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 | |
|---|---|
| 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 |
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
editWNBA draft
editThe 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
edit| 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
edit| Player | Date | Former Team |
|---|---|---|
| Jantel Lavender | May 20, 2019 | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Kayla Alexander | August 22, 2019 | Free agent |
Subtractions
edit| Player | Date | New Team |
|---|---|---|
| Alaina Coates | May 21, 2019 | Minnesota Lynx |
| Chloe Jackson | August 22, 2019 | Free agent |
Roster
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Season overview
editPrior 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
edit| 2019 pre-season game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May: 0–2 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–1)
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| 2019 pre-season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
editPlayoffs
edit| 2019 playoff game log Total: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1) | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First Round: 1–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–0)
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Second Round: 0–1 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–1)
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| 2019 playoff schedule | ||||||||||||||||||
Standings
edit| # | 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
- (#) – Conference Standing, Playoff Seeds shown to the right of team name
- e – Eliminated from playoffs
Playoffs
edit| 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.
Statistics
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit- ^ 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
edit- ^ "Chicago Sky schedule". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ Kenney, Madeline (August 22, 2019). "Sky clinch playoff spot for first time since 2016". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ "Chicago Sky Announce Change in Coaching Staff". OurSports Central. August 31, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
- ^ "Chicago Sky Announce Change in Coaching Staff". OurSportsCentral.com. August 31, 2018.
- ^ Youngblood, Kent (November 9, 2018). "Lynx assistant James Wade headed to Chicago to become Sky's head coach". Star Tribune. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Seven-Time Selection Charles, Dupree, Highlight Reserves For All-Star". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. July 15, 2017. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
- ^ Maloney, Jack (July 15, 2017). "2019 WNBA All-Star Game starters and reserves: Elena Delle Donne, A'ja Wilson named captains". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
- ^ "WNBA Standings 2019". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ "Team Stats - Chicago Sky - 2019". Chicago Sky. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ a b c "MVP Delle Donne Unanimously Selected To 2019 All-WNBA First Team". WNBA.com. October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ Thompson, Phil (September 12, 2019). "Chicago Sky advance to the 2nd round of the playoffs behind Diamond DeShields' 25 points". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ Kenney, Madeline (September 15, 2019). "Sky lose single-elimination playoff game in heartbreaking fashion". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Chicago Sky Re-Signs Cheyenne Parker to Multi-Year Contract". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ Megdal, Howard (February 2019). "Chicago Sky, Cheyenne Parker agree to a two-year deal". highposthoops.com. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ "Chicago Sky Re-Sign All-Star Guard Allie Quigley". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ Feinberg, Doug (February 2, 2019). "Augustus and Quigley re-sign with Minnesota and Chicago". yahoo.com. The Associated Press. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ "Sky Sign Forward Evelyn Akhator to Training Camp Contract". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. February 14, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ "Chicago Sky Re-Sign Guard Jamierra Faulkner". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. February 14, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ^ "Chicago Sky Re-Sign Guard Linnae Harper". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. February 18, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ "Chicago Sky Sign Victoria Macaulay to Training Camp Contract". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. February 19, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ "Chicago Sky Re-Sign Center Astou Ndour". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. February 27, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
- ^ Kenney, Madeline (February 27, 2019). "Chicago Sky re-sign center Astou Ndour". chicago.suntimes.com. Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
- ^ "Chicago Sky Sign Hind Ben Abdelkader". wnba.com. WNBA. March 18, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- ^ "Chicago Sky add forward Leslie Robinson to training-camp roster". chicago.suntimes.com. Chicago Sun Times. April 30, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ "Chicago Sky Waive Leslie Robinson, Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah". wnba.com. WNBA. May 8, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
- ^ "Los Angeles Sparks Trade Jantel Lavender To Chicago Sky". wnba.com. WNBA. May 20, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
- ^ "Sky Acquire 2020 Third-Round Pick From Minnesota Lynx". wnba.com. WNBA. May 21, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- ^ Nemchock, Eric (August 25, 2019). "Chicago Sky make late-season roster change, add Alexander to frontcourt". Swish Appeal. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ Hendricks, Maggie. "How new head coach James Wade is revamping the Sky defense". The Athletic. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ^ Hendricks, Maggie. "Worst to first? Not quite, but the Sky's defense is improving". The Athletic. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ^ Hendricks, Maggie. "How the Sky rose to the occasion against the first-place Sun..." The Athletic. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ^ Hendricks, Maggie. "Winless road trip puts a damper on Sky's ascension". The Athletic. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ^ Hendricks, Maggie. "How the Sky pulled off a last-second win over the Dream". The Athletic. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ^ Kenney, Madeline (July 25, 2019). "Sky players make trip to All-Star weekend to support teammates". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ^ Kenney, Madeline (July 30, 2019). "Travel-weary Sky show resilience in close loss to Sun". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ^ a b "Quigley, Lavender each score 20-plus, Sky beat Liberty". The Washington Post. Associated Press. August 7, 2019. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
- ^ "Allie Quigley, Chicago Sky Knock Off New York Liberty". WMAQ-TV. August 7, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
- ^ Neindorf, Nicholas (August 19, 2019). "Chicago Sky lose heated game against Las Vegas Aces". High Post Hoops. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ Lee, Albert (August 23, 2019). "The Mystics' win streak ends after 85-78 loss to Sky". Bullets Forever. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ Brown, Andy (August 24, 2019). "Washington Mystics' six-game winning streak ends at hands of Chicago Sky". High Post Hoops. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ Kenney, Madeline (August 29, 2019). "Sky don't have answers for disappointing loss to injury-riddled Wings". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ Kenney, Madeline (September 8, 2019). "After regular-season finale loss to Mystics, Sky turn focus to playoffs". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ espnW (July 26, 2019). "Diamond DeShields wins the #WNBAAllStar Skills Challenge pic.twitter.com/AdV1KeCQRp". @espnW. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- ^ "Vandersloot, Collier Earn Player Of The Week Honors". wnba.com. WNBA. August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Chicago's James Wade Named 2019 WNBA Coach Of The Year". wnba.com. WNBA. September 11, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019.