Chicago Sky Basketball: No More Mr. Nice Guy (or Girl)

In their previous 18 years of their existence our Chicago Sky basketball team has been known as a pretty nice team, somewhat user friendly, competitive with good quality players and a welcoming home court.

Even their team colors, sky blue and yellow have been both friendly and inviting.

Not anymore. You can put away the “nice guy ( girl)" posters and bring out the “beware of the bad,” as you enter onto the Wintrust Arena Court. Beloved team mascot Sky Guy might have to add a few inches to his biceps and maybe a pair of shades to keep up with the new image. And those old team colors? You might as well change the sky blue and yellow to “black and blue”.

The “nasty girls” are coming!

Within the blink of an eye, or more accurately about 15 minutes of the Monday WNBA draft, the Sky selected Kamilla Cardosa the 6’ 7 inch center from Connecticut, and then followed quickly with the choice of Angel Reese, the 6’ 3 center for LSU.

Put the niceties away and you can get rid of the old welcome mat. Both of these young ladies play with an edge. Effectively aggressive, and not afraid to express their emotions and enforce their will on unsuspecting opponents.

They are both shot rejection specialists and game changing shot blockers, treating other teams inside attempts as an exterminator might look at bugs—swatting them away with a proud but ornery disdain.

“The Nasty Girls” indeed. Menacing and intimidating forces patrolling the paint. You might say the “inside” against the Sky will now be about as comfortable as an interview room at The Department of Homeland Security. 

As for rebounding? Oh, goodness yes! Aggressive? Good hands? Desire for the ball? Timing on rebounding? Positioning? The will to go after the ball and rip it down with authority? Check, check, check, check and check. Offensive rebounds against the Chicago Sky will now be about as rare as finding ketchup on a Chicago style hot dog.

Add in brand new coach Teresa Weatherspoon, who herself was a terrific player and usually listed on the top 20 players all time in women's basketball, and new general manager Jeff Pagliocca along with some exciting returning perimeter stars like Diamond DeShields, Dana Evans, and Marina Mabrey and all of sudden things could really be cooking for our beloved home team.

Wondering where the outside shooting will come from? Keep an eye on 2^nd round pick Brynna Maxwell from Gonzaga, an outstanding three point shooter who might be able to stretch the defenses a bit opening more roaming room on the inside for Cardosa and Reese.

All in all, with women’s basketball now at an all-time popularity high, things are looking mighty bright for The Sky. The team will start training camp soon and begin play as soon as May 15^th.

We are not sure if the 2024 season is going to bring another championship to the city of Chicago. That could be a bit of a stretch, but the addition of Cardosa and Reese is sure to make it a fun one, and one that will build for the future.

Oh, and be warned in advance. If you happen to be sitting anywhere in, say, the first 15 rows of a home game? Keep your head on a swivel and beware. Swatted away basketballs could come flying into the stands in a moment.

"The Nasty Girls" are coming!