The Indiana Fever have made some coaching adjustments to prepare for assistant coach Karima Christmas-Kelly’s upcoming maternity leave for the birth of her second child. Her departure forced the Fever to lean on two individuals with deep institutional memory. On that note, Fever announced that Gary Kloppenburg will return to the organization in an interim team adviser capacity. On the other hand, Tully Bevilaqua will be elevated to interim assistant coach.

“With assistant coach Karima Christmas-Kelly preparing for the birth of her second child, we will elevate Tully Bevilaqua and welcome back Gary Kloppenburg in interim roles,” said the Fever statement on X.

Christmas-Kelly is expected to remain with the team for a period before her leave begins. This gives both incoming staff members time to integrate. She joined the Fever’s coaching staff in 2023 as part of Christie Sides’ setup. She was retained when Stephanie White took over ahead of the 2025 season. Her influence on the team’s defensive approach and her individual work with players like Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston have made her a valued voice in the organization.

Both appointments carry institutional familiarity. Kloppenburg has prior Fever history going back two decades, having served as an assistant from 2008-11. He then returned on Stephanie White’s staff in 2015-16. His most recent connection to the franchise has been in an advisory capacity in recent seasons. The Fever bringing him back preserves continuity with White’s existing coaching structure.

Bevilaqua has her own deep roots with the franchise. She has played for the Fever for six seasons before her playing career concluded in 2012. She has been part of the organization in various capacities since 2017.

The timing of these moves matter the most. The Fever are heading into a road-heavy West Coast stretch followed by a home stand through mid-July. The matchups include against league juggernauts such as the Aces, Sparks, Valkyries, and Mercury coming up over that period. Having the interim roles settled before than run rather than during it is sound planning.

The more substantive question, however, is what Kloppenburg brings beyond his familiarity with the staff.

Kloppenburg Brings Championship Pedigree And Defensive Mindset

Kloppenburg’s resume is built on defense and winning when the stakes are highest. When he was the interim coach of the Seattle Storm in 2020, he led the WNBA in defensive rating and steals and captured the championship. He was also on the Storm’s coaching staff when they won the title in 2018. Thus, this is how he brings in championship pedigree and a defensive mindset.

Kloppenburg’s track record is directly relevant to what the Fever need right now. Though Indiana scores freely, it gives up points at a rate that creates problems in close games. They rank second in the league in turnover percentage at 19.4. Also, they are the only team in WNBA history to have lost four games in a season while scoring 100 or more points.

This exactly captures the gap Kloppenburg is asked to help close. He is now here to fix a team that can score but struggles with protecting leads.

Kloppenburg’s history with White’s staff at Indiana from 2015-16, combined with his return to the same organization in 2022 shows that he is familiar with the Fever’s setup and challenges. Perhaps, he can now install a new defensive system from scratch that could help Indiana to regain the dominance that they need for playoff contention.