PHOENIX- Through four games, the Chicago Sky are adjusting to first-year head coach Tyler Marsh’s system and have learned many valuable lessons from the coaching staff.
Despite starting the season 0-4, tied for their worst record since 2010, the Sky believe they are moving in the right direction by staying competitive and aggressive in pursuit of victories. Chicago built a 16-point lead in the third quarter, but ended up losing the road game to the Phoenix Mercury by five points.
“I think so,” Marsh said postgame. “There comes a time when the moral victories are what they are, but I know we’re still keeping our heads held high in the locker room. We fought tonight. I thought we played about as well as you can play in that first half and we put together some good moments in the second half. Just came out on the short end.”
Marsh’s Coaching Resume
Marsh is in his first season as the head coach of the Chicago Sky. He served as an assistant coach under Becky Hammon with the Las Vegas Aces for three seasons, during which the team won back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023.
Before joining the WNBA as an assistant coach, Marsh began his coaching career as a player development coach for the Rio Grande Vipers, where he won a NBA D-League (now known as the NBA G-League) championship under Nick Nurse in 2013.
After serving as an assistant coach in the NBA G-League, he joined the Toronto Raptors as a player development coach on Nurse’s coaching staff. He spent two seasons with the franchise, culminating in an NBA championship victory in 2019.
Marsh shared in the pregame that learning how to develop team chemistry with the right people in his system will continue to improve as he shares the lessons he has learned.
“It’s hard, but it’s fun,” Marsh said pregame. “One thing you learn, no matter the position that you’re in, is when you’re around people that you enjoy being around, it makes the experience that much better. So you’re able to handle the tough times as it comes with a different type of perspective, knowing that you’re going to battle with a group of players that fight for each other, and with a staff that fights for each other. That’s all I can ask for as a head coach.
“And if we’re committed to the process of doing things the right way and the way that we want it done, then you know the results will take care of themselves sooner or later. And so we’re just enjoying the process, but also want to give a level of focus required, again, to be the team that we wish to be.”
Lessons Sky Players Have Learned Through Marsh’s System Through Four Games
Veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot has returned to the Sky after spending the last two years with the New York Liberty, during which she won her second WNBA Championship last year. Renowned as one of the best point guards in WNBA history, she excels at delivering assists to her teammates and scoring in the paint.
Vandersloot believes that Marsh and his coaching staff are enhancing the team’s confidence both on and off the court, despite their record not meeting the Sky’s expectations.
“I’m 15 years in,” Vandersloot told Ballislife postgame. “It’s not like we’ve learned that he believes in us, he instills confidence in us. You know, different spaces, different actions. He is detail-oriented. So, he’s really interested in how we’re approaching things. And so, he gets us in the right spots.”
Center Elizabeth Williams is in her 11th WNBA season and third with the Chicago Sky. She discussed the mindset and identity that coach Marsh and his staff are instilling in the team.
“I mean, we want to be disruptive (and) defensively dictate how the game goes,” Williams told Ballislife. “I think for the most part, we did, and then Phoenix got hot in the second half. But in general, that’s the mindset we want to have.”
Chicago built a 16-point lead over the Phoenix Mercury, one of the best defensive teams in the league, and left the city with their heads held high. Vandersloot was one of the players who scored in double figures on Tuesday and finished with a double-double with 15 points and 11 assists.
“There’s a lot to take from it,” Vandersloot said. “We competed really well. We led most of the game. We had to figure out how to make winning plays. That’s what great teams do, and that’s what they did tonight. We have to guard the 3-point line better. We’re gonna have a different game plan going forward with them. But offensively, we scored 89 points (and) we did our job there.”
Guard Ariel Atkins led the Sky with 21 points and six rebounds against the Mercury and is adjusting pretty well into Marsh’s system through four games. She was acquired by the team in the offseason through a trade with the Washington Mystics after spending seven seasons with the team and winning a championship in 2019.
Atkins gained valuable lessons during her time with the Mystics, under Mike Thibault and his son, Eric Thibault. She believes the Sky will continue to remain aggressive in their pursuit of wins.
“We are hungry for it,” Atkins said. “We just have to keep fighting and just continue to get better, stick together. I think it would be too easy to just kind of fold and be like, ‘aw, man.’ This season is so long. We’re what, four games into the season? We’re not going to fold. We’re just going to keep pushing.”
Angel Reese Makes History
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese became the fastest player in WNBA history to score 500 points and grab 500 rebounds, doing it in 38 career games. She is leading the league in rebounds per game with 14.0
During Tuesday’s game in Phoenix, Reese had a double-double with 13 points, 15 rebounds, and three steals and played nearly 34 minutes of action. Some fans in attendance wore Reese jerseys and cheered every time she made a play.
“It definitely felt better, but obviously we’re not satisfied,” Reese said. “A lot of us are winners – all of us are winners. We want to win, and I think tonight we definitely had some sparks where we know our advantages, we know things that we can excel at.
“I just think defensively we have to continue to guard our yard together, collectively. I think it’s something we have to look back at. Obviously, we can see we can score. Everybody, from top to bottom, we can see we can score. We just have to defend. Once we get back down to that, I think we’ll be great.”
Throughout the season, Vandersloot has expressed that building team chemistry with Reese and center Kamilla Cardoso has been enjoyable to witness.
“It’s incredible,” Vandersloot told Ballislife. “You know what she’s doing, and she’s doing it at a high level, and she continues to do it every night. It speaks highly of how hard she plays and competes every night. She’s got a great career ahead of her.”
Williams echoed Vandersloot’s remarks about Reese making history, noting that the WNBA is home to legends who have paved the way over the years.
“I mean, it says a lot about her, how hard she’s working, and the level of basketball she’s playing,” Williams told Ballislife. “So it’s awesome (and) it’s a big achievement. This is a league of some really great players. So it says a lot (about her accomplishments).”
Chicago Sky to Retire Candace Parker’s Jersey
The Chicago Sky announced on Wednesday they will retire Candace Parker’s jersey No. 3 during a game against A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces on Monday, August 25. This will mark the first time in the franchise’s 20-year history that a jersey number has been retired.
Parker will make history as the first player in WNBA history to have her jersey number retired by multiple teams in the league. The Los Angeles Sparks, the team that drafted her at first overall out of Tennessee in the 2008 WNBA Draft, will retire her jersey number on Sunday, June 29, during their game against the Chicago Sky.
“Growing up in Naperville, playing on courts around here with my brothers, and watching Chicago teams like the Bulls who became synonymous with winning, I never imagined one day my jersey would hang in the rafters of my hometown team,” Parker said in press release. “Coming home to Chicago and helping bring the city its first WNBA championship here—it was personal. I’m beyond grateful to the city, the fans, and everyone who’s been part of my journey. Chicago raised me, and this will always be home.”
Throughout her professional career, Parker won three WNBA championships with the Sparks, Sky, and Aces and was named the Most Valuable Player twice in 2008 and 2013 and Finals MVP in 2016. She is also the only player to win Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards in the same season.
Parker was named to the All-WNBA first and second teams ten times, recognized as a WNBA Peak Performer three times, participated in seven WNBA All-Star games, and was selected for the WNBA’s 20th and 25th anniversary teams.
“Candace Parker is a legend, future hall-of-famer, and synonymous with Illinois basketball. We’re thrilled she decided to come home to Chicago to help the Sky win a championship in 2021,” Chicago Sky CEO and President Adam Fox said. “Candace has left an indelible mark on women’s basketball at every level and has inspired countless players and fans through her outstanding leadership and basketball talent on and off the court. We are honored to retire her jersey and celebrate her incredible legacy as a Chicago Sky player.”
Although Parker played for her hometown team, the Sky, for only two seasons, her impact on women’s basketball in her hometown is noticeable from high school to the professional level and is considered one of the best in WNBA history.
The Chicago Sky face Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings at home on Thursday.
