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2020 Chicago Sky season

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.

2020 Chicago Sky season
CoachJames Wade
ArenaOriginally: Wintrust Arena
Rescheduled to: IMG Academy gymnasiums, Bradenton, Florida
AttendanceNone per game
Results
Record12–10 (.545)
Place1st (Eastern)
Playoff finish6th seed, Lost to Connecticut Sun in First Round
Team Leaders
PointsAllie Quigley – 15.4 ppg
ReboundsCheyenne Parker – 6.4 rpg
AssistsCourtney Vandersloot – 10.0 apg

The season was initially scheduled to feature an all-time high 36 regular-season games, tipping off at the Sky's home Wintrust Arena on May 15, 2020.[1] However, this plan was halted on April 3, when the WNBA postponed its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2][3] Under a plan approved on June 15, the league has been holding a shortened 22-game regular season at IMG Academy, without fans present, since July 24.[4][5] Under this plan, the Sky's first game was on July 26, versus the Las Vegas Aces.[6]

The Sky started out the season with success, posting a 10–4 record through 14 games. However, they lost 6 of their last 8 games to finish the season with a 12–10 record. They entered the playoffs as the 6th seed, losing to the 7th-seeded Connecticut Sun. In the offseason, the team added Azurá Stevens and Sydney Colson while losing Katie Lou Samuelson. During the season, they traded away Jantel Lavender and acquired Stephanie Mavunga. They also experienced a number of injuries throughout the season, ending the season without key players including Stevens and Diamond DeShields.

Starting guard Courtney Vandersloot set the all-time WNBA record for assists per game with 10, breaking her own record of 9.1 set in the 2019 season.[7][8]

Transactions

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WNBA draft

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See also: 2020 WNBA draft

The Sky will make the following selections in the 2020 WNBA draft.

RoundPickPlayerNationalitySchool/Team/Country
18Ruthy Hebard  United StatesOregon
330Japreece Dean  United StatesUCLA
332Kiah Gillespie  United StatesFlorida State

Trades and Roster Changes

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DateTrade or Roster Change
February 12, 2020Acquired a first-round pick in the 2021 WNBA draft in exchange for C Astou Ndour[9]
February 13, 2020Signed G Sydney Colson[10]
February 14, 2020Acquired F Azurá Stevens in exchange for F Katie Lou Samuelson and a first-round pick in the 2021 WNBA draft[11]
February 15, 2020Re-Signed G Kahleah Copper[12]
February 17, 2020Re-Signed F/C Stefanie Dolson[13]
February 19, 2020Re-Signed G Allie Quigley[14]
February 25, 2020Re-Signed G Courtney Vandersloot[15]
June 29, 2020Signed G Stella Johnson[16]
August 28, 2020Acquired F Stephanie Mavunga in exchange for C Jantel Lavender and second and third round picks in the 2021 WNBA draft[17]
August 31, 2020Signed F Alisia Jenkins[18]

Roster

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Chicago Sky roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
G51 Colson, Sydney5' 8" (1.73m)140 lb (64kg)1989-08-06Texas A&M6
G/F2 Copper, Kahleah6' 1" (1.85m)155 lb (70kg)1994-08-28Rutgers4
G1 DeShields, Diamond6' 1" (1.85m)163 lb (74kg)1995-03-05Tennessee2
C31 Dolson, Stefanie6' 5" (1.96m)231 lb (105kg)1992-01-08Connecticut6
F24 Hebard, Ruthy6' 4" (1.93m)–1998-04-28OregonR
F23 Mavunga, Stephanie6' 3" (1.91m)205 lb (93kg)1995-02-24Ohio State2
F32 Parker, Cheyenne6' 4" (1.93m)193 lb (88kg)1992-08-22Middle Tennessee5
F15 Prince, Alexis6' 2" (1.88m)178 lb (81kg)1994-02-05Baylor2
G14 Quigley, Allie5' 10" (1.78m)140 lb (64kg)1986-06-20DePaul11
F/C30 Stevens, Azurá6' 6" (1.98m)180 lb (82kg)1996-02-01Connecticut2
G22 Vandersloot, Courtney5' 8" (1.73m)145 lb (66kg)1989-02-08Gonzaga9
F15 Williams, Gabby5' 11" (1.8m)172 lb (78kg)1996-09-09Connecticut2
Head coach
James Wade (Kennesaw State)
Assistant coaches
Olaf Lange
Emre Vatansever
Athletic trainer
Meghan Lockerby
Strength and conditioning coach
Ann Crosby (Western Michigan)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Season overview

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The Sky entered the 2020 season looking to build on dramatic improvements in the previous season, when they reached the playoffs for the first time in three years and were recognized with three All-Star selections and a Coach of the Year Award.

During the free agency period, the Sky made few changes to their roster from the previous year. The team traded away Astou Ndour and 2019 first-round pick Katie Lou Samuelson, acquired third-year player Azurá Stevens via trade, and signed veteran Sydney Colson.[9][10][11] Free agents Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot, and Stefanie Dolson were all re-signed to multi-year deals.[13][14][15] Amid many All-Star players in the league changing teams, the Sky's decision to largely bring back the previous year's team received a grade of B− from SB Nation.[19] On the other hand, women's basketball website Swish Appeal evaluated the Sky's decisions more positively and argued that the team positioned itself to contend for a championship.[20] The WNBA-focused publication Winsidr gave the Sky a B+, rating the retentions of key players and addition of Sydney Colson highly, but criticizing the value of the trade for Stevens.[21]

In the 2020 draft, the Sky selected Ruthy Hebard in the first round and Japreece Dean and Kiah Gillespie in the third round. The Sky received a grade of B in three post-draft evaluations from ESPN, CBS Sports, and SB Nation.[22][23][24]

In March, the WNBA season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jantel Lavender will miss this season due to recovery from surgery on a broken foot,[25] and Sydney Colson missed the beginning of the season due to recovery from COVID-19.[26] Stefanie Dolson was also afflicted with COVID-19, but recovered before the start of the delayed season.[27] On June 29, the Sky signed guard Stella Johnson.[28]

The Sky returned to play for the shortened 22-game regular season at IMG Academy on July 26. Their first game was a rematch against the Las Vegas Aces, the team who had beaten them in the previous year's playoffs. Despite the Aces leading for most of the game, the Sky won 88-86.[29][30] The Sky ended July with a 2–1 record. On August 1, they notched a narrow win against the Mystics, the last undefeated team in the league, and improved to 3–1. Over the next six games, the Sky alternated wins and losses and held a record of 6–4 after 10 games. During this stretch, on August 10, Courtney Vandersloot was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week.[31] The Sky then won four consecutive games, including blowout wins against the Atlanta Dream and the New York Liberty, to improve to 10–4. Vandersloot was again named Eastern Conference Player of the Week following this run of games.[32] However, they proceeded to lose the next two games against the lowest-seeded Liberty and the top-seeded Seattle Storm.

On August 28, the Sky traded two draft picks and Jantel Lavender, who had been out for the season due to injury, in exchange for Stephanie Mavunga.[33] On August 29, two key players for the Sky, Diamond DeShields and Azurá Stevens, exited the IMG Academy bubble. Stevens left due to an injury that would require her to miss the remainder of the season and DeShields left for personal reasons. Both players had missed the previous two games due to injuries.[34] On August 31, the Sky signed forward Alisia Jenkins to a seven-day contract.[35]

On August 31, the Sky rebounded from their two-game losing streak with a win against the Indiana Fever. Courtney Vandersloot recorded 18 assists in the game, breaking the all-time WNBA record for assists in a single game (16) previously held by Ticha Penicheiro. Vandersloot's record-breaking 17th and 18th assists came in passes to her wife, Allie Quigley.[36][37]

Game log

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Regular season

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2020 game log
Total: 12–10
July
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1July 26Las Vegas AcesW 88-86Copper (26)Williams (7)Vandersloot (11)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		1–0
2July 28Los Angeles SparksW 96-78Copper / Stevens (21)Copper (9)Vandersloot (10)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		2–0
3July 30Minnesota LynxL 81-83Parker / Stevens / Vandersloot (16)Stevens (11)DeShields (5)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		2-1
August
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
4August 1Washington MysticsW 88–86Copper / Williams (16)Williams (9)Vandersloot (8)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		3-1
5August 4Dallas WingsW 82-79Parker / Stevens / Quigley (15)Stevens (10)Vandersloot (10)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		4–1
6August 6Phoenix MercuryL 86–96Vandersloot (21)Parker (7)Vandersloot (8)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		4–2
7August 8Connecticut SunW 100–93Quigley (22)Copper (7)Vandersloot (11)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		5–2
8August 10Seattle StormL 71–89Quigley (13)Copper (6)Vandersloot (9)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		5–3
9August 12Phoenix MercuryW 89–71Quigley (20)Parker / Dolson (9)Vandersloot (5)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		6–3
10August 14Connecticut SunL 74–77Parker (17)Stevens (8)Vandersloot (7)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		6–4
11August 16Atlanta DreamW 92–67Parker (17)Tied (6)Colson (6)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		7–4
12August 18Las Vegas AcesW 84–82Copper (18)Stevens (7)Vandersloot (15)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		8–4
13August 20New York LibertyW 101–85Stevens (25)Stevens (7)Vandersloot (10)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		9–4
14August 22Indiana FeverW 87–76Copper (26)Parker (8)Vandersloot (9)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		10–4
15August 25New York LibertyL 99–101Quigley (29)Williams (8)Vandersloot (9)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		10–5
16August 29Seattle StormL 74–88Copper (19)Tied (6)Vandersloot (9)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		10–6
17August 31Indiana FeverW 100–77Tied (21)Hebard (11)Vandersloot (18)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		11–6
September
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
18September 2Minnesota LynxL 83–86Quigley (23)Parker (15)Vandersloot (12)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		11–7
19September 4Washington MysticsL 69–79Parker (17)Copper (10)Vandersloot (11)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		11–8
20September 6Los Angeles SparksL 80–86Parker (24)Parker (10)Vandersloot (15)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		11–9
21September 9Atlanta DreamL 89–97Vandersloot (22)Tied (7)Vandersloot (11)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		11–10
22September 11Dallas WingsW 95–88Parker (23)Hebard (8)Vandersloot (12)IMG Academy
No In-Person Attendance		12–10
2020 season schedule

Playoffs

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2020 playoff game log
Total: 0–1
First Round
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1September 15Connecticut SunL 81–94Quigley (19)Parker (8)Vandersloot (6)IMG Academy0–1
2020 playoff schedule

Standings

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#Team W L PCT GB Conf.
1x – Las Vegas Aces184.818–8–2
2x – Seattle Storm184.818–8–2
3x – Los Angeles Sparks157.68235–5
4x – Minnesota Lynx148.63644–6
5x – Phoenix Mercury139.59154–6
6x – Chicago Sky1210.54566–4
7x – Connecticut Sun1012.45587–3
8x – Washington Mystics913.40996–4
9e – Dallas Wings814.364101–9
10e – Atlanta Dream715.318115–5
11e – Indiana Fever616.273124–6
12e – New York Liberty220.091162–8

Notes

x – Clinched playoff berth
e – Eliminated from playoffs
Home and Away records not shown, as all games played at a neutral location.
Updated to include results from September 13, 2020
Source


Playoffs

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Main article: 2020 WNBA Playoffs
First round:
Single elimination
(September 15)		Second round:
Single elimination
(September 17)		Semifinals:
Best-of-five
(September 20–29)		WNBA Finals:
Best-of-five
(October 2–11)
1Las Vegas Aces6283688466
4Minnesota Lynx807Connecticut Sun8775777563
5Phoenix Mercury855Phoenix Mercury791Las Vegas Aces809159
8Washington Mystics842Seattle Storm9310492
2Seattle Storm888992
3Los Angeles Sparks594Minnesota Lynx867971
6Chicago Sky817Connecticut Sun73
7Connecticut Sun94

Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.

Statistics

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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

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PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
Allie Quigley222228.744.834.691.92.92.40.60.315.4
Kahleah Copper222231.349.634.473.25.52.11.00.214.8
Courtney Vandersloot222231.549.139.588.93.510.01.20.413.6
Cheyenne Parker201324.955.446.985.56.41.51.30.913.4
Azurá Stevens131327.350.038.585.05.91.50.91.811.5
Gabby Williams22424.842.428.664.04.02.01.30.211.5
Diamond DeShields13017.243.416.777.81.81.50.90.16.8
Stefanie Dolson15818.249.337.573.73.51.70.40.96.4
Ruthy Hebard22614.568.2075.03.90.30.50.45.7
Alexis Prince2086066.701.5000.54.0
Stephanie Mavunga507.245.5002.60.40.202.0
Sydney Colson1706.542.933.387.50.40.80.401.6

Awards and honors

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RecipientAwardDate awardedRef.
Courtney VanderslootEastern Conference Player of the WeekAugust 10, 2020[31]
August 24, 2020[32]
Eastern Conference Player of the Month – AugustSeptember 1, 2020[38]
Peak Performer: AssistsSeptember 14, 2020[39]
All-WNBA First TeamOctober 4, 2020[40]

References

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  1. ^ "Atlanta Dream Announce 2020 Schedule - Atlanta Dream". dream.wnba.com. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  2. ^ "05/15/20: Minnesota Lynx @ Chicago Sky". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  3. ^ "WNBA Statement Regarding the Start of the 2020 Regular Season". April 3, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  4. ^ "WNBA Announces Plan To Tip Off 2020 Season". WNBA. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  5. ^ "WNBA announces plans for 2020 season to start late July in Florida". NBC Sports Washington. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  6. ^ "2020 Chicago Sky Schedule". sky.wnba.com. Chicago Sky. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  7. ^ "Assisting an assist: Vandersloot aided in reaching 10 a game". The Seattle Times. September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  8. ^ "WNBA Single Season Leaders and Records for Assists Per Game". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Chicago Sky Acquires First-Round Pick in 2021 WNBA draft in Exchange for Astou Ndour". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. February 12, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Chicago Sky Sign Guard Sydney Colson". Chicago Sky. February 13, 2020. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Chicago Sky Acquire Azura Stevens, Trade Katie Lou Samuelson to Dallas Wings". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. February 14, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  12. ^ "Kahleah Copper Returns to Chicago, Re-Signs With Sky". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. February 15, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  13. ^ a b "Chicago Sky Re-Sign Two-Time WNBA All-Star Center Stefanie Dolson". Chicago Sky. February 17, 2020. Archived from the original on February 17, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Chicago Sky Re-Sign Three-Time All-Star Allie Quigley". Chicago Sky. February 19, 2020. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  15. ^ a b "Courtney Vandersloot Re-Signs With Chicago Sky". Chicago Sky. February 25, 2020. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  16. ^ "Chicago Sky Sign Stella Johnson". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  17. ^ "Chicago Acquires Stephanie Mavunga in Trade With Indiana". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. August 28, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  18. ^ "Chicago Sky Sign Alisia Jenkins". Chicago Sky. August 31, 2020. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  19. ^ Ellentuck, Matt (February 24, 2020). "Grading every team in WNBA's chaotic 2020 offseason". SBNation.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  20. ^ Ariail, Cat (February 25, 2020). "With VanderQuigs returning, plus arrival of Azurá Stevens and Sydney Colson, is the Sky the limit for Chicago?". Swish Appeal. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  21. ^ "WNBA Free Agency Grades [Part 1] » Winsidr". Winsidr. March 5, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  22. ^ "WNBA draft grades: Wings, Lynx score highest marks". ESPN.com. April 18, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  23. ^ "2020 WNBA Draft Tracker: Complete results, grades as Sabrina Ionescu taken with No. 1 pick by New York Liberty". CBSSports.com. April 17, 2020. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  24. ^ Merchant, Sabreena (April 17, 2020). "Instant grades for every 2020 WNBA Draft first-round pick". SBNation.com. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  25. ^ "Sky's Lavender out for season after foot surgery". ESPN.com. July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  26. ^ Collier, Jamal (July 16, 2020). "COVID-19 drained Sydney Colson's energy, taking away her ability to train for the Chicago Sky and limiting her work in the fight for racial justice". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  27. ^ Hendricks, Maggie (July 23, 2020). "Chicago's Stefanie Dolson details her experience recovering from coronavirus". The Athletic. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  28. ^ "Chicago Sky Sign Stella Johnson". Chicago Sky. June 29, 2020. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  29. ^ Associated Press (July 26, 2020). "Sky rally late for 88-86 win over Aces in WNBA season opener". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  30. ^ "Sky: Allie Quigley caps comeback win over rival Aces". NBC Sports Chicago. July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  31. ^ a b "Wilson, Vandersloot Earn Players Of The Week Honors For Week 2". WNBA.com. August 10, 2020. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  32. ^ a b "Vandersloot, Parker Garner Players Of The Week Honors For Week 4". wnba.com. WNBA. August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  33. ^ "Chicago Acquires Stephanie Mavunga in Trade With Indiana". Chicago Sky. August 28, 2020. Archived from the original on August 29, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  34. ^ "UPDATE on Diamond DeShields, Azurá Stevens". Chicago Sky. August 29, 2020. Archived from the original on September 1, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  35. ^ "Chicago Sky Sign Alisia Jenkins". Chicago Sky. August 31, 2020. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  36. ^ Sun-Times wires (August 31, 2020). "Courtney Vandersloot sets WNBA record with 18 assists in Sky's victory". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  37. ^ Ward, Zachary (September 1, 2020). "Vandersloot sets WNBA record with 18 assists on bucket from Quigley, her wife". Swish Appeal. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  38. ^ "A'ja Wilson, Courtney Vandersloot Named WNBA Players of the Month". wnba.com. WNBA. September 1, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  39. ^ "Dallas' Ogunbowale, Los Angeles' Parker And Chicago's Vandersloot Earn 2020 WNBA Peak Performer Awards". wnba.com. WNBA. September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  40. ^ "A'ja Wilson And Candace Parker Unanimously Selected To 2020 All-WNBA First Team". wnba.com. WNBA. October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
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