dunn retired from coaching the Fever following the 2014 season, Indiana has made it to the postseason just twice. So if anyone can lead a search to find a head coach to turn this organization around, Dunn feels perfectly suited for the task.
