Following the conclusion of the 2024 WNBA season, the Indiana Fever, who made their first playoff appearance since 2016, are heading back to the drawing board.

The Fever struggled from time to time throughout the season despite rostering stars like Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell.

Many fans believed Indiana’s issues stemmed from the coaching staff.

Despite one of their best seasons in the past decade, the Indiana Fever announced on Sunday that the franchise has relieved Christie Sides of her head coaching duties.

“While decisions like these are never easy, it is also imperative that we remain bold and assertive in the pursuit of our goals, which includes maximizing our talent and bringing another WNBA championship back to Indiana,” Fever President of Basketball Operations Kelly Krauskopf wrote in a statement.

Sides now joins Curt Miller (Los Angeles Sparks), Teresa Weatherspoon (Chicago Sky), Latricia Trammell (Dallas Wings), Tanisha Wright (Atlanta Dream) and Eric Thibault (Washington Mystics) as coaches who have been fired this offseason.

Sides started her tenure with the Fever in 2023. She coached two seasons in Indiana, earning a 13-27 record in 2023 and 20-20 record in 2024.

Despite the improvement, the Fever decided that the future of the franchise did not include Sides.

Before earning the head coaching opportunity with the Fever in 2023, Sides served as an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky from 2011 to 2016, an assistant coach with the Indiana Fever from 2017 to 2019 and an assistant for the Atlanta Dream in 2022.

Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides

© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Given its start power headed by Clark, Indiana will be a top landing spot in the coaching carousel.

The rookie turned into a WNBA sensation in 2024. She averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game. Clark was named the Rookie of the Year and was listed as a WNBA All-Star starter in her first professional season.