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Vanderbilt has narrowed its search, and has identified the finalists for their next women's basketball coach. According to reports, Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White, Princeton head coach Courtney Banghart and Notre Dame assistant Niele Ivey are the three final candidates.
This afternoon, the Indiana Fever confirmed that White interviewed for the position with the Commodores, and issued a joint-statement along with White:
Stephanie White: "It has always been a goal of mine to get back into college coaching at some point in my career, but it had to be the ‘perfect' opportunity in order for me to consider leaving this job that I love very much. Vanderbilt did reach out to me and I was given permission to speak with them. No matter what happens in this process, my focus is on the Indiana Fever and leading this team to a WNBA championship this season. I love this team, our players, staff and organization and I will continue to give them all everything I have."
Fever President and General Manager Kelly Krauskopf added, "In the offseason, Stephanie made it known that she is interested in pursuing college coaching. We agreed that she would remain with the Fever for the 2016 season. It is not my desire for her to leave our franchise, but I felt the right thing to do was to allow her to pursue her goal of coaching in college. I am more than confident that Stephanie will do a great job for us this season."
More details as this story develops.