2019 Chicago Sky season | |
---|---|
Coach | James Wade |
Arena | Wintrust Arena |
Attendance | 6,749 per game |
Results | |
Record | 20–14 (.588) |
Place | 3rd (Eastern) |
Playoff finish | 5th Seed; Lost in 2nd Round to Las Vegas |
Team Leaders | |
Points | Diamond DeShields – 16.2 ppg |
Rebounds | Jantel Lavender – 6.9 rpg |
Assists | Courtney Vandersloot – 9.1 apg |
Media | |
Television | WMEU-CD (The U Too) ESPN ESPN2 NBA TV |
The 2019 Chicago Sky season was the franchise's 14th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The regular season tipped off on May 25 and concluded on September 8. [1] On August 22, the team clinched a playoff berth for the first time in three seasons. [2]
During the offseason, Amber Stocks was dismissed by the team as general manager and head coach. [3] In November, James Wade was announced as the team's new head coach. Wade was previously an assistant with UMMC Ekaterinburg and the Minnesota Lynx. [4] [5]
Three Sky players, all guards, were named as reserves to the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game: veterans Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot, and second-year player Diamond DeShields. [6] [7] The Sky finished the season second in points per game, but second-to-last in points allowed. [8] DeShields was team's leading scorer with 16.2 points per game, and Vandersloot broke her own all-time record with 9.1 assists per game. [9] Vandersloot and DeShields were named to the first and second All-WNBA Teams respectively. [10]
In the first round of the 2019 WNBA Playoffs, fifth-seeded Sky hosted the eighth-seeded Phoenix Mercury, whom they defeated 105–76 in a single-elimination game. [11] They lost their second-round single-elimination game on the road to the Las Vegas Aces by a score of 93–92 in the final seconds. [12]
The Sky made the following selections in the 2019 WNBA draft:
Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/Team/Country |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | Katie Lou Samuelson | ![]() | Connecticut Huskies |
2 | 15 | Chloe Jackson | ![]() | Baylor Lady Bears |
3 | 27 | María Conde | ![]() | Wisła Can-Pack Kraków (Poland) |
Date | Trade | |
---|---|---|
February 1, 2018 | Re-signed F Cheyenne Parker [13] [14] | |
February 2, 2019 | Re-Signed G Allie Quigley [15] [16] | |
February 14, 2019 | Signed F Evelyn Akhator to Training Camp Contract [17] [18] | |
Re-Signed G Jamierra Faulkner [19] [18] | ||
February 18, 2019 | Re-Signed G Linnae Harper [20] | |
February 19, 2019 | Signed C Victoria Macaulay to Training Camp Contract [21] | |
February 27, 2019 | Re-Sign C Astou Ndour [22] [23] | |
March 19, 2019 | Signed G Hind Ben Abdelkader [24] | |
April 30, 2019 | Signed F Leslie Robinson to Training Camp Contract [25] | |
May 7, 2019 | Waived F Leslie Robinson and F Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah [26] | |
May 20, 2019 | Traded their second round pick in the 2020 WNBA draft to Los Angeles in exchange for C Jantel Lavender [27] | |
May 21, 2019 | Traded C Alaina Coates to Minnesota in exchange for Minnesota's third round pick in the 2020 WNBA draft [28] | |
August 22, 2019 | Waived G Chloe Jackson and signed C Kayla Alexander [29] |
Player | Date | Former Team |
---|---|---|
Jantel Lavender | May 20, 2019 | Los Angeles Sparks |
Kayla Alexander | August 22, 2019 | Free agent |
Player | Date | New Team |
---|---|---|
Alaina Coates | May 21, 2019 | Minnesota Lynx |
Chloe Jackson | August 22, 2019 | Free agent |
Chicago Sky roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Prior to the start of the season, new head coach James Wade prioritized improving defense as a key goal for the Sky this season. [30] In the previous season, the Sky had recorded the league's worst defensive rating. [31]
The Sky lost their opening game against the Lynx on May 25, 2019, but won their home opener a week later against the Storm. After a road loss to the Mystics, the Sky proceeded to win four straight games. After a home loss to the Fever, the Sky faced the league-leading Sun, and surprised their opponents with a blowout 93–75 win. [32] With a loss at home to the Mystics on June 26, Chicago held a 6–4 record ten games into the season.
On a three-game road trip from June 28 to July 2, the Sky lost three games against the Storm, Sparks, and Aces, dropping to a 6–7 record. [33] The Sky won 5 out of their next 6 games, however, and improved to an 11–8 record before the All-Star break. The only game they lost during this period was a July 10 home game against the Lynx, which they lost by one point. The stretch also included a one-point win against the Dream on July 17. [34]
Three Sky players—Diamond DeShields, Allie Quigley, and Courtney Vandersloot—were named as reserves in the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game on July 27. Most of the team (all but three players) made the trip to Las Vegas for All-Star Weekend to support their teammates. [35] DeShields won the Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend, but Quigley failed to repeat as Three-Point Contest champion.
On July 30, on a road trip to face the league-leading Sun, the Sky faced problems with canceled and delayed flights and did not arrive in their hotel until 4:45am on the day of the game. [nb 1] [36] They rebounded with a win in their next road game against the Dream and improved to a 12–9 record.
During a 101–92 comeback victory against the New York Liberty on August 7, the Chicago Sky scored 42 points in the fourth quarter, the highest of any WNBA team since the league moved to a four-quarter format in 2006. [37] Allie Quigley scored 22 points in the game, and Jantel Lavender double-doubled with 20 points and 10 rebounds. [37] [38] With this win, the Sky matched their previous season's win total of 13.
Over their next four games, the Sky faced the two teams directly above them in the standings—the Las Vegas Aces and the Los Angeles Sparks—twice each. They split the series evenly with both teams, achieving a 15–11 record. Their home game against the Aces was marked by officiating controversies and a conflict between Liz Cambage and Cheyenne Parker, which resulted in technical fouls for both players. [39]
In their remaining five games in August, the Sky went 3–2, for an overall record of 18–13. This stretch included both a convincing home 85–78 win over the top-seeded Washington Mystics and a surprise home loss to the low-seeded Dallas Wings. [40] [41] [42] In September, the Sky scored 100 points in two straight games with wins over the playoff-bound Phoenix Mercury and Connecticut Sun, before losing their last regular season game on the road to the Mystics. Finishing the season with a 20–14 record, they finished the season as the fifth-seeded team. [43]
2019 pre-season game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May: 0–2 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–1)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2019 pre-season schedule |
2019 playoff game log Total: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1) | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First Round: 1–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–0)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Second Round: 0–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–1)
| ||||||||||||||||||
2019 playoff schedule |
# | Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Washington Mystics (1) | 26 | 8 | .765 | – | 14–3 | 12–5 | 13–3 |
2 | Connecticut Sun (2) | 23 | 11 | .676 | 3 | 15–2 | 8–9 | 11–5 |
3 | Chicago Sky (5) | 20 | 14 | .588 | 6 | 12–5 | 8–9 | 11–5 |
4 | e –Indiana Fever | 13 | 21 | .382 | 13 | 7–10 | 6–11 | 7–9 |
5 | e –New York Liberty | 10 | 24 | .294 | 16 | 4–13 | 6–11 | 3–13 |
6 | e –Atlanta Dream | 8 | 26 | .235 | 18 | 5–12 | 3–14 | 3–13 |
Notes
First round: Single elimination (Sept. 11) | Second round: Single elimination (Sept. 15) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Sept. 17 – Sept. 24) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Sept. 29 – Oct. 10) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | Washington Mystics | 97 | 103 | 75 | 94 | ||||||||||||||||||||
4 | Las Vegas Aces | 93 | 4 | Las Vegas Aces | 95 | 91 | 92 | 90 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Chicago Sky | 105 | 5 | Chicago Sky | 92 | 1 | Washington Mystics | 95 | 87 | 94 | 86 | 89 | |||||||||||||
8 | Phoenix Mercury | 76 | 2 | Connecticut Sun | 86 | 99 | 81 | 90 | 78 | ||||||||||||||||
2 | Connecticut Sun | 84 | 94 | 78 | |||||||||||||||||||||
3 | Los Angeles Sparks | 92 | 3 | Los Angeles Sparks | 75 | 68 | 56 | ||||||||||||||||||
6 | Seattle Storm | 84 | 6 | Seattle Storm | 69 | ||||||||||||||||||||
7 | Minnesota Lynx | 74 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.
Legend | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | Games 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 game | Team leader | League leader |
Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Diamond DeShields | 34 | 34 | 30.2 | 39.9 | 31.6 | 83.6 | 5.5 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 16.2 |
Allie Quigley | 34 | 34 | 28.6 | 49.3 | 44.2 | 87.0 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 13.8 |
Courtney Vandersloot | 33 | 33 | 30.0 | 45.2 | 29.0 | 85.0 | 4.3 | 9.1 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 11.2 |
Jantel Lavender | 23 | 22 | 26.9 | 49.0 | 22.2 | 90.5 | 6.9 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 10.0 |
Stefanie Dolson | 34 | 34 | 25.0 | 51.9 | 36.1 | 89.8 | 5.6 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 9.3 |
Cheyenne Parker | 34 | 0 | 19.7 | 45.9 | 27.8 | 84.2 | 5.8 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 8.8 |
Astou Ndour | 21 | 11 | 17.5 | 49.2 | 42.4 | 72.2 | 4.2 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 6.8 |
Kahleah Copper | 34 | 0 | 14.8 | 38.7 | 30.6 | 77.1 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 6.7 |
Gabby Williams | 33 | 2 | 16.0 | 41.4 | 17.1 | 72.5 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 5.6 |
Kayla Alexander | 3 | 0 | 6.7 | 75.0 | 0 | 75.0 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 |
Katie Lou Samuelson | 20 | 0 | 7.7 | 31.6 | 27.6 | 80.0 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 2.4 |
Jamierra Faulkner | 13 | 0 | 5.5 | 33.3 | 11.1 | 50.0 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0 | 1.3 |
Recipient | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Allie Quigley | WNBA All-Star Selection | July 15, 2019 | [6] |
Diamond DeShields | WNBA All-Star Selection | July 15, 2019 | [6] |
WNBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge Champion | July 26, 2019 | [44] | |
All-WNBA Second Team | October 6, 2019 | [10] | |
Courtney Vandersloot | WNBA All-Star Selection | July 15, 2019 | [6] |
WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week | August 26, 2019 | [45] | |
Peak Performer: Assists | September 9, 2019 | [46] | |
All-WNBA First Team | October 6, 2019 | [10] | |
James Wade | Coach of the Year | September 11, 2019 | [47] |
The Chicago Sky is an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 2006 season. The Sky experienced a period of success from 2013 to 2016, making four playoff appearances and playing in the 2014 WNBA Finals. They experienced a second period of success from 2019 to 2022 and won their first championship in the 2021 WNBA Finals.
Alexandria "Allie" Quigley is an American and Hungarian professional basketball player who last played for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
The 2011 WNBA season was the 15th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season began on June 3 with the Los Angeles Sparks hosting the Minnesota Lynx, featuring 2011 WNBA draft top pick Maya Moore, in a game televised on NBA TV. Four games followed the next day, with the marquee matchup, televised on ABC, featuring the defending champion Seattle Storm and the Phoenix Mercury in Seattle.
Courtney Vandersloot is an American and Hungarian basketball point guard for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Fenerbahçe in the EuroLeague Women. Drafted by the Chicago Sky with the third pick in the 2011 WNBA draft, she was selected as an All-Star and named to the All-Rookie Team in her rookie year. She was named an All-Star again in 2019, 2021 and 2023, and led the Sky to their first WNBA Championship in 2021. She led the WNBA in assists in 2014 and for five consecutive seasons during 2017–2021, and holds the all-time WNBA records for most assists in a season (300), highest assists-per-game in a season (9.1), and highest career assists-per-game (6.2).
Sydney Justine Colson is an American basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball at Texas A&M University, where she helped the Aggies win the 2011 NCAA title. She has previously played for the New York Liberty, San Antonio Stars, Minnesota Lynx, and the Chicago Sky in the WNBA, and overseas in Poland and Israel. Colson is a two-time WNBA champion, winning back-to-back titles with the Aces in 2022 and 2023.
The 2015 Chicago Sky season was the franchise's 10th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
The 2017 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on July 22, 2017. The Seattle Storm hosted a WNBA All-Star Game for the first time.
Alaina Denise Coates is an American professional basketball player who is a free agent. She played college basketball for the University of South Carolina.
Kahleah Copper is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted with the seventh overall pick by the Washington Mystics in 2016, and was traded to the Chicago Sky the next year.
Diamond Danae-Aziza DeShields is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by the Chicago Sky with the third overall pick in the 2018 WNBA draft, and won a championship with the Sky in 2021. She is the daughter of former MLB player Delino DeShields and the younger sister of MLB player Delino DeShields Jr.
The 2019 WNBA season was the 21st season for the Connecticut Sun franchise of the WNBA. It was also the 17th season for the franchise in Connecticut. The team opened the season on May 25 versus the Washington Mystics.
The 2019 WNBA Playoffs were the postseason tournament of the WNBA's 2019 season. The Washington Mystics won the team's first WNBA title in their 22-year franchise history.
The 2020 Chicago Sky season was the franchise's 15th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). This was the second season under head coach James Wade. The Sky did not improve on their previous season's record of 20–14, but entered the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
The 2021 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the WNBA's 2021 season. The Chicago Sky won their first WNBA championship.
The 2021 WNBA Finals, officially the WNBA Finals 2021 presented by YouTube TV for sponsorship reasons, was the best-of-five championship series for the 2021 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The finals featured the fifth-seeded Phoenix Mercury facing off against the sixth-seeded Chicago Sky, a rematch of the 2014 Finals. The Sky defeated the Mercury in 4 games, winning their first WNBA Championship, as well as Chicago's first professional basketball championship since 1998.
The 2022 Chicago Sky season was the franchise's 17th season in the Women's National Basketball Association, and their fourth season under head coach James Wade. They were the defending league champions after defeating the Phoenix Mercury in the 2021 WNBA Finals.
The 2022 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on July 10, 2022, at Wintrust Arena. The Chicago Sky hosted the game and related events for the first time.
The 2022 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the WNBA's 2022 season. This postseason ended with the Las Vegas Aces winning their first championship.
The 2023 Chicago Sky season was the franchise's 18th season in the Women's National Basketball Association, and their fifth season under head coach James Wade. In the offseason, the team saw the departures of several key players in free agency including Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley, and Azurá Stevens.