2019 Chicago Sky season

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]

2019 Chicago Sky season
CoachJames Wade
ArenaWintrust Arena
Attendance6,749 per game
Results
Record20–14 (.588)
Place3rd (Eastern)
Playoff finish5th Seed; Lost in 2nd Round to Las Vegas
Team Leaders
PointsDiamond DeShields – 16.2 ppg
ReboundsJantel Lavender – 6.9 rpg
AssistsCourtney Vandersloot – 9.1 apg
Media
TelevisionWMEU-CD (The U Too)
ESPN
ESPN2
NBA TV

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]

Transactions

WNBA Draft
See also: 2019 WNBA draft

The Sky made the following selections in the 2019 WNBA draft:

Round Pick Player Nationality School/Team/Country
1 4 Katie Lou Samuelson  United States Connecticut Huskies
2 15 Chloe Jackson  United States Baylor Lady Bears
3 27 María Conde  Spain Wisła Can-Pack Kraków (Poland)

Trades and Roster Changes
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]

Additions
Player Date Former Team
Jantel Lavender May 20, 2019 Los Angeles Sparks
Kayla Alexander August 22, 2019 Free agent

Subtractions
Player Date New Team
Alaina Coates May 21, 2019 Minnesota Lynx
Chloe Jackson August 22, 2019 Free agent

Roster
Chicago Sky roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
C 40 Alexander, Kayla 6' 4" (1.93m) 195 lb (88kg) (1991-01-05) January 5, 1991 Syracuse 6
G/F 2 Copper, Kahleah 6' 1" (1.85m) 155 lb (70kg) (1994-08-28) August 28, 1994 Rutgers 3
G 1 DeShields, Diamond 6' 1" (1.85m) 163 lb (74kg) (1995-03-05) March 5, 1995 Tennessee 1
C 31 Dolson, Stefanie 6' 5" (1.96m) 231 lb (105kg) (1992-01-08) January 8, 1992 Connecticut 5
G 21 Faulkner, Jamierra 5' 6" (1.68m) 138 lb (63kg) (1992-03-09) March 9, 1992 Southern Miss 4
F/C 7 Lavender, Jantel 6' 4" (1.93m) 185 lb (84kg) (1988-11-12) November 12, 1988 Ohio State 8
C 45 Ndour, Astou 6' 5" (1.96m) 150 lb (68kg) (1994-08-22) August 22, 1994 Spain 3
F 32 Parker, Cheyenne 6' 4" (1.93m) 193 lb (88kg) (1992-08-22) August 22, 1992 Middle Tennessee 4
G 14 Quigley, Allie 5' 10" (1.78m) 140 lb (64kg) (1986-06-20) June 20, 1986 DePaul 10
G 33 Samuelson, Katie Lou 6' 3" (1.91m) 169 lb (77kg) (1997-06-13) June 13, 1997 Connecticut R
G 22 Vandersloot, Courtney 5' 8" (1.73m) 145 lb (66kg) (1989-02-08) February 8, 1989 Gonzaga 8
F 15 Williams, Gabby 5' 11" (1.8m) 172 lb (78kg) (1996-09-09) September 9, 1996 Connecticut 1



East: ATL • CHI • CON • IND • NY • WAS | West: DAL • LV • LA • MIN • PHO • SEA
Head coach
James Wade (Kennesaw State)
Assistant coaches
Carla Morrow (Tulsa)
Bridget Pettis (Florida)
Player development
Emre Vatansever
Athletic trainer
Meghan Lockerby
Strength and conditioning coach
Ann Crosby (Western Michigan)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

WNBA roster page

Season overview

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]

Game log
2019 pre-season game log
May: 0–2 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–1)
2019 pre-season schedule

Regular season
2019 game log
Total: 20–14 (Home: 12–5; Road: 8–9)
May: 0–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–1)
June : 6–5 (Home: 4–2; Road: 2–3)
July : 5–3 (Home: 4–1; Road: 1–2)
August : 7–4 (Home: 3–2; Road: 4–2)
September : 2–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–1)
2019 season schedule

Playoffs
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 September 15 Las Vegas Aces L 92–93 DeShields (23) Ndour (8) Vandersloot (12) Thomas & Mack Center
7,981		 0–1
2019 playoff schedule

Standings
# Eastern Conference W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
1 Washington Mystics (1)268.765–14–312–513–3
2 Connecticut Sun (2)2311.676315–28–911–5
3 Chicago Sky (5)2014.588612–58–911–5
4 e –Indiana Fever1321.382137–106–117–9
5 e –New York Liberty1024.294164–136–113–13
6 e –Atlanta Dream826.235185–123–143–13

Notes

(#) – Conference Standing, Playoff Seeds shown to the right of team name
e – Eliminated from playoffs

Playoffs
 
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		 3
 
 
4
Las Vegas Aces 		1
 
 
 
 
 
4
Las Vegas Aces		 93
 
 
 
5
Chicago Sky		 92
 
5
Chicago Sky		 105
 
 
 
8
Phoenix Mercury		 76
 
1
Washington Mystics 		3
 
 
 
2
Connecticut Sun 		2
 
6
Seattle Storm		 84
 
 
 
7
Minnesota Lynx		 74
 
3
Los Angeles Sparks		 92
 
 
6
Seattle Storm		 69
 
 
 
 
 
2
Connecticut Sun		 3
 
 
3
Los Angeles Sparks		 0
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.

Semifinals
Team1234
1
Washington Mystics		971037594
4
Las Vegas Aces		95919290
Team123
2
Connecticut Sun		849478
3
Los Angeles Sparks		756856
WNBA Finals
Team12345
1
Washington Mystics		9587948689
2
Connecticut Sun		8699819078

Statistics
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

Regular season
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

Awards and honors
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]

Notes
  1. The WNBA's collective bargaining agreement requires players to fly on commercial flights, rather than chartered private flights. As such, they are subject to cancellations and delays on commercial airlines.

References
  1. "Chicago Sky schedule". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  2. Kenney, Madeline (2019-08-22). "Sky clinch playoff spot for first time since 2016". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2019-09-03.
  3. "Chicago Sky Announce Change in Coaching Staff". OurSports Central. 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  4. "Chicago Sky Announce Change in Coaching Staff". OurSportsCentral.com. August 31, 2018.
  5. Youngblood, Kent (November 9, 2018). "Lynx assistant James Wade headed to Chicago to become Sky's head coach". Star Tribune. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  6. "Seven-Time Selection Charles, Dupree, Highlight Reserves For All-Star". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. 2017-07-15. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  7. Maloney, Jack (2017-07-15). "2019 WNBA All-Star Game starters and reserves: Elena Delle Donne, A'ja Wilson named captains". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  8. "WNBA Standings 2019". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  9. "Team Stats - Chicago Sky - 2019". Chicago Sky. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  10. "MVP Delle Donne Unanimously Selected To 2019 All-WNBA First Team". WNBA.com. 2019-10-06. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  11. Thompson, Phil (2019-09-12). "Chicago Sky advance to the 2nd round of the playoffs behind Diamond DeShields' 25 points". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  12. Kenney, Madeline (2019-09-15). "Sky lose single-elimination playoff game in heartbreaking fashion". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
  13. "Chicago Sky Re-Signs Cheyenne Parker to Multi-Year Contract". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  14. Megdal, Howard (February 2019). "Chicago Sky, Cheyenne Parker agree to a two-year deal". highposthoops.com. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
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  16. Feinberg, Doug (February 2, 2019). "Augustus and Quigley re-sign with Minnesota and Chicago". yahoo.com. The Associated Press. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  17. "Sky Sign Forward Evelyn Akhator to Training Camp Contract". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. February 14, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  18. Kenney, Madeline (February 14, 2019). "Chicago Sky re-signs Jamierra Faulkner and adds Evelyn Akhator to camp roster". chicago.suntimes.com. Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
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  24. "Chicago Sky Sign Hind Ben Abdelkader". wnba.com. WNBA. March 18, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
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  28. "Sky Acquire 2020 Third-Round Pick From Minnesota Lynx". wnba.com. WNBA. May 21, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  29. Nemchock, Eric (2019-08-25). "Chicago Sky make late-season roster change, add Alexander to frontcourt". Swish Appeal. Retrieved 2019-09-03.
  30. Hendricks, Maggie. "How new head coach James Wade is revamping the Sky defense". The Athletic. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  31. Hendricks, Maggie. "Worst to first? Not quite, but the Sky's defense is improving". The Athletic. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  32. Hendricks, Maggie. "How the Sky rose to the occasion against the first-place Sun..." The Athletic. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  33. Hendricks, Maggie. "Winless road trip puts a damper on Sky's ascension". The Athletic. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  34. Hendricks, Maggie. "How the Sky pulled off a last-second win over the Dream". The Athletic. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  35. Kenney, Madeline (2019-07-25). "Sky players make trip to All-Star weekend to support teammates". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  36. Kenney, Madeline (2019-07-30). "Travel-weary Sky show resilience in close loss to Sun". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  37. "Quigley, Lavender each score 20-plus, Sky beat Liberty". The Washington Post. Associated Press. August 7, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  38. "Allie Quigley, Chicago Sky Knock Off New York Liberty". WMAQ-TV. August 7, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  39. Neindorf, Nicholas (2019-08-19). "Chicago Sky lose heated game against Las Vegas Aces". High Post Hoops. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  40. Lee, Albert (2019-08-23). "The Mystics' win streak ends after 85-78 loss to Sky". Bullets Forever. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  41. Brown, Andy (2019-08-24). "Washington Mystics' six-game winning streak ends at hands of Chicago Sky". High Post Hoops. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  42. Kenney, Madeline (2019-08-29). "Sky don't have answers for disappointing loss to injury-riddled Wings". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  43. Kenney, Madeline (2019-09-08). "After regular-season finale loss to Mystics, Sky turn focus to playoffs". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  44. espnW (2019-07-26). "Diamond DeShields wins the #WNBAAllStar Skills Challenge pic.twitter.com/AdV1KeCQRp". @espnW. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  45. "Vandersloot, Collier Earn Player Of The Week Honors". wnba.com. WNBA. August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  46. "Phoenix's Griner, Connecticut's Jones and Chicago's Vandersloot Earn 2019 WNBA Peak Performer Awards". wnba.com. WNBA. September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
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