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#ShrinkTheGame: 13 Days of WNBA
Day 2: The Chicago Sky
Fred S
May 05, 2025
With just 13 days remaining until the official start of the WNBA season, I’ll be counting down with a daily mini preview of each of the league’s 13 teams. Stay tuned as we break down what to watch, who to watch, and what to expect from every squad.
Table of Contents
Training Camp and Preseason Reminder
Teams are inviting a ton of players to training camp to battle it out for roster spots. Each team can bring in up to 18 players, so expect to see a lot of additions over the next few days.
To stay updated on who’s in and out of camp, check out Across the Timeline and the WNBA Transaction page.
SkyTown
The Sky are coming off an eventful season marked by the emergence of an Angel Reese vs. Caitlin Clark rivalry, the comeback year of Chennedy Carter, and the unceremonious firing of head coach Teresa “T-Spoon” Weatherspoon. Since the offseason began, it’s become clear that Sky GM Jeff Pagliocca is committed to a full cultural reset.
With that in mind, here's a timeline of the major moves and changes made by Jeff and the Sky front office this offseason:
September 26 – Teresa Weatherspoon fired.
The Sky officially parted ways with their head coach after just one season.
November 3 – Tyler Marsh hired as head coach.
Chicago announces the hiring of former Las Vegas Aces assistant coach Tyler Marsh, signaling a new direction and identity for the team.
January 20 – Sky announces they will not extend a qualifying offer to Chennedy Carter.
February 1 – Courtney Vandersloot signs with the Sky.
The Sky land an elite veteran point guard. Vandersloot’s ability to make post-entry passes, speed up the game, and mentor a young roster brings much-needed leadership and structure.
February 4 - The Chicago Sky have officially signed WNBA guard Kia Nurse during free agency
Another thing that Jeff worked on was signing outside shooters, something they were severely lacking last season. Now, we all know I was not a huge fan of Kia last year because she was really stinking up the place. HOWEVER, I learned that it was her first season back after an injury. She really made me eat my words when she played in Athletes Unlimited—regularly putting up 20+ point games and even cashing six 3s in one. If she continues playing like this, she will be a huge impact player.
February 7 – Dana Evans traded to the Las Vegas Aces for two second-round picks.
While some fans were surprised by the return value, the trade clearly signaled that the Sky were looking to move off Evans’ contract. Evans had been the subject of criticism from some segments of the fanbase. This move offers a fresh start for both parties.
February 23 – Sky trade the #3 overall pick in the 2024 draft for Ariel Atkins.
April 13 – The night before the draft, the Sky acquired the #11 overall pick, which they used to select Hailey Van Lith.
This offseason timeline reflects a clear vision: reshaping the Sky’s identity with a mix of veteran leadership, defensive toughness, and fresh young talent. And with their two main players, Angel and Kamila, gaining more experience in the offseason, it may work out that Jeff was willing to be so radical in his changes
What to Look Out For:
Angel Reese spent her offseason playing in the 3-on-3 league Unrivaled, where she was part of the inaugural championship team, Rose BC. We saw her develop her passing skills (point forward alert!), improve her layup game (thank you, Lisa Leslie!), and, most importantly, continue to grow as a leader. One key area she started working on was shooting a more controlled layup, her midrange shot, and developing a serviceable three-point jumper. If Angel keeps progressing the way we all know she can, the Sky will find much more success this season.
Kamilla Cardoso spent her offseason in China, playing for the Shanghai Baoshan Dahua Swordfish, where she had another dominant run—averaging 19.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3 assists. She focused on rounding out her game, becoming more confident in both her outside shot and her passing. A confident Cardoso is a scary Cardoso. I expect her to keep building her playmaking skills and becoming even more of a dominant force in the paint. We already saw flashes of the Angel-Kamilla connection last season, and with Angel improving as a facilitator and Sloot running the point, Cardoso is due for a BIG sophomore year.
Elizabeth Williams is returning from a meniscus injury that sidelined her for the 2024 WNBA season. She made her return to 5-on-5 basketball in Athletes Unlimited this winter, where she made the All-Defensive Team and finished 6th overall. Expect a strong comeback from this versatile big.
The Rooks. Keep your eye on the rookies. Of course, we’re all following Hailey Van Lith’s journey, but don’t sleep on Maddy Westbeld, who had a great showing in the preseason. The Sky also drafted Slovenian forward Ajša Sivka. She may come over this year, but like many young international players, she might stay overseas to continue her development.
Question Marks
Will the CBA do something about the Sky’s egregious display of brokenness? They just announced the delay of their new practice facility—now set to open in 2026. Chileeeee.. I hope they have hot water this year
Will the Sky get consistent outside shooting from Kia Nurse, Rebecca Allen, and Michaela Onyenwere? oh, and Big Latto Rachel Banham?
Will HVL’s defense be a liability, or will she take the leap and improve?
Is this Sloot’s last hurrah?
And the biggest one: Is this a playoff team?
CAP SPACE: $198,625
Free Agency and Roster Updates
Signed | Training Camp Contract | Waived/Traded | Draft Picks |
|---|---|---|---|
Michaela Onyenwere One-Year Deal for $125,000 unprotected | Alex Wilson, Morgan Bertsch | The rights to Nikolina Milić were traded to CT with Lindsey Allen for Rebecca Allen | Round 1: #10 Ajsa Sivka (Slovenia) #11 Hailey Van Lith (TCU) |
Kia Nuse. One-Year deal for $145,000 unprotected | Dana Evans | Round 2: #16 Maddy Westbeld (Notre Dame), #22 Aicha Coulibaly (Texas A&M) | |
Rebecca Allen- One Year deal for 160,000 protected veteran; Courtney Vandersloot -One-Year Deal for $185,000 unprotected | The #3 Trade in the draft for Ariel Akins; Sammie Puisis and Tilly Boler (waived) |
The Coaches
Tyler Marsh joins the Sky after spending two seasons as an assistant and player development coach with the Las Vegas Aces. Many credit him with helping develop Jackie Young into the star she is today. Before his time with the Aces, he served as an assistant coach with the Indiana Pacers, and prior to that, with the Toronto Raptors during their 2019 championship run. That means Marsh holds both a WNBA and an NBA championship ring. Early reports suggest he’s already earned the trust of his players and seems like the ideal leader to guide this young Sky team.
Courtney Paris joins the Chicago Sky after serving as an assistant coach for the Dallas Wings from 2023 to 2024. A former WNBA player with an 11-season career, Paris also brings coaching experience from her time as an assistant at her alma mater, the University of Oklahoma.
Chicago has hired former Atlanta Dream head coach Tanisha Wright as an assistant coach. A 15-year WNBA veteran and the 2022 AP Coach of the Year, Wright brings valuable head coaching and scouting experience, including time with the USA Basketball Women’s National Team. Her leadership in guiding the Dream to back-to-back playoff appearances — their first since 2013 — will be invaluable as she helps prepare this young Sky team for a postseason run.
I absolutely love this hire. Tyler was incredibly intentional in shaping his coaching staff, and bringing on Wakama is a testament to that. She is the head coach of the Nigerian National Team, which made history at the Olympics as the first African team to advance past the group stage and reach the quarterfinals. Her success earned her FIBA’s Best Coach award. In 2023, she became the first female coach to win the Women’s AfroBasket title. If anyone deserves an opportunity to prove herself in the WNBA and rise through the ranks, it’s her.
Marsh. Yup, you read that right—Donnie Marsh is Tyler Marsh’s father. But make no mistake, this is far from an unwarranted nepo hire. Donnie Marsh is a veteran collegiate coach with a career spanning over four decades, including stints at the University of Detroit Mercy, Virginia Tech, Indiana, Florida State, Texas Southern, and UAB—where he coached his son, Tyler. He brings with him 11 postseason appearances, including five trips to the NCAA Tournament. His experience and perspective will be a valuable asset to the team.
Aaron Johnson joins the Sky as a player development coach. He previously held the same role at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he was also a standout player. Johnson was Tyler Marsh’s teammate at UAB during the 2007–2008 season and still holds the program’s all-time assist record. Love to see Coach Marsh bringing his people with him!
Hoops & Hype: Media Picks
Check out some of the cool podcasts, videos, reads, and fashion I saw this week.
@angelreese10 we know exactly why they obsessed 😉 @HVL
@chicagosky we’re so back. #Skytown
^ Highly Recommend Watching this one ^
