2015 Chicago Sky season

Last updated

2015 Chicago Sky season
Coach Pokey Chatman
Arena Allstate Arena
Attendance6,894 per game
Results
Record21–13 (.618)
Place2nd (Eastern)
Playoff finish Semifinals
Team Leaders
Points Elena Delle Donne – 23.4
Rebounds Elena Delle Donne – 8.4
Assists Courtney Vandersloot – 5.8
Media
Television WMEU-CD
ESPN
ESPN2
NBA TV

The 2015 Chicago Sky season was the franchise's 10th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). [1] The season began at home on June 5, 2015 against the New York Liberty. The Sky won that game, but went on to lose their next two games, both on the road. Their extended road trip continued with a victory at Indiana, which they followed with a loss at Atlanta. The road trip ended with an overtime victory over San Antonio. Another overtime victory over Atlanta saw the Sky go above .500. However, they lost two of their final three games in June to finish the month 5–5. They began July with a four-game winning streak, which included two victories over Connecticut, one against Washington, and one against Minnesota. The streak was ended with a defeat against Minnestoa, but the Sky rebounded with two straight victories. They closed the month with defeats against Phoenix and Los Angeles to finish the month 6–3. The team struggled to gain consistency in August as the won their first two games, but then alternated wins and losses for their next five games. The end of the month saw them defeat Washington twice and Atlanta for a three game winning streak, but it was ended with an end of month loss to Connecticut. The Sky finished the month 7–4. The Sky won their first three games in September before falling on the final day of the regular season against Connecticut.

Contents

The Sky finished the regular season 21–13, two games out of first place in the Eastern Conference. As the second seed in the East, they faced third seed Indiana in the Conference Semifinals of the 2015 WNBA Playoffs. The Sky won the first game, at home 77–72. They were defeated in game two at Indiana 82–89 to force a deciding third game in Chicago. The Sky could not translate home court advantage into a series win as they fell 100–89 to end their season. Their 21 wins were second in franchise history, only behind their 24 in 2013. Elena Delle Donne won MVP and lead the league in scoring. Courtney Vandersloot lead the league in assists, and Allie Quigley won the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Award.

Transactions

WNBA draft

RoundPickPlayerNationalitySchool/team/country
15 Cheyenne Parker Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Middle Tennessee
217 Betnijah Laney Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Rutgers
222Aleighsa WelchFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States South Carolina

Trades and Roster Changes

DateTransaction
January 6, 2015Exercised 4th-Year Team Option on Elena Delle Donne
Extended Qualifying Offers to Courtney Vandersloot, Jessica Breland, Sasha Goodlett, and Courtney Clements
January 12, 2015Cored Sylvia Fowles
February 10, 2015Signed Courtney Vandersloot [2]
February 11, 2015Signed Tamera Young [3]
February 16, 2015Traded Epiphanny Prince to the New York Liberty in exchange for Cappie Pondexter [4]
February 19, 2015Signed Jessica Breland
February 23, 2015Signed Allie Quigley [5]
March 5, 2015Signed Jacki Gemelos and Clarissa dos Santos to training-camp contracts
March 18, 2015Signed Sasha Goodlett and Courtney Clements to training-camp contracts
March 23, 2015Signed Cappie Pondexter to a Contract Extension [6]
April 1, 2015Waived Gennifer Brandon
April 29, 2015Signed Cheyenne Parker and Aleighsa Welch to rookie-scale contracts
May 4, 2015Signed Betnijah Laney and Victoria Macaulay to rookie-scale contracts
May 20, 2015Waived Aleighsa Welch [7]
May 31, 2015Waived Courtney Clements [8]
June 4, 2015Waived Markeisha Gatling and Jacki Gemelos [9]
June 7, 2015Temporarily Suspended Allie Quigley due to Overseas Commitments
June 17, 2015Activate Allie Quigley from her Temporary Suspension [10]
Waived Victoria Macaulay
Signed Jacki Gemelos [11]
June 26, 2015Waived Sasha Goodlett
Traded Sylvia Fowles and a Second Round Pick in the 2016 WNBA draft to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Erika de Souza from the Atlanta Dream as part of a 3-Team Trade [12]

Roster

2015 Chicago Sky roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
F 51 Flag of the United States.svg Breland, Jessica 6' 3" (1.91m)170 lb (77kg) (1988-02-23)February 23, 1988 (aged 27) North Carolina 4
F/C 41 Flag of Brazil.svg de Souza, Érika 6' 5" (1.96m)190 lb (86kg) (1982-03-03)March 3, 1982 (aged 33) Brazil 9
G/F 11 Flag of the United States.svg Delle Donne, Elena 6' 5" (1.96m)188 lb (85kg) (1989-09-05)September 5, 1989 (aged 25) Delaware 3
C 8 Flag of Brazil.svg dos Santos, Clarissa 6' 1" (1.85m)180 lb (82kg) (1988-03-10)March 10, 1988 (aged 27) Brazil R
G 21 Flag of the United States.svg Faulkner, Jamierra 5' 6" (1.68m)141 lb (64kg) (1992-03-09)March 9, 1992 (aged 23) Southern Miss 2
G 5 Flag of the United States.svg Gemelos, Jacki 6' 0" (1.83m)165 lb (75kg) (1988-11-22)November 22, 1988 (aged 26) USC R
G/F 44 Flag of the United States.svg Laney, Betnijah 6' 0" (1.83m)160 lb (73kg) (1993-10-29)October 29, 1993 (aged 21) Rutgers R
F 32 Flag of the United States.svg Parker, Cheyenne 6' 4" (1.93m)190 lb (86kg) (1992-08-22)August 22, 1992 (aged 22) Middle Tennessee R
G 23 Flag of the United States.svg Pondexter, Cappie 5' 9" (1.75m)160 lb (73kg) (1983-01-07)January 7, 1983 (aged 32) Rutgers 10
G 14 Flag of the United States.svg Quigley, Allie 5' 10" (1.78m)140 lb (64kg) (1986-06-20)June 20, 1986 (aged 28) DePaul 7
G 22 Flag of the United States.svg Vandersloot, Courtney 5' 8" (1.73m)132 lb (60kg) (1989-02-08)February 8, 1989 (aged 26) Gonzaga 5
F 1 Flag of the United States.svg Young, Tamera 6' 2" (1.88m)172 lb (78kg) (1986-10-30)October 30, 1986 (aged 28) James Madison 8
Head coach
Flag of the United States.svg Pokey Chatman (LSU)
Assistant coaches
Flag of the United States.svg Tree Rollins (Clemson)
Flag of the United States.svg Christie Sides (Louisiana Tech)
Athletic trainer
Flag of the United States.svg Heidi Wlezien
Strength and conditioning coach
Flag of the United States.svg Ann Crosby (Western Michigan)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured

Depth

Pos.StarterBench
C Erika de Souza Clarissa dos Santos
PF Jessica Breland Cheyenne Parker
SF Elena Delle Donne Tamera Young
Betnijah Laney
SG Cappie Pondexter Allie Quigley
Jacki Gemelos
PG Courtney Vandersloot Jamierra Faulkner

Schedule

Preseason

2015 Preseason Schedule
Total: 2–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–1)
GameDateOpponentScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
1May 22 New York W 55–83 Elena Delle Donne (16) Delle Donne
dos Santos (8)		 Allie Quigley (4) Bob Carpenter Center
3,105		1–0
2May 27 Los Angeles L 76–67 Courtney Vandersloot (15) Tamera Young (6) Cappie Pondexter (6) Mohegan Sun Arena
3,947		1–1
3May 28 China W 59–92 Elena Delle Donne (18) Cheyenne Parker (6) Vandersloot
Gemelos (3)		 Mohegan Sun Arena 2–1
2015 pre-season schedule

Regular Season

2015 Regular Season Schedule
Total: 21–13 (Home: 13–4; Road: 8–9)
June: 5–5 (Home: 2–1; Road: 3–4)
GameDateOpponentScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
1June 5 New York W 95–72 Elena Delle Donne (31) Jessica Breland (13) Allie Quigley (5) Allstate Arena
8,123		1–0
2June 6@ Tulsa L 93–101 Elena Delle Donne (40) Delle Donne (9) Courtney Vandersloot (6) BOK Center
7,256		1–1
3June 11@ Connecticut L 65–67 Elena Delle Donne (27) Pondexter
Laney (8)		 Courtney Vandersloot (4) Mohegan Sun Arena
4,523		1–2
4June 14@ Indiana W 98–72 Elena Delle Donne (24) Elena Delle Donne (9) Vandersloot
Pondexter (4)		 Bankers Life Fieldhouse
6,433		2–2
5June 19@ Atlanta L 73–74 Elena Delle Donne (26) Delle Donne
dos Santos (10)		 Elena Delle Donne (3) Philips Arena
5,166		2–3
6June 20@ San Antonio W 95–87 OT Elena Delle Donne (28) Elena Delle Donne (13) Courtney Vandersloot (8) Freeman Coliseum
4,026		3–3
7June 24 Atlanta W 100–96 OT Elena Delle Donne (45) Elena Delle Donne (11) Courtney Vandersloot (5) Allstate Arena
9,893		4–3
8June 26@ Indiana W 83–77 Cappie Pondexter (23) Elena Delle Donne (14) Courtney Vandersloot (7) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
6,889		5–3
9June 28@ Washington L 71–86 Elena Delle Donne (26) Elena Delle Donne (7) Courtney Vandersloot (4) Verizon Center
7,400		5–4
10June 30 New York L 81–89 Elena Delle Donne (26) Elena Delle Donne (13) Courtney Vandersloot (10) Allstate Arena
5,048		5–5
July: 6–3 (Home: 5–1; Road: 1–2)
GameDateOpponentScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
11July 2@ Connecticut W 77–74 Allie Quigley (19) Elena Delle Donne (10) Cappie Pondexter (4) Mohegan Sun Arena
5,607		6–5
12July 10 Minnesota W 90–83 Delle Donne
Pondexter (24)		 Breland
Delle Donne (10)		 Faulkner (6) Allstate Arena
6,709		7–5
13July 12 Connecticut W 96–76 Cappie Pondexter (29) Elena Delle Donne (8) Cappie Pondexter (7) Allstate Arena
5,051		8–5
14July 15 Washington W 75–57 Allie Quigley (15) Elena Delle Donne (10) Jamierra Faulkner (5) Allstate Arena
16,304		9–5
15July 17@ Minnesota L 66–84 Jessica Breland (17) Clarissa dos Santos (13) Courtney Vandersloot (5) Target Center
9,033		9–6
16July 19 San Antonio W 93–82 Elena Delle Donne (29) Elena Delle Donne (13) Courtney Vandersloot (8) Allstate Arena
5,011		10–6
17July 21 Atlanta W 97–92 Elena Delle Donne (27) Elena Delle Donne (8) Courtney Vandersloot (4) Allstate Arena
5,967		11–6
18July 28@ Phoenix L 87–89 OT Elena Delle Donne (32) Clarissa dos Santos (8) Courtney Vandersloot (6) US Airways Center
10,707		11–7
19July 31 Los Angeles L 77–88 Delle Donne (21) Breland (7) Vandersloot (13) Allstate Arena
7,014		11–8
August: 7–4 (Home: 4–2; Road: 3–2)
GameDateOpponentScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
20August 2 Washington W 69–68 Elena Delle Donne (22) de Souza (10) Courtney Vandersloot (10) Allstate Arena
4,141		12–8
21August 4 Indiana W 106–82 Elena Delle Donne (19) Delle Donne
Pondexter
Young (6)		 Courtney Vandersloot (7) Allstate Arena
4,979		13–8
22August 7 New York L 63–77 Elena Delle Donne (17) Elena Delle Donne (6) Vandersloot
Quigley (2)		 Allstate Arena
5,992		13–9
23August 9 Phoenix W 74–64 Elena Delle Donne (33) Jessica Breland (13) Courtney Vandersloot (7) Allstate Arena
7,181		14–9
24August 11@ New York L 63–84 Cappie Pondexter (23) Jessica Breland (7) Courtney Vandersloot (9) Madison Square Garden
9,987		14–10
25August 14@ Seattle W 94–84 Delle Donne
Vandersloot (21)		 Jessica Breland (11) Courtney Vandersloot (8) Key Arena
5,684		15–10
26August 16@ Los Angeles L 64–76 Elena Delle Donne (23) Delle Donne
de Souza (8)		 Courtney Vandersloot (4) Staples Center
7,110		15–11
27August 21 Washington W 87–85 Elena Delle Donne (22) Delle Donne
Vandersloot
dos Santos (8)		 Courtney Vandersloot (10) Allstate Arena
5,861		16–11
28August 23@ Washington W 66–64 Elena Delle Donne (18) Elena Delle Donne (10) Breland
Vandersloot (2)		 Verizon Center
7,400		17–11
29August 29@ Atlanta W 98–96 Cappie Pondexter (22) Erika de Souza (7) Courtney Vandersloot (7) Philips Arena
6,872		18–11
30August 30 Connecticut L 68–72 Cappie Pondexter (18) Jessica Breland (7) Courtney Vandersloot (5) Allstate Arena
5,969		18–12
September: 3–1 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–1)
GameDateOpponentScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
31September 3@ New York W 82–60 Courtney Vandersloot (21) Breland
de Souza (8)		 Courtney Vandersloot (5) Madison Square Garden
8,496		19–12
32September 6 Seattle W 93–65 Allie Quigley (17) Erika de Souza (8) Vandersloot
Faulkner (6)		 Allstate Arena
6,205		20–12
33September 11 Tulsa W 92–71 Elena Delle Donne (21) Young
Parker (5)		 Courtney Vandersloot (9) Allstate Arena
7,753		21–12
34September 13@ Connecticut L 75–86 Elena Delle Donne (28) Erika de Souza (9) Tamera Young (4) Mohegan Sun Arena
8,049		21–13
2015 season schedule

Playoffs

2015 Playoff Schedule
Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. Indiana (Lost Series 1-2)
GameDateOpponentScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
1September 17 Indiana W 77–72 Courtney Vandersloot (17) Elena Delle Donne (11) Quigley
Vandersloot (5)		 UIC Pavilion
4,098		1–0
2September 19@ Indiana L 82–89 Courtney Vandersloot (19) Erika de Souza (8) Courtney Vandersloot (6) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7,124		1–1
3September 21 Indiana L 89–100 Elena Delle Donne (40) Jessica Breland (8) Courtney Vandersloot (14) Allstate Arena
2,882		1–2
2015 playoff schedule

Standings

Eastern Conference
W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
x - New York Liberty 2311.676–12–511–613–9
x - Chicago Sky 2113.618213–48–914–8
x - Indiana Fever 2014.588311–69–813–9
x - Washington Mystics 1816.529511–67–1010–12
e - Atlanta Dream 1519.44189–86–1110–12
e - Connecticut Sun 1519.44188–97–106–16

Notes

x – Clinched playoff spot
e – Eliminated from playoffs

Playoffs

Conference semifinals
Best-of-3 		Conference finals
Best-of-3 		WNBA Finals
Best-of-5
         
E1 New York 2
E4 Washington 1
E1 New York 1
Eastern Conference
E3 Indiana 2
E2 Chicago 1
E3 Indiana 2
E3 Indiana 2
W1 Minnesota 3
W1 Minnesota 2
W4 Los Angeles 1
W1 Minnesota 2
Western Conference
W2 Phoenix 0
W2 Phoenix 2
W3 Tulsa 0

Statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage 3P%  3-point field-goal percentage FT%  Free-throw percentage TO  Turnovers per game
 PF  Fouls per gameTeam leaderLeague leader

Regular Season

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
Elena Delle Donne 313133.346.031.395.08.41.41.12.023.4
Cappie Pondexter 292930.243.938.182.43.92.11.00.215.0
Courtney Vandersloot 343429.946.335.690.13.45.81.30.511.4
Allie Quigley 32722.543.134.082.61.81.70.40.511.1
Jessica Breland 333021.447.10.077.45.91.30.71.16.7
Erika de Souza 171519.449.40.047.65.50.50.50.85.5
Clarissa dos Santos 31717.546.10.068.84.60.70.60.65.3
Tamera Young 191017.139.20.082.82.91.30.60.44.5
Jamierra Faulkner 3309.641.418.280.81.01.70.40.24.1
Betnijah Laney 32212.839.40.069.62.10.60.50.22.9
Cheyenne Parker 3009.340.00.038.52.50.20.20.72.2
Sasha Goodlett 16513.153.80.085.71.90.30.20.62.1
Jacki Gemelos 1705.040.030.00.00.50.40.30.11.1
Victoria Macaulay 406.328.60.00.01.00.00.50.31.0

Playoffs

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
Elena Delle Donne 3336.350.043.8100.06.32.00.71.021.7
Allie Quigley 3027.059.043.8100.02.32.70.00.018.0
Courtney Vandersloot 3331.750.050.0100.04.78.30.31.013.7
Jessica Breland 3328.352.00.0100.07.71.31.32.310.0
Erika de Souza 3322.756.30.0100.04.70.70.70.37.0
Cappie Pondexter 3122.330.80.0100.01.01.30.70.06.0
Clarissa dos Santos 307.050.00.033.32.00.30.70.72.0
Cheyenne Parker 207.066.70.00.01.50.00.00.02.0
Jamierra Faulkner 306.016.70.050.01.01.70.00.01.7
Tamera Young 3212.725.00.00.03.01.70.30.31.3
Betnijah Laney 102.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.0

Awards and honors

RecipientAwardDate awardedRef.
Elena Delle Donne Eastern Conference Player of the Week June 15 [13]
June 23 [14]
June 30 [15]
August 10 [16]
August 24 [17]
Eastern Conference Player of the Month - June July 6 [18]
WNBA All-Star Starter July 14 [19]
WNBA MVP September 16 [20]
Peak Performer: Points September 17 [21]
All-WNBA First Team October 8 [22]
Cappie Pondexter Eastern Conference Player of the Week July 13 [23]
WNBA All-Star Selection July 21 [24]
Courtney Vandersloot Eastern Conference Player of the Week September 8 [25]
Peak Performer: Assists September 17 [21]
All-WNBA Second Team October 8 [22]
Allie Quigley WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year September 17 [26]

References

  1. ↑ Sandalow, Brian (February 4, 2015). "Sky reflect on 10-year anniversary". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Courtney Vandersloot signs long-term deal with Chicago". spokesman.com. The Spokesman. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Tamera Young agrees to deal, stays with Chicago Sky". si.com. SI. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  4. ↑ Bowman, James. "Chicago Sky acquire Cappie Pondexter from the New York Liberty for Epiphanny Prince". swishappeal.com. Swish Appeal. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Chicago Sky re-sign Allie Quigley to multi-year deal". swishappeal.com. Swish Appeal. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Sky Ink Pondexter to Multi-Year Contract Extension". oursportscentral.com. Our Sports Central. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Welch Waived By Chicago Sky". abccolumbia.com. ABC Columbia. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  8. ↑ Thompson, Phil. "Sky cut Courtney Clements, prepare to lose Allie Quigley temporairily". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Sky Waives Gatling". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  10. ↑ Thompson, Phil. "Sky Get Alli Quigley back". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Sky Re-Sign Guard Jacki Gemelos". oursportscentral.com. Our Sports Central. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Lynx Acquire Fowles, Sky Get de Souza in Three-Team Trade". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Delle Donne Dominates, Bonner Heats Up Mercury En Route To Player Of The Week Honors". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Delle Donne Collects Second Straight Honor, Diggins Powers Tulsa To Top Spot In West En Route To Player Of The Week Honors". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Delle Donne Collects Third Straight Honor, Whalen Leads Lynx En Route To Player Of The Week Awards". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Delle Donne Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Delle Donne, Parker Earn Player Of The Week Awards". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Delle Donne, Diggins Named WNBA Players Of The Month Presented By Samsung". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Delle Donne Tops WNBA All-star Balloting". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Sky's Elena Delle Donne Named 2015 WNBA Most Valuable Player Presented By Samsung". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  21. 1 2 "Sky's Delle Donne And Vandersloot, Shock's Paris Earn 2015 WNBA Peak Performer Honors". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  22. 1 2 "WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne Headlines 2015 All-WNBA First Team As Unanimous Pick". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Pondexter, Moore Earn Player Of The Week Awards". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Bird, Pondexter Highlight Reserves For Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2015". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  25. ↑ "ky's Courtney Vandersloot, Sparks' Candace Parker named WNBA Players of the Week". pr.nba.com. NBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  26. ↑ Bullock, Chris. "Allie Quigley wins 6th Woman of the Year award". swishappeal.com. Swish Appeal. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
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