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Caitlin Clark Hit With Stern Warning From Fever Teammates
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- Caitlin Clark Hit With Stern Warning From Fever Teammates
The WNBA preseason has finally arrived for Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever . They have back-to-back games against the Washington Mystics on Saturday and the Brazil national team on Sunday as they prepare for their highly-anticipated season opener against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky on May 17.
An offseason of change in Indianapolis has resulted in a new head coach, Stephanie White, and 10 new teammates around Clark on the training camp roster, highlighted by former WNBA champions DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard .
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It did not take long for the fresh faces to discover Clark's highly competitive personality in everything she does. Her tendency to overreact or "crash out," over any kind of game on or off the basketball court is well-documented .
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts to a play against the Phoenix Mercury.Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
As serious competition approaches , Clark's teammates were left begging her to keep her emotions in check. She struggled to heed their warning.
"Don't crash out!" multiple Fever players warned Clark at the end of the team's practice at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday.
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Indiana was not scheduled to have a shootaround before the 1 p.m. ET tip-off on Saturday, so they had to fit in the traditional half-court shot competition at the end of practice. There was money on the line — Clark could be seen waving it in her hand — but the 23-year-old sharpshooter missed her attempt.
Clark did not appear to go full crash-out after her miss, but she refused to hand the prize money to winner Brianna Turner until everybody had gone, and when she finally did, she threw the cash on the ground and her teammates picked it up.
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The presence of more veterans on the roster has seemed to loosen up Clark during the preseason. It has allowed her to embrace a youthful, goofy, unfiltered part of her personality — crash-outs and all — that was often suppressed by the weight of expectation on the 2024 No. 1 overall draft pick at times during her rookie season.
Still, there is an important message inside their warning to Clark at practice. Her fiery attitude led to the accumulation of six technical fouls during the regular season, one away from earning a suspension.
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The sophomore professed her goal to cut that number to two this season, but fans have no faith that Clark will follow through. Based on her reaction to her teammates' comments, they may not get their hopes up either.
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