Hopes were dangled and taken away. After a string of day-to-days,\u00a0the excitement peaked days ago when Caitlin Clark was seen running with the team and participating in shootarounds. Stephanie White even fueled it further when she admitted,\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s the hope [her return]. She\u2019s working as hard as she can to make sure that she is coming back.\u201d\u00a0But with three games left, the Indiana Fever confirmed what the ambiguity had been brewing all along: The reigning ROTY is out for the season. However, when the team had a couple of more updates, the fans caught on to it even before the reports spelled it out.<\/p>\n
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Hours before the Indiana Fever announced the final update on their star guard, they had added a fourth player to the \u2018out for the season\u2019 list. After Sydney Colson, Sophie Cunningham, and Aari McDonald took their leave, Chloe Bibby followed with her knee injury. With the playoffs on their head, it\u2019s not going to be easy to integrate another player into the squad, which is probably why Amber Cox and Kelly Krauskopf went for a familiar presence\u2013Bree Hall.<\/p>\n
After getting drafted 20th by the Indiana Fever this year, Hall was waived after the training camp and has been bouncing around the league on hardship contracts this season. In the one game she played with the Fever against the Brazil National Team, the rookie had put up 9 points and 4 rebounds. All factors excluded, the addition of the 2-time NCAA champion would have been a welcoming one. But fans couldn\u2019t see past the uncertain Caitlin Clark updates.<\/p>\n
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Ever since the no.22 sat out the game before the All-Star weekend, Indiana has not been forthcoming about when Clark was going to return. The updates sounded almost similar each time \u2014 \u201cyet to practice with contact.\u201d\u00a0The pattern already had fans and analysts speculating about things. One being, the delay in the updates was a marketing tactic to keep her fans on their toes, not losing their interest.<\/p>\n
So with Bree Hall\u2019s signing, though she is a forward replacement, it became a platform for fans to scream \u2018confirmation\u2019.\u00a0And White\u2019s update hadn\u2019t helped either. \u201cWe\u2019re gonna sit down today after practice today and hopefully have a direction soon,\u201d\u00a0the head coach said before they face Chicago. Now, fans are convinced the organization was stalling<\/a>.<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cI had hoped to share a better update, but I will not be returning to play this season,\u201d\u00a0Caitlin Clark shared on Thursday evening.\u00a0\u201cI spent hours in the gym every day with the singular goal of getting back out there, disappointed isn\u2019t a big enough word to describe how I am feeling.\u201d\u00a0But that wouldn\u2019t curb the fans\u2019 strong sentiment against the franchise.<\/p>\n Fans call out Stephanie White and the Indiana Fever after confusing Caitlin Clark update<\/p>\n There\u2019s an argument to be made about long-term health considerations over short-term gratification, but all fans needed was one firm decision. But Hall\u2019s signing said it all, and the community was not taking it well.<\/p>\n \u201cCaitlin\u2019s not coming back bro. This confirms it. Otherwise we would need the roster spot for CC. We\u2019ve been scammed by Steph, Kelly, and Amber once again,\u201d\u00a0a fan called it on X. Well, after revealing that Clark had been in practice for about a week, the next step would have meant roster integration. But when that did not come, the criticism was loud for leading the Fever fans on for weeks at a time.<\/p>\n Caitlin\u2019s not coming back bro. This confirms it. Otherwise we would need the roster spot for CC. We\u2019ve been scammed by Steph, Kelly, and Amber once again.<\/p>\n\n