Courtney vandersloot

Every Chicago Sky Move So Far

Free agency has been anything but boring for the Chicago Sky. Coming off a championship and having so many free agents off of last year’s team, we all understood changes would happen. Well, the changes have come, and they’ve been fast and furious. Here is everything that’s happened in the past week with the Chicago Sky.

Emma Meesseman signs with the Sky

As reported by Rach Galligan, the Sky have agreed to terms with Emma Meesseman. Emma is a forward who has played for UMMCC Ekaterinburg, for the Belgium National Team, and for the Washington Mystics. She adds depth to the position, which is much needed, and gives the Sky another offensive weapon in their arsenal.

Stefanie Dolson joins the New York Liberty

A beloved fan favorite, Stefanie Dolson, has left the Sky and is taking her talents to New York. She’ll be playing for the Liberty and will be sorely missed by SkyTown. She was not just a beloved player who spent five years here. She was an All-Star, an Olympic Gold Medalist, and played a pivotal role in the WNBA Finals. A stretch five who spaced the floor and understood her role is precisely the kind of player every championship team needs, and her contributions to the team on and off the court will be sorely missed.

Kahleah Copper will sign two-year deal

As reported by Annie Costabile, Kahleah Copper will sign a two-year deal with the Sky. Details on the deal have not been disclosed. This move was necessary and obvious given how well the WNBA Finals MVP played. KFC has a bright future, and that future will be in Chicago during this title window.

Three team trade sends DeShields to Phoenix and Julie Allemand to Chicago

As reported by Rach Galligan, a three-team deal involving the Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury, and Chicago Sky occurred. Phoenix receives Diamon DeShields and Chicago Julie Allemand and a 2023 1st round pick from Phoenix. Indiana receives Bria Hartley, 2022 No 20 pick and the 2023 2nd round pick from Phoenix, and the 2022 No.7 pick and the rights to swap Chicago/ Phoenix 2023 1st round pick.

That’s a lot of picks for the Fever! The Sky move on from a player with tremendous potential in Diamond DeShields who I believe has her best playing days in front of her. The Sky acquires Jullie Allemand who is another Belgium National Team player and will add some much-needed depth at the guard position.

What the team looks like now

The dust has still not settled on the 2022 WNBA Free Agency, but the team is starting to take shape. Here is what the team looks like now.

The highlighted names are players whose destinations are unknown. It has been rumored and reported by Khristina Williams that Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley will return. The Sky have eight players signed up for the 2022 season and that number increases to ten if the VanderQuigs return. With the 12 spots available that means they’ll have room for two more players. We’ll see who else they’ll add with the roster spots they have left.

Skytown Overseas Report

The WNBA season might still be a ways away, but Women’s Basketball never stops. EuroLeague Women is roaring, and this week’s games have plenty of SkyTown representation. Let’s take a look at the games that feature Chicago Sky players. All games can be watched on the official Euroleague Women app or on the team’s official YouTube channel. Check the app/YouTube channel for the start time for each game. The games are in Europe, so some games can be as early as 5 am depending on where you live.

Games Happening Wednesday, January 26

The first one is UMCC vs. MBA. This game features Allie Quigley playing with UMCC, the cream of the crop in EuroLeague. They are 11-0 and have been the best team in Europe for quite some time.

KSC Szekszard vs. Perfumerias Avenida will feature Dana Evans playing with KSC and Kahleah Copper playing with Perfumerias Avenida. KSC is the opposite of UMCC; they are winless and just finishing the games they have left in the group stage. Dana Evans is playing well, scoring 11 points in her 29 minutes of play.

Kahleah Copper has been her MVP self for Avenida leading the team in points averaging 26 a game. The team will go as far as she takes them, and so far, she has them third in their group with nine wins and only two losses.

BLMA vs. Umana Reyer is the final game on Wednesday with Skytown implications with Astou Ndour-Fall playing for Umana Reyer. Ndour-Fall has been solid for Reyer; she’s averaging 11 points and 5 rebounds a game playing 19 minutes. The team is near the bottom with three wins and eight losses, so hopefully, Ndour-Fall plays well, but they don’t have hopes to advance past this round.

Games Happening Saturday, January 29

UMCC vs. KSC Szekszard is a very early/ late game, so it might be Friday night if you live on the East Coast. This will be a showdown of Allie Quigley versus Dana Evans, which should be fun to watch if not live then on the replay.

BLMA vs. Perfumerias Avendia is the last game for any Chicago Sky players in EuroLeague Women this week, with Kahleah Copper playing with Avendia.

Closing Thoughts

Chicago Sky players overall are performing well in Europe. You’re getting good reps for players who didn’t play much this season, like Dana Evans and Astou Ndour-Fall, and you’re seeing good players like Kahleah Copper continue to play at a high level. If you’ve never watched European basketball, I implore you to do so. One could argue that this is the best competition in all of basketball. These games are highly competitive and free to watch. Watching EuroLeague Women should scratch that WNBA itch until the W returns this spring.

Chicago Sky Overseas Report

Basketball never stops. This is especially true for WNBA players who often play in overseas leagues during the off-season. This year the Chicago Sky have nine out of a possible eleven players playing overseas. The only two players staying home are veterans Candace Parker and Stefanie Dolson. Here is every Chicago Sky player playing overseas, what team they’re playing for, and what goals/hopes sky town should be looking forward to due to their involvement overseas.

Lexie Brown | Charnay Basket

Lexie Brown is playing for Charnay Basket in France. The team is currently in eleventh place, so there really aren’t any aspirations for hardware. This is a team where Brown can get a lot of play and work on her game. This is great for her because she didn’t play much with the Sky this season.

Kahleah Copper | Perfumeria Avenida

KFC had a phenomenal season. She’s now taking her talents to Spain and is playing with Perfumeria Avenida. They are currently in first place in their league, and Copper just had a spectacular performance in EuroLeague Women. She had 36 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in Avenida’s narrow defeat against the absolutely stacked UMCC. Kahleah Copper has improved by leaps and bounds the last two seasons, and it’s hard to imagine she has many more ways she can improve. So far, these EuroLeague performances just reaffirm what all of Skytown already knows. Kahleah Copper is a bucket!

Diamond DeShields | Famila Wuber Schio

With Diamond having a disappointing 2021 season, I think some productive minutes at a top European team would do her good. She’ll be able to do just that, Famila Wuber Schio in Italy. The team is top of the Italian league, and she’s currently averaging 23 minutes per game.

Dana Evans | KSC Szekszard

The rookie is in Hungary playing for KSC Szekszard. Since she didn’t get to play much on a championship team in her first year, getting reps in Europe could speed up her development and put her in a better position to contribute to the Sky in 2022.

Ruthy Hebard | Ragusa

Ruthy Hebard had an odd regular season with the Sky. I thought she looked good during the first third of the season, then she fell out of the rotation and never returned to her early season form. Hopefully, some time away from the W and in a different environment does Hebard well. She has the talent and is still very young, so the Sky is the limit. Let’s see if she starts to reach for it in Italy.

Astou Ndour-Fall | Umana Reyer Venezia

The savvy veteran is playing in Italy after a productive sixth season in the WNBA. Umana is playing in EuroLeague Women and just beat Dana Evans’ KSC Szekszard 65- 51. Astou scored 16 points in her 26 minutes of play. Great to see her being productive and contributing to winning basketball in the toughest competition in Europe.

Allie Quigley | UMCC Ekaterinburg

Quigley is who she is. A Chicago Sky legend, WNBA Champion, and one of the best shooters to ever play the game. So what’s she doing playing in Russia? Well, she’s playing with one of the greatest teams ever assembled, competing at a high level, and the pay is pretty good too. Her wife Courtney Vandersloot is also on the team, so I’m sure that helps. For UMCC, Quigley is just as great as she is for Chicago. The team is undefeated, averaging 15 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game in EuroLeague. As long as she stays healthy, Quigley will continue to be her legendary self in 2022.

Azura Stevens | Nika Basket

Stevens will be spending the off-season in Russia playing for Nika Basket. The team is competing in EuroCup Women, the competition just below EuroLeague Women, so this is an excellent opportunity for Stevens to get some great reps under respectable competition. Stevens had a solid season with the Sky so, a good stint with Nika Basket could put her in a good position to take another step forward next year in the W.

Courtney Vandersloot | UMCC Ekaterinburg

Last but certainly not least is Courtney Vandersloot. The point god is running the point for UMCC, and I’m sure she’ll dominate whenever she makes her UMCC debut this season. Not much for Chicago Sky fans to look for with Vandersloot’s play overseas. You know how good she is, and you know she’s not going to have a drop-off, just months after her first championship. Like her wife Quigley, as long as Vandersloot is healthy going into the new year, her overseas time will be a success.

Chicago Sky End of the Year Awards

With the Chicago Sky finishing their season and winning their first WNBA championship, it’s time to give out the end of the year awards.

MVP: Candace Parker

The numbers might lean more in Kahleah Copper’s favor, but it’s called the most valuable player award, not the best player award. When you look at leadership and the player’s impact as a whole, the MVP has to be Candace Parker. She brings the leadership the team lacked years prior; she’s a versatile stretch big and a productive player averaging 13.3 and 8.4 rebounds a night. Without Candace Parker, this team doesn’t have the playoff run it had, doesn’t win the championship; that alone makes her the MVP.

DPOTY: Candace Parker

Throughout the season, one thing has been clear, and Candace Parker is the best defender on the team. Her ability to take on the best big on the opposing teams, switch to smaller guards, and hold her own is unmatched. She was dominant on the defensive glass averaging seven a night, and she led the team in blocks with 1.2.

MIP: Kahleah Copper

A bit weird to call Kah most improved given how good she was in 2020, but that’s how good Kahleah Copper was in 2021. She exploded to another level during the season, especially in the playoffs being the Finals MVP. It was clear she was the best player on the floor night in and night out when the games mattered most. Kahleah had a fantastic 2021, averaging 14.9 points and 4.2 rebounds during the regular season and outperforming those numbers in the playoffs, where she averaged 17.7 points and 5.3 rebounds. The scary part is it seems like she’s not done developing. The Sky’s not the limit for KFC; she has no ceiling.

6th Woman of the Year: Stefanie Dolson

Photo by Jeff Bottari/NBAE via Getty Images

A few options for this award, but I have to go with Big Mama Stef. She was incredible off the bench, especially in the playoffs. She was a stretch five, didn’t make silly defensive mistakes, had big performances in the Finals scoring late in the close-out game, and had a huge Game 1, scoring 14 points. Dolson is a tremendous versatile big coming off the bench and was the player you could depend on when the games mattered most.

Peak Performers

Kahleah Copper 14.4 ppg

Candace Parker 8.4 rpg

Courtney Vandersloot 8.6 apg

The Chicago Sky are World Champions

On Sunday, October 17, the Chicago Sky defeated the Phoenix Mercury 80-74 to win their first WNBA Championship in franchise history. A true team win, the Sky had four players in double digits and took the lead for good with 1:22 left in the fourth.

How they won Game 4

This game was no easy win. The Mercury came with veteran leadership and championship intensity. Griner was unstoppable, scoring 28 points on 12 for 19 shooting. Diggins-Smith had a stellar performance scoring 16. And Taurasi did a respectable job guarding Allie Quigley and scoring 16 herself.

The one thing Phoenix was unable to do is get production from their bench. No one stepped up and played well. The Mercury bench combined 9 points in their 37 minutes of play. Rebounding was also subpar. They lost the rebounding battle 36-34, including some missed layups and an inability to get offensive rebounds late in the game, which sealed their fate.

Chicago had a complete performance in Game 4. Quigley had a phenomenal performance scoring 26 points and hitting three-pointers in the fourth to put Chicago back into the game after being down nine entering the fourth. Dolson hit back-to-back layups off of Courtney Vandersloot’s assists to extend the Sky lead and seal the victory.

Kahleah Freaking Copper

The WNBA Finals MVP was and Kahleah Copper. Sher had an average game today, but she was consistently the best player for the Sky during this series. So much can be said about her development throughout the years. She has improved by leaps and bounds every season, and this year was no exception. The kid from South Philly has become a franchise player and a champion.

What’s next?

The upcoming months will decide if this team is in the middle of a championship window or if this is the highlight of the James Wade era. For now, Candace Parker and the Chicago Sky can rest easy knowing they accomplished their ultimate goal. They’ve won a WNBA championship. They are now, officially, the greatest Chicago Sky team ever assembled and have given the city of Chicago their first championship since 2016.

Sky lose in overtime series tied 1-1

After an emotional back and forth game, Chicago lost to Phoenix 91-86 in OT. The WNBA Finals are now tied up at one apiece and heading to Chicago for Games 3 and 4.

An emotional game

The passion and desire to win was evident from both teams on Wednesday night. You had a fiery Sophie Cunningham jawing with Kahleah Copper, lots of bodies diving on the floor for loose balls, and refs who were swallowing their whistles for extended periods. With Chicago looking to take a commanding 2-0 lead and Phoenix fighting for their playoff lives, it’s no surprise the passion and energy was at an apex. For the most part, the energy was kept on the court and led to one of the best games this season.

How Chicago lost

We can talk about questionable ref calls (Chicago only shot four free throws compared to Phoenix’s 11) until the cows come home. Still, ultimately Chicago lost due to a lack of bench production, mediocre three-point shooting, and an inability to score in OT.

Stefanie Dolson was unable to be a superhero again on Wednesday. She was still good, scoring 5 points in her 22 minutes of play, but no one else stepped up to be productive on the bench for Chicago. Diamond DeShields has the most potential to do so on the team, but she had a very up and down game scoring only two points in her 10 minutes of play.

Three-point shooting was subpar, with the team averaging only 31% from three. Quigley started ice cold going 0-7 from three and then heated up, finishing 3-12. One can only wonder what could have been if she had made just a couple of threes earlier in the game.

Despite the up and down play, the Sky forced overtime thanks to a Courtney Vandersloot layup. Unfortunately, nothing went right for the Sky in OT. They had careless turnovers, a very odd defensive three-second violation called on them, and Phoenix started OT on a 6-0 run. That was just too much to overcome, and Chicago couldn’t close the gap.

What’s next ?

Despite the defeat, Chicago is right where they want to be, heading home for back-to-back games with an opportunity to close this series out. If they win their two home games left, they are WNBA Champions. It won’t be easy. We saw a dominant Brittney Griner drop 29 today, Diana Taurasi hitting late-game threes, and Shey Peddy is an ex-factor Chicago will have to account for the rest of this series. Still, Chicago has played well, blowing out Phoenix in Game 1 and narrowly losing in Game 2. James Wade and the Sky have to feel good heading back to the Windy City for Game 3.

The Chicago Sky are in the WNBA Finals

After a regular season of mediocrity, the Chicago Sky have risen and reached their full potential. They have made it to the WNBA Finals. They did so by defeating the Connecticut Sun 79-69 on Wednesday night thanks to a stellar performance by Candace Parker who had 17 points, 9 rebounds in 34 minutes of play.

A dominant display

The Sky were in control of the game from the jump. They started hot leading 20-9 midway through the first and they never looked back. Yes, the Sun would make the occasional run, but in an elimination game, they were unable to ever hold a lead.

This was thanks largely to a stellar performance from the Chicago Sky starters. Four of the five starters were in double digits and the starters accounted for 71 of the team’s 79 points. That’s not ideal, but it’s a testament to just how dominant they were on Wednesday. Vandersloot was the scoring leader with 19 points and a surprising five for six from three. Copper had 18 points and 6 boards. And Azura Stevens had one of her best games of the playoffs scoring 11 points and grabbing 7 boards.

Peaking at the right time

The Sky played nearly a perfect game on Wednesday. Three-point shooting was at a whopping 48%, they managed to get 33 boards which was only one less than the Sun, and turnovers were high at 16, but that brought them dead even with Connecticut. They’ve been dominant during this playoff run winning four of five games and are now heading to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2014. We all knew this team’s potential since the day they signed Candace Parker, but they are now starting to reach that potential. A WNBA championship would make this team unequivocally the greatest Chicago Sky team of all time and, one can argue, they already are. They’ll play Game one of the WNBA Finals on Sunday at 2 pm CT, but we don’t know against whom yet. The Aces vs Mercury matchup is heading to a winner-take-all Game 5 which is happening on Friday so we’ll know then who the Sky will face. Either way the Sky will be the road team due to regular season standings so the only question that remains is, will they start off in Phoenix or Las Vegas?

Sky are a game away from the WNBA Finals

After another back and forth, knock em down, drag it out fight, the Sky came out with the victory 86-83 on Sunday, at Wintrust Arena. The Sky are now up 2-1 and can close out the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday. Doing so would give the team a WNBA Finals berth.

Fourth Quarter Spectacular

Photo by Randy Belice/NBAE via Getty Images

The deciding factor of this game was the incredible performance of this team in the fourth quarter. The Sky went on a 8-2 run midway through the fourth which put them back into the ball game. During the final minute of the game, Vandersloot and Parker split their free throws, but Parker to get a couple of defensive rebounds, and a block to close out the game.

Keys to the game

Photo by Cooper Neill/NBAE via Getty Images

Led by Kahleah Copper’s game-high 26 points the Sky were able to scored 86 points on one of the top defenses in the WNBA. I do believe the Sun’s defense has been overrated, that top defensive rating they have doesn’t matter as much when your season is decided by how well you defend the Sky and the Sky alone. But, that’s a rant I’ll go on during my next podcast.

Rebounding and three-point shooting will decide the victor. It may sound boring, but it’s true. Today was no exception. The Sky shot 45% from three just like the Sun, but the Sky out-rebounded the Sun 35-30. That was huge. Those late game rebounds by Parker secured the victory for the Sky. The Sky need to continue executing on these aspects of the game if they want to win on Wednesday.

One game to go

On Wednesday, the Sky can close out the Sun and make it to the WNBA Finals. This is their last home game of the series so closing it out on Wednesday would be ideal. The Sky have been playing some of their best basketball, but still have room to improve. If they can bring down turnovers and get a bit more offensive production from Parker and Diamond, they could shock the Sun and send the WNBA MVP, Coach of the Year, and team with the best regular season record, home early.

Chicago Sky beat the Connecticut Sun 101-95 in a double OT thriller

The game started with Connecticut Sun’s Jonquel Jones getting her MVP trophy in front of her home crowd and it ended in a heartbreaking double OT loss. The Sun are now down 0-1 in the semifinals after losing to the Chicago Sky 101-95. The Sky took care of business and continue crushing through the entire WNBA beating the Wings, Lynx, and now Connecticut Sun.

A win of epic proportions

There is no exaggeration needed for this game. It was an instant WNBA classic and one of the greatest wins in Chicago Sky history. The Sky battled through exhaustion, a big free throw discrepancy, and double overtime to secure game one of the WNBA semifinals.

The victory was truly a team effort, but Courtney Vandersloot shinned on the big stage recording a triple double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and a whopping 18 assists. The starters all played significant minutes except for Azurá Stevens who only played for 19 minutes. The rest of the starting five played 39 plus minutes.

Goats and heels

Photo by David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images

Hard to complain after such a glorious win, but there were lots of goats and heels in this game. It seems every player had an incredible game and a few big mistakes. Kahleah Copper played solidly scoring 13 points, but she missed a free throw that could’ve won the game in regulation. Candace Parker scored 22 points and defended well, but missed big shots late in regulation and in the first overtime. Courtney Vandersloot had a historic game, but she also had some bad turnovers that could’ve cost the team the game. Ultimately, you can brush those errors off as just an emotional up and down game and the team still won, but you need to be as close to perfect as possible at this stage and it’s something to work on heading into game two.

Don’t listen to Twitter, James Wade

Photo by JAVIER SORIANO/AFP via Getty Images

Throughout the game emotions were high on and off the court. WNBA Twitter was a buzz and claiming players to be legends and busts. One of the players that dealt with this the most was Stefanie Dolson. After every foul or easy bucket she gave up, epic slander. Then after a key shot or a rebound, she’s the glue that’s holding this team together. Luckily, the organization doesn’t seem to let Twitter run the Sky or else the rotations would be drastically different! It’s another example that it’s not all about how you feel and you have to think big picture even during the game. Dolson is a hardworking, smart, veteran that can hit threes and stretch the floor. That’s valuable in a big game and, at the end of the day, she performed well during her 20 minutes of play and was a key factor in the victory.

Playing again Thursday

The WNBA schedule is still cruel and relentless. The Sky will have to play the Sun again on Thursday in Connecticut. They’ve played a lot of games the last week and after this double OT win, the excuses will be plentiful if they lose or come out flat. However, James Wade and the Sky are not a team known for dodging responsibility so I’m sure they’ll do whatever they can to prepare and be ready to play on Thursday. The pressure will be on the Sun, being that they are at home and have underperformed in the playoffs for years. If they start off slow you can expect the crowd to get anxious and for the pressure to begin to mount. The game will be airing on ESPN 2 at 7pm CT.

Chicago Sky off-season

The Chicago Sky are WNBA champs. The season may be long done, but the WNBA never ends. Let’s look at how things are in Skytown.

Wade’s dilemma

It’s not a joyful thing to talk about, but James Wade will have to make some tough decisions this off-season. The Vanderquigs, Kahleah Copper, Stefanie Dolson, Astou Ndour, and Maria Conde are all unrestricted free agents. Diamon DeShields and Lexie Brown are both restricted free agents. So, the Sky will have to figure out who to prioritize in free agency. Some players will certainly be offered better deals or bigger roles on other teams. Figuring out who really matters and how to maximize your roster spots and your cap space will be one of the biggest challenges of James Wade’s career as a coach/ general manager.

Chicago Sky Prospects

We’re not sure when the WNBA draft will be, but we know the Sky will have the sixth pick. So, it’d be a good idea to watch some college basketball and take a look at potential draft prospects. Here are conference previews for this season if you haven’t been keeping up with the NCAA.

Closing thoughts

This WNBA championship was phenomenal, but it’s time to move forward. This upcoming week the Sky in the Chi podcast will return and it will continue on with off-season topics such as any big Chicago Sky/ WNBA news, some draft prospect talk, and updates on Chicago Sky players playing overseas. In fact, next week I will write up a feature article on where every Chicago Sky players is playing overseas and how they are doing. It’s good to be back talking Skytown hoops!