Indiana Fever's newly appointed General Manager Kelly Krauskopf has shed light on her ambitious blueprint for WNBA star Caitlin Clark.
At the helm as the new president of basketball and business operations, Krauskopf came to her first press conference with plans to steer the franchise. She guided the Fever from inception in 2000 to their triumphant WNBA championship in 2012, before her initial departure in 2017.
Krauskopf, presented with the opportunity to return after stints with Pacers Gaming and the Indiana Pacers as an assistant general manager, expressed immense pride in her comeback to the roots of her professional journey.
"Anytime you're asked to return to a place that you helped build, you had a hand in building, it's special," said Krauskopf. She also highlighted the significance of her return within the broader context of women's sports, remarking, "I mean, this is a seminal moment in women's sports. It's a big opportunity to be a part of this rising tide that we're all experiencing."
Throughout her career in the WNBA, Krauskopf has consistently been on the lookout for fresh talent capable of elevating both the Fever franchise and the sport itself. One such gem is the league's Rookie of the Year, Clark, who Krauskopf anticipates will be central to the Fever's aspirations of greatness.
Clark is taking a well-deserved break from basketball this off-season after years of non-stop playing, which Krauskopf will hope leaves her feeling fresh for the new campaign.
And she already knows the exact message that Clark will be told heading into the season.
"Caitlin Clark was 10 years old when we won our first championship," she said. "It takes a generation sometimes to kind of get to that next level.
"And I would tell our players, 'Look, we're building this for someone else. We're building this for someone's 10-year-old daughter right now.' Because that's what you do. We wanted to just keep moving it forward, keep pushing it forward and paying it forward."
Krauskopf is set for a busy off-season with Kelsey Mitchell set to become a free agent, while the team have room for a max contract in free agency. But she continued that attracting players to the team will be straightforward with Clark starring for the franchise.
"I would think that if you are a smart basketball player and you watch the way she plays, you would want to play with her," Krauskopf added. "She, much like Tyrese Halliburton, gets you the ball in places that you didn't even know you were open because she passes to space. She finds openings and ways to free up other players.
"I look at just, really, how her and Kelsey work together and the efficiency of the offense because of the way that she plays the game and I would think that would be a big draw. I think it's an easy picture to paint to free agents."
Krauskopf's initial 18-year tenure with Indiana was a golden era for the team and the league, as they set an impressive record of reaching 12 consecutive WNBA play-offs from 2005 to 2016. During this period, they reached the finals three times in 2009, 2012 and 2015, clinching the franchise's sole title in 2012.
