Calls Mount for Chicago Sky to Make Change Before Indiana Fever Game
Calls Mount for Chicago Sky to Make Change Before Indiana Fever Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Chicago Sky earned a 2-4 record in the first month of the 2025 WNBA season. They started off on a four-game losing streak under new head coach Tyler Marsh, but have since rebounded with two consecutive victories.
Advertisement
2024 WNBA All-Star forward Angel Reese is putting together a strong sophomore campaign, averaging 10.0 points and a league-leading 12.3 rebounds per game. She also has three double-doubles already this season through just six contests.
Another Sky forward, rookie Maddy Westbeld, has only played in two games this season after being the No. 16 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. A video just surfaced of Westbeld working hard on her game after Chicago's recent practice.
Chicago lost to the Indiana Fever on opening day by a lopsided score of 93 to 58. With just days until the Sky's rematch against the Fever, fans are calling for Westbeld to be inserted into the lineup after seeing this footage.
Advertisement
"Maddy should be playing," one fan replied.
"Is she gonna play in the game? Because if not then what's the point," a fan lamented.
"PLAY HER MORE," another fan wrote.
"Maddy is a bucket," a fan responded. "Please ask when she will have playing time!!!"
Chicago Sky forward Maddy Westbeld (21).MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
"She needs some minutes when we play CT or something," a fan replied.
"Would be nice to get to see her play but who knows when that'll happen," another fan commented.
"Yet he has refused to reward her by giving her some play minutes," one fan complained.
"Play Maddy," another fan responded. "I'm tired of seeing her not get minutes."
The Sky are in the midst of a seven-day break, as they have not competed since their 94 to 83 victory on the road against the Dallas Wings last Saturday. They will be back in action to begin their slate of Commissioner's Cup games this Saturday against the Fever.
Advertisement
Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
Related: Chicago Sky Coach Sends Rick Carlisle Message Before NBA Finals
Related: Unexpected Angel Reese Practice Video Surfaces Before Indiana Fever Game
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Times
35 minutes ago
- New York Times
Fever balance scoring, rout Sky 79-52 without Caitlin Clark, coach Stephanie White
CHICAGO — Austin Kelly first met Stephanie White over a decade ago, when Kelly's future wife, Karima Christmas-Kelly, began playing for the Indiana Fever in 2012. Kelly would hang around the team and sometimes sit in on Fever practices. Occasionally, he would even take part in them as a practice player. Advertisement A lot has changed with the Fever since. And yet, for all that's different around the franchise — especially in the last two seasons as Indiana has evolved into the WNBA's most popular team — plenty has stayed the same. On Saturday night against the Chicago Sky, Kelly, an Indiana assistant coach, slid into the lead chair, serving as the Fever's acting head coach with White absent due to personal reasons. Christmas-Kelly, a fellow assistant on the Fever, was a few seats down on the bench. So too was another key member of Indiana's 2012 title-winning roster, Briann January, who, like Kelly, is also in her first season as a Fever assistant. 'We all got history,' Kelly said. Even without White, the trio has helped the Fever climb back to .500, as Indiana defeated Chicago, 79-52, in the first WNBA game played at the United Center. White was not Indiana's only notable absence, however. The Fever are now 2-2 in games without star guard Caitlin Clark, who could return as soon as Tuesday as she continues rehabbing her left quad strain. Aari McDonald pokes it free and cashes in with her third 3-pointer 🔥 — Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 8, 2025 Despite the absences of Clark and White, Indiana's offense was efficient as the ball pinballed from player to player with the Fever recording 14 assists on its first 20 made field goals. They finished with 19 assists on 27 baskets, shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from 3-point range. Four players finished in double figures for Indiana as its balanced cast of role players stepped up in the absence of its coach and star guard. Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with 17 points, Natasha Howard scored 13 and grabbed five rebounds, while Aari McDonald and Aliyah Boston scored 12 and 11 points, respectively. Advertisement 'It's special,' Kelly said after the win. 'It's something I'll never forget. They did a hell of a job for 40 minutes of executing the game plan. And I thought when we had lulls, the communication out there was really good, they picked each other up when it was needed.' Chicago's production paled in comparison. The Sky had only six assists on 11 made field goals at halftime, as they trailed 41-28 at the break. Indiana's lead grew to 17 midway through the third quarter as Mitchell darted to the rim for another layup and two of her team-high 17 points. It ballooned to 29 after three quarters, and 30 early in the fourth quarter before Chicago chipped away. Saturday night was supposed to be a celebration inside United Center, as the Sky were playing in the home of the NBA's Chicago Bulls for the first time in franchise history in front of what was expected to be a Sky record crowd. But the tenor of the night, and perhaps Chicago's season, changed abruptly as veteran Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot suffered a knee injury at the 5:29 minute mark of the first quarter on a drive to the basket. Vandersloot, the franchise's all-time leading scorer who returned to Chicago this past offseason after two seasons with the New York Liberty, was carried off the floor, unable to put any weight on her right leg and did not return. The Sky's offense appeared to not recover either. "The sky is falling in Chicago!" DeWanna Bonner knocks down the three to put us up 24 in the third. — Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 8, 2025 Kelly and White have worked together for a few seasons, first from 2019-2021, when Kelly was White's director of recruiting when she was the head coach at Vanderbilt. He was later on White's coaching staff during White's two seasons with the Connecticut Sun. 'We're prepared for this moment. I've worked for Steph a handful of years, and she wants to prepare all of her assistants to be head coaches,' Kelly said. 'And so she puts a lot on our plate, and she allows us to grow and be our own head coach in our areas.' Advertisement Kelly plays a critical role in Indiana's offensive success. Heading into Saturday's matchup, Indiana was No. 4 in offensive rating, even with its star guard missing the last four games. He has learned plenty from White and former Fever coach/general manager Lin Dunn. 'Keep it simple,' he said. 'Keeping it simple so your players are on the same page,' Everyone was aligned for the Fever on Saturday night. And now, as Indiana prepares for the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday, with Clark and White's statuses both uncertain, the task will remain the same. (Photo of Natasha Howard: Daniel Bartel / Getty Images)


USA Today
40 minutes ago
- USA Today
Indiana Fever dominate Chicago Sky minus Caitlin Clark, back to .500
Indiana Fever dominate Chicago Sky minus Caitlin Clark, back to .500 Thanks to a well-rounded road effort, the Indiana Fever are back to .500. Indiana (4-4) dominated the Chicago Sky (2-5) and Angel Reese on Saturday night, 77-52, as Fever guard Caitlin Clark missed her fourth straight game. It's now consecutive wins for Indiana minus Clark after they had dropped their first two minus the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year. Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell led the way with a game-high 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting with five rebounds, a pair of assists and one steal. Indiana forward Natasha Howard registered her fourth double-figure scoring contest of the season with 13 points. Fever forward Aliyah Boston finished with 11 points, five rebounds, five assists and one block. It was Boston's seventh game scoring in double figures. Recent emergency hardship signing Aari McDonald continued her impressive play since joining the club. After scoring seven points, assisting five times and coming away with three steals in her Fever debut during Indiana's 85-76 win over Washington on Tuesday, McDonald had another strong performance in the win over the Sky. The 5-foot-6 guard scored 12 points and knocked down a trio of 3-pointers against Chicago. McDonald also came away with four steals, two assists and one board. Indiana shot 45.8% from the field and 40.7% from beyond the arc as the Fever connected on 11 3-pointers. Meanwhile, Chicago shot just 32.7% from the field and 20.0% from the 3-point line. Reese finished with only four points on a 2-of-7 shooting night. The former LSU star grabbed 12 rebounds. The Fever are now 2-0 in Commissioner's Cup play. Kamilla Cardoso and Rebecca Allen led Chicago with eight points apiece. Indiana returns to action on Tuesday at Atlanta (5-3) from Gateway Center at 6:30 p.m. CT. The two teams have split the season's first two meetings with Atlanta winning in Indiana on May 20, 91-90, and the Fever winning at Atlanta on May 22, 81-76. Clark will be reevaluated on June 9 and could possibly return at Atlanta. "I feel like I've made a lot of progress and I feel good, and I'm not going to rush coming back. It's just not worth it. But after this weekend, I'll be reevaluated and we'll have a better idea of when I'll return," Clark said on Thursday. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF


USA Today
40 minutes ago
- USA Today
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander talks about his admiration for Kobe Bryant
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander talks about his admiration for Kobe Bryant Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder was named the NBA MVP for this season recently, and he led the league in scoring with an average of 32.7 points a game during the regular season. He has continued his outstanding play during the playoffs, and he's now playing for his first world championship. His Thunder trail the Indiana Pacers 1-0 in the NBA Finals after blowing a double-digit fourth-quarter lead in Game 1. But he still produced 38 points in Game 1 to help his team's cause. Like plenty of players in recent years, Gilgeous-Alexander looks up to late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. He told the media that Bryant is probably his favorite player ever, and that he hopes to approach Bryant's level of greatness. "That's probably my favorite player of all time," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "I never got the chance to meet him… but not only me, for kids all across the world, his influence has gone through the roof and his legacy will be remembered forever because of the competitor and the basketball player that he was. Hopefully I'm somewhere close to that as a basketball player one day. But he was a special talent, special person, and God rest his soul." Bryant, of course, drove the Lakers to five NBA championships and won two finals MVPs during his 20-year career. He is considered arguably the greatest closer in league history, and he produced numerous memorable moments in crunch time, especially in big games. Oklahoma City will need a few memorable moments like that from Gilgeous-Alexander if it is to bring home its first championship since 1979 when the franchise was known as the Seattle SuperSonics.