Chicago Sky are struggling out of the gate with a new coach and revamped roster
CHICAGO — Angel Reese captured a national championship and never lost more than two games in a row during a four-year college career. She and Caitlin Clark helped lead women's basketball to new heights with a rivalry that gripped the nation.
After all that winning, first at Maryland and then LSU, her rookie season with the Chicago Sky was an eye-opener. Year 2 is off to a bumpy start, too.
'I'm not really a patient person,' Reese said. 'I like to perfect things right away. That's why I'm so hard on myself. We have great coaches, we have great players.'
For now, they have room to improve.
The Sky are struggling with a new coach and revamped roster, and are 2-6 following a lopsided road loss to the New York Liberty on Tuesday. A season-ending knee injury to franchise career assist leader Courtney Vandersloot last weekend only added to their difficulties.
The slow start comes on the heels of a 13-27 season and 10th-place finish in the WNBA. The Sky dropped 12 of their final 14 games last year, then got busy reshaping the roster.
Chicago fired coach Teresa Weatherspoon after one season and hired Las Vegas Aces assistant Tyler Marsh to take over for the Hall of Famer. The Sky brought in veteran leadership to help Reese and Kamilla Cardoso take their games to a different level, reuniting with Vandersloot and acquiring two-time All-Star Ariel Atkins from Washington.
But in the early going, the team is having a rough time. Chicago ranks among the worst in the WNBA on offense and defense and leads the league in turnovers.
The Sky have been blown out twice by Indiana, starting with a heated season opener on the road. Clark had a triple-double and sent tempers flaring by knocking Reese to the floor with a hard foul. Chicago dropped its first four games before back-to-back wins over struggling Dallas, with No. 1 overall draft pick Paige Bueckers missing the second meeting while in the concussion protocol.
Just when the Sky seemed to be pointing themselves in the right direction, things took another painful turn on Saturday night.
They got wiped out again by Indiana in the first WNBA game at the United Center, with a national, prime-time audience watching and Clark sidelined with a quad injury. Worse, Vandersloot tore the ACL in her right knee during the first quarter.
The five-time All-Star known as 'The General' returned to Chicago after two years in New York, where she helped the Liberty capture the championship last season and earned her second ring to go with the one she got with the Sky in 2021. A little more than a week before the injury, Vandersloot broke wife Allie Quigley's franchise career records for scoring and field goals made.
'She's our engine," Marsh said. 'She's our captain, she's our leader out there. Obviously, it's a huge blow.'
One of the best distributors the WNBA has seen, Vandersloot is second to Hall of Famer Sue Bird in total assists and holds the highest season and career averages in league history. The Sky figure to lean more on rookie Hailey Van Lith, the No. 11 overall pick in the draft.
'She's done as good a job as she can in terms of handling pressure,' Marsh said. 'I think she'll continue to see that. But just understanding how to command a team, how to run a team — I think she's kind of now on a fast track to that.'
Van Lith said watching Vandersloot go down was 'heartbreaking' and added: 'Whatever is in store in the future for this team, I trust that we will find a way to make this moment mean something."
Reese and Cardoso hold the keys.
Though Reese leads the league in rebounding at 12.1 per game, she's shooting just 35.8% while averaging 10.1 points. Last year, she set a WNBA record with double-doubles in 15 straight games and finished with 26 on the season — the most ever by a rookie. She has four this year, giving her 30 in 42 games — the fewest needed to reach the mark in league history.
Cardoso, the third overall pick last year, continues to show promise, including a career-high 23-point game in the first win over Dallas. But the former South Carolina star hasn't become a consistent dominant force inside.
'I think it's just continuing to instill the trust level that we have in her,' Marsh said. 'Her teammates look for her inside. They know what a force she can be down low, and our staff certainly is aware of who she can be down there as well. We want to give her looks and opportunities.'
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