Latest news with #Pagliocca
Chicago Tribune
15-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago Sky's top draft pick might not play in the WNBA this season — but front office is focused on the future
The Chicago Sky's top draft pick might not play in the WNBA this season — but the front office isn't worried about the timeline of the 19-year-old Slovenian they selected No. 10 in Monday's draft. General manager Jeff Pagliocca couldn't be higher on Ajša Sivka. He didn't expect her to be available toward the end of the first round of the draft — after all, it's not exactly common to find a 6-foot-4 forward with the fluid perimeter shot and on-ball creativity of a guard. Pagliocca believes Sivka will be an 'outlier' talent. But he also can't guarantee that Sivka will play in the WNBA this season. 'There will be ongoing conversations,' Pagliocca said. 'We drafted her because we want her to play here, so hopefully sooner rather than later, because she's got a chance to be special.' It's not uncommon for European players to defer their move to the WNBA, waiting years after their draft selection to actually come to the United States — if they come at all. Often, this is due to a lack of communication when teams make selections without ever discussing with players their interest in the WNBA. For instance, German forward Leonie Fiebich was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2020 and her draft rights were traded to the Sky in 2021. But she never actually signed with a WNBA team until last February, when her rights were traded to the New York Liberty. At the time, Fiebich said she had never spoken to anyone from the Sparks or the Sky despite the selection and transfer of her draft rights. This situation is different. Pagliocca said the Sky had 'a lot of really good conversations' with Sivka leading up to the draft which encouraged him about her intentions to play in the WNBA if she was drafted. And on draft night, Sivka, who was present in New York at the event, voiced her own enthusiasm about transitioning to the league and building a future with the Sky. 'I'm just really excited to play with all these great players like Angel Reese,' Sivka said. 'I can't wait to start.' One major obstacle stands between Sivka and the WNBA this season: FIBA Women's Eurobasket. Beyond salary caps and the different style of play, international commitments are typically the main reason that European players decline to participate in the WNBA — and Eurobasket is at the heart of this conflict. Taking place every two years, the tournament represents the pinnacle of international competition in Europe. Sivka previously represented Slovenia at the 2023 iteration of the tournament, where she was the youngest player in the competition at age 17. She started for Slovenia in the Eurobasket qualifiers earlier this year, and the team won their group with five wins. Slovenia's first game of the group phase is scheduled for June 18 in Bologna, Italy, and the tournament will conclude on June 29 in Piraeus, Greece. Many teams call players into extensive tune-up camps to prepare ahead of Eurobasket. This commitment would limit Sivka's ability to report to Chicago until midway through the WNBA season. Chicago Sky pick Ajša Sivka and Hailey Van Lith in the 1st round of the WNBA draft In 2020, the WNBA implemented a prioritization rule that requires players to report to camp by May 1 or face potential fines and suspensions. But this rule does not apply to players until after their second year in the league, which means Sivka will not face any penalties if she doesn't report to Chicago until after Eurobasket. That means the Sky have flexibility as they navigate the upcoming season with Sivka. The front office is exploring different options, which could include allowing her to defer her rookie season to 2026. But the bottom line remains the same: Pagliocca and the Sky believe Sivka is a foundational piece for the Sky, regardless of when she finally makes her WNBA debut. 'Imagine that girl two, three, four years from now — how special she might be,' Pagliocca said. 'We think she's great. We think there's not a lot of her. Players at that size that can shoot the ball, you always want them around. In our league, shooting defines a lot of success. So yeah, that's a player we want to keep here forever.'
Chicago Tribune
11-02-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Stevenson's Rocco Pagliocca sees his ‘lows' differently after thoracic outlet syndrome. But he's flying high.
Stevenson junior guard Rocco Pagliocca kept telling himself that it would feel better soon. But his pain lingered as the season drew closer. 'I thought it was something with my back, but it wasn't anything crazy, so I tried to play on it a couple of times,' Pagliocca said. 'But it really wouldn't go away and wasn't getting any better.' The 6-foot-2 Pagliocca had suffered a fracture in his first rib — he didn't know how — and the healing process created a more serious issue. 'The way it healed, the bone got a little bigger and built callus around it, so it started to cut the blood flow off down my arm,' he said. 'When I would move my arm, the blood flow would get cut off. I would feel pain from the nerve whenever I lifted my arm. That stuck with me. It confused me why that was hurting, and it was pretty painful.' In November, doctors determined that Pagliocca was suffering from thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition that occurs when nerves or blood vessels are compressed between the first rib and collarbone. Pagliocca, who was coming off an impressive sophomore season, needed surgery. 'It was pretty hard to hear that I would be having surgery right before my junior season,' Pagliocca said. 'It was a pretty big surgery. They had to be so careful to go around the nerves.' Pagliocca actually played in the Patriots' season opener against Lake Park in Palatine's Ed Molitor Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 25. His surgery came two days later and took more than four hours, he said. His recovery, at least in his mind, was slow. 'For the first week, I had to get helped up,' Pagliocca said. 'I couldn't sit up on my own. I couldn't really eat on my own because of the multiple incisions in my chest area and down my back. 'I was pretty worried because I had never gone through something like that. There was pain in so many different places. I was thinking, 'How am I supposed to go out there and play basketball again?'' Yes, basketball was his primary concern, reflecting his lifelong passion for the sport. But Pagliocca's father Jeff, a longtime local basketball trainer who is the general manager of the Chicago Sky, was more worried about his health. 'Basketball is his identity,' Jeff Pagliocca said. 'It's my identity. He loves the game and pours his life into it. But in the situation he was in, basketball became a distant second. Even after the surgery, we knew his pain would be significant for months. 'For him to bounce back as quickly as he did, a major part of it is that he's really tough and him just wanting to play basketball.' Rocco Pagliocca played a few minutes off the bench on Dec. 17, just 20 days after surgery, and hit four straight free throws late in the game to help North Suburban Conference leader Stevenson (18-8, 9-2) beat Lockport. Two games later, he scored 23 points in a loss to Fremd in the Wheeling Hardwood Classic. Despite his strong showing, Pagliocca didn't feel confident. 'I wouldn't say I was scared something was going to happen, but I wasn't used to any of this,' he said. 'Usually I can play through stuff, but it was affecting me mentally too.' A lack of practice time also held him back. 'Rocco is a kid who loves practicing, so that added to the tough times he was experiencing,' Stevenson coach Will Benson said. 'It was hard to see him go through all of that, just from a human standpoint. Once we got around MLK weekend, you could tell he was getting closer. 'It's nice to see him back having fun again.' Pagliocca is having fun, as are the Patriots, who entered the week having won six straight games and nine out of their past 10. It's no coincidence that Pagliocca is finding his stride. He's averaging 12.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals, but his scoring has jumped to 16.8 points over the past five games. He had 23 points in a win against Prospect on Jan. 25 and a game-high 22 points in a key conference win against Waukegan on Jan. 31. Pagliocca also ranks second on the team in charges taken. 'I'm definitely more confident now, and we're building that team chemistry and playing at a level I think we should be at,' Pagliocca said. 'And when I'm having lows, I remind myself of what I'm doing now compared to what I was going through a couple of months ago.'
