The Sun are finalizing a multi-year deal with Jonquel Jones to bring the reigning MVP back to Connecticut, sources tell Just Women’s Sports.
The Sun took the first step toward re-signing Jones two weeks ago, when they placed the core designation on her with the offer of a one-year, $228,094 supermax deal. The multi-year deal she plans to sign with Connecticut is less than the supermax, according to sources, giving the team more cap space to work with in free agency.
Jones’ decision to return to the Sun is crucial for a team looking to build off of their 26-6 regular season record in 2021 and win their first championship. The 6-foot-6 forward piled up the accolades last season — WNBA MVP, All-WNBA First Team, third All-Star appearance — after leading the Sun with 19.4 points per game and the league with 11.2 rebounds per game. She also improved her long-range shooting, making 36.2 percent of her 3-point shots on a career-high 4.3 attempts per game (and nearly winning the 3-Point Contest at the All-Star Game).
Jones has spent her entire career in Connecticut after the Sun acquired her rights from the Los Angeles Sparks at the 2016 WNBA Draft. The Sparks selected her No. 6 overall before trading her to the Sun in exchange for Chelsea Gray and two draft picks.
Securing Jones, 28, to a long-term deal and building the core around her has been Sun head coach and GM Curt Miller’s vision for the team since before the 2020 season. After Jones sat out of the 2020 bubble season and Alyssa Thomas missed most of last season while recovering from an Achilles injury, Miller should finally be able to realize those plans.
With Jones locked in for 2022 alongside the core of DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas and Jasmine Thomas, Brionna Jones and Natisha Hiedeman, the Sun can turn their attention to re-signing Briann January or looking for point guard help elsewhere in free agency.
Rachel Galligan is a basketball analyst at Just Women’s Sports. A former professional basketball player and collegiate coach, she also contributes to Winsidr. Follow Rachel on Twitter @RachGall.
The Chicago Sky have put the core designation on Kahleah Copper, giving her the option to accept a one-year, $228,094 supermax deal to return to the team.
The core designation means the team retains a player’s rights, but the sides can begin negotiating different terms on Jan. 15. The offer could also result in a sign-and-trade.
“We want to see Kahleah stay in a Chicago Sky uniform for a long time,” Sky head coach and GM James Wade tells Just Women’s Sports. “She is a very important part of our culture off the court and on the court. We appreciate the growth that she has had and we appreciate the fact that she is so motivated to continue to grow and evolve as a star player. So this is a special day for us, and hopefully it’s a special day for Kahleah.”
Copper ended the 2021 season as one of the WNBA’s biggest breakout stars. Named to her first WNBA All-Star Game, she also won Finals MVP after guiding the Sky to their first championship in franchise history. The 6-foot-1 wing led the Sky with 14.4 points per game during the regular season and increased her output to 17.7 points per game in the playoffs.
After elevating her play the last two seasons, Copper entered the offseason as one of the most sought-after free agents. But the 27-year-old has expressed her interest in returning to Chicago.
Originally drafted No. 7 overall by the Washington Mystics in the 2016 WNBA Draft, Copper was traded to Chicago in 2017 as part of the deal for Elena Delle Donne. Copper has cemented herself as an integral piece of the Sky, who will also look to retain unrestricted free agents Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot when negotiations begin on Saturday. Candace Parker and Azurá Stevens are under contract for the 2022 season.
Rachel Galligan is a basketball analyst at Just Women’s Sports. A former professional basketball player and collegiate coach, she also contributes to Winsidr. Follow Rachel on Twitter @RachGall.
Stephanie White is among the finalists for the Phoenix Mercury head coaching position, sources tell Just Women’s Sports. The veteran coach interviewed with the team in person late last week.
As a player at Purdue from 1995-99, White won a national championship as a senior under legendary coach Carolyn Peck. The Charlotte Sting drafted the guard/forward 21st overall in the 1999 WNBA Draft, and the Indiana Fever acquired her a year later as part of the expansion draft. White retired from the WNBA after five seasons and launched her coaching career as an assistant with Ball State University, Kansas and the University of Toledo.
White returned to the WNBA as an assistant coach with the Chicago Sky from 2007-10 and the Indiana Fever from 2011-14, helping guide the Fever to their first championship in 2012. White took over as head coach of the Fever in 2015 following Linn Dunn’s retirement. In her first season at the helm, she led the Fever to a 20-14 record and their third Finals appearance in franchise history.
Following the 2016 WNBA season, White was named head coach of the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team. Vanderbilt parted ways with the coach in April 2021 after she went 46-83 in five seasons, with the 2020-21 season shortened due to COVID-19.
In addition to nearly 20 years of coaching experience, White has also served as a college basketball analyst for ESPN and the Big Ten Network and is well-known for her exceptional analysis. We listed her as one of our 12 leading candidates for WNBA head coaching positions in December.
The Mercury have been actively searching for a head coach since parting ways with Sandy Brondello on Dec. 6. The New York Liberty named Brondello as their head coach last week.
Rachel Galligan is a basketball analyst at Just Women’s Sports. A former professional basketball player and collegiate coach, she also contributes to Winsidr. Follow Rachel on Twitter @RachGall.
Lauren Cox has signed her qualifying offer to return to the Los Angeles Sparks, the team announced Tuesday, as first reported by Just Women’s Sports.
The 6-foot-4 forward appeared in 15 games for the Sparks last season, averaging 3.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in a career-high 14 minutes per game. Cox also tallied single-game career highs in scoring, rebounding and minutes for the 12-20 Sparks.
The Indiana Fever selected Cox as the No. 3 overall pick out of Baylor in the 2020 WNBA Draft. She saw action in 14 of the Fever’s 22 games during her rookie season, averaging 3.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 13 minutes per game. Cox played in 11 of 16 games in 2021 before getting waived by the Fever mid-season and signing with the Sparks on June 30.
After a dominant career at Baylor, Cox has the potential to be an effective scorer, rebounder and passer for the Sparks as they look to rebound a losing season. Cox’s defensive IQ is a highly appealing aspect of her game that fits well with their defensive schemes.
The Sparks will enter 2022 with much of their roster intact. Nneka Ogwumike, Chiney Ogwumike, Erica Wheeler, Amanda Zahui B., Kristi Toliver, Brittney Sykes, Jasmine Walker and Arella Guirantes are all under contract for the upcoming season. Gabby Williams should also suit up for the Sparks after the team acquired in a trade with the the Chicago Sky last May and signed her to a contract extension. Williams missed all of the 2021 season due to commitments with the French national team.
Los Angeles has also extended a qualifying offer to third-year point guard Te’a Cooper.
Rachel Galligan is a basketball analyst at Just Women’s Sports. A former professional basketball player and collegiate coach, she also contributes to Winsidr. Follow Rachel on Twitter @RachGall.
Reserved free agent Natisha Hiedeman has signed her qualifying offer to return to the Connecticut Sun for the 2022 WNBA season, the team announced Monday. Hiedeman’s contract is for one year at the veteran minimum for 3-plus years of service, sources tell Just Women’s Sports.
The 5-foot-8 point guard thrived for the Sun in a backup role last season, averaging a career-high 7.6 points in 20 minutes per game. Her 39.8 three-point shooting percentage ranked among the best in the league.
In her three seasons with Connecticut, Hiedeman’s numbers and efficiency have increased in nearly every statistical category. Her production off the bench and ability to step up in key moments have proven key for the Sun, who finished the 2021 regular season first in the league with a 26-6 record before falling to the Chicago Sky 3-1 in the semifinals.
Hiedeman entered the WNBA in 2019 as the No. 18 overall pick of the Minnesota Lynx. The Lynx traded her rights to the Sun on draft day in exchange for Lexie Brown. Hiedeman then bounced between the Sun and the Atlanta Dream in 2019, eventually returning to Connecticut and playing 27 games during the regular season and playoffs.
Sun assistant coach Chris Koclanes, who is entering his seventh season on Curt Miller’s staff, has been instrumental in the development of the Sun’s guards and especially Hiedeman. The 24-year-old has improved every year while working closely with Miller and Koclanes.
Hiedeman’s signing is an important first step for the Sun in free agency as they look to contend for a championship in 2022. Connecticut has DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas, Jasmine Thomas, Kaila Charles and DiJonai Carrington under contract for the 2022 season. Reigning WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones and starting point guard Briann January are unrestricted free agents. Teams may begin negotiating with free agents on Jan. 15, but contracts may not be signed until Feb. 1.
Rachel Galligan is a basketball analyst at Just Women’s Sports. A former professional basketball player and collegiate coach, she also contributes to Winsidr. Follow Rachel on Twitter @RachGall.
With two WNBA head coaching positions opening up last week, the offseason discussion has shifted to who might be next in line for the top jobs.
In two surprising moves last Monday, the New York Liberty moved on from coach Walt Hopkins and the Phoenix Mercury parted ways with Sandy Brondello. I would expect the teams to fill these vacancies quickly with free agency approaching in early 2022. Between current franchise openings and the jobs that league expansion would create, there are quite a few names worthy of consideration and discussion.
While the impending retirements of several WNBA stars has led to some imaginative picks (think: Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi), I focused this list on individuals who have substantial coaching experience at various levels and have a strong case for a head coaching job now and into the future.
Sandy Brondello
The Mercury did not renew Brondello’s contract, which expired after their run to the 2021 WNBA Finals. Now, it is hard to imagine the experienced Brondello not being at the top of the Liberty’s candidate pool. Under her guidance, the Mercury won their third WNBA championship in 2014 and compiled a 150-108 record over eight seasons. Brondello has coached in the league since 2005, making stops in San Antonio and Los Angeles before taking over in Phoenix, and has been the head coach of the Australian women’s national team since 2017.
Given her international ties and ability to develop young players, I could see the Liberty taking an immediate interest in the 53-year-old. If not New York, potential expansion teams could come calling in the near future.
Eric Thibault
For those following the WNBA, Eric Thibault’s name on this list should come as no surprise. Thibault has been in numerous conversations for head coaching vacancies over the last three years, including those for the Liberty and Dallas Wings. The young coach has assisted his father, Mike Thibault, with the Washington Mystics for the past nine years.
The most obvious scenario would be for Eric to take over as Mystics head coach when his father retires, but an outside team could very well take a gamble on him sooner. Eric has the experience of a WNBA championship run and a great reputation among his peers; it’s just a matter of time before we see him in the head coach’s chair.
Teresa Weatherspoon
Weatherspoon is likely one of the most sought-after candidates among WNBA teams. For her, it’s a matter of which direction she wants to take her career at this point. A legend in the women’s game, Weatherspoon has served as an assistant coach for the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans since 2020. Prior to her time in the NBA, she coached at Louisiana Tech, the same program she historically led to a national championship as a player in 1988.
Weatherspoon has 10 years of coaching experience, including five as a head coach. Her reputation as one of the greatest to ever play in the WNBA precedes her, and her ability to relate to players would be a great fit for the Liberty’s young and talented roster or the Mercury’s veteran team that’s approaching the post-Diana Taurasi era.
Olaf Lange
Lange has been with the Chicago Sky since 2019, and after the Sky’s run to the 2021 championship, it wouldn’t be surprising for teams to consider him for head coaching positions. Known as a players’ coach, Lange has nearly 30 years of experience behind the bench, including internationally with the German and Australian national teams and UMMC Ekaterinburg. He led the European powerhouse to five-straight Russian championships and two EuroLeague championships.
Lange is also married to Brondello, the former Mercury coach. Could we see the power couple on the same bench in the near future? It has happened before, when Lange launched his WNBA career as associate head coach to Brondello in 2007. The two have also worked together on the coaching staff of the Australian national team.
Pokey Chatman
The former Sky and Indiana Fever head coach has been patiently biding her time since her departure from the Fever in 2019. Chatman has extensive experience, from the college game at LSU to international play with Spartak Moscow, having led the club to their fourth straight EuroLeague championship in 2010.
As Sky head coach from 2010-16, Chatman led the franchise to its first WNBA Finals appearance in 2014. Chatman’s fingerprint remains on the Sky organization, most notably drafting Courtney Vandersloot and seeing the potential in Allie Quigley. Though Chatman’s time in Indiana was short-lived and underwhelming, the former coach and GM has a proven ability to identify talent, manage players and lead teams to deep playoff runs when in the right situation. She should be one of the top candidates for any WNBA openings in the near future.
Latricia Trammell
Trammell’s reputation has positioned her as one of the most sought-after assistants in the WNBA. Her impressive resume includes over 30 years of coaching experience and two national championships at the NAIA level.
Trammell has spent the last three seasons as an assistant under Los Angeles Sparks head coach Derek Fisher. Her defensive-minded approach is an asset in the competitive WNBA. The Sparks have finished in the top three in defensive rating every year she has been with the team. Under Trammell, Candace Parker won Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, Brittney Sykes was named First and Second Team All-Defense in 2019 and 2021 and Nneka Ogwumike was First Team All-Defense in 2019.
Katie Smith
Following her impressive playing career in the WNBA, which included seven All-Star nods and two championships, Smith began her coaching career in 2014 as an assistant under Bill Laimbeer in New York. Smith took over as the Liberty’s head coach for two seasons after Laimbeer left for Las Vegas. After the Liberty went 17-51 from 2018-19, the organization did not renew her contract and Smith joined the Minnesota Lynx staff as an assistant coach.
With Smith on Cheryl Reeve’s staff, the Lynx have compiled a 36-18 regular season record over the past two seasons and finished fourth in the league standings in 2020 and third in 2021. Smith’s head coaching experience was short-lived, with minimal support at the time, but I fully expect a team to give her another shot soon.
Chasity Melvin
Melvin just wrapped up her second season as an assistant coach in the WNBA with the Mercury. After a twelve-year playing career, her trajectory fits the model of former players transitioning into assistants and, eventually, head coaching roles.
Before making the jump into WNBA coaching, Melvin was a 2018 graduate of the NBA’s Player Development Assistant Coaches Program. The Charlotte Hornets then hired her as an assistant for their G-league team, the Greensboro Swarm, making her the organization’s first female coach. After playing a key role in the Mercury’s run to the WNBA Finals this past season, Melvin was named head coach of Mexican club Correcaminos for the 2022 United Cup of Champions. She is a prime candidate for a future head coaching job if she continues down this path.
Vanessa Nygaard
With a growing coaching resume that includes stops at nearly every level of the game, Nygaard is building a convincing case for a lead WNBA position. After a standout playing career at Stanford, Nygaard was drafted by the Liberty in 1998 and began a six-year WNBA career. As an assistant, she’s coached at Cal State Long Beach and Pepperdine before serving on the staffs of the San Antonio Silver Stars and the Mystics. In 2020, she was named Cal-Hi Sports State Coach of the Year after leading the Windward School (Los Angeles) girls basketball program to a 27-6 record that season. Nygaard has also coached for USA Basketball, serving as an assistant on the U17 team that went undefeated and won a gold medal at the 2018 FIBA World Cup.
Currently, the Scottsdale, Ariz. native is an assistant on Laimbeer’s staff with the Aces. In a couple of more years, I think there’s a strong chance we see Nygaard as a WNBA head coach.
Brandi Poole
Between her time in college and the WNBA, Poole has 23 years of assistant coaching experience. She has spent most of those seasons with Connecticut Sun head coach Curt Miller, from 11 seasons at Bowling Green to two at Indiana and the past four with the Sun.
Poole’s experience is one thing, but the time she’s spent learning from one of the best coaches in the women’s game sets her apart. Her ability to scout talent, develop young players and build relationships across multiple staffs has primed Poole for her own opportunity if she wishes to go in that direction.
Stephanie White
A team looking for a seasoned veteran to lead their coaching staff would be hard-pressed not to consider White, who has an extensive coaching record between college and the pros. White spent six years playing in the WNBA before launching an 18-year coaching career as an assistant for three college programs and then for the Sky and Fever. She helped guide the Fever to their first WNBA championship in 2012 and took the helm after Lin Dunn retired.
White left the Fever in 2016 for the head coaching position at Vanderbilt, where she was unable to find much traction in five seasons. After parting ways with the program in April, White has served as a college basketball analyst. But with her deep coaching roots and 10 years of WNBA experience, we might not have to wait long to see her back behind the bench.
Crystal Robinson
Robinson has been a part of the WNBA since its inception and holds over 10 years of coaching experience at the high school, collegiate and professional levels, most recently on Brian Agler’s Wings staff from 2019-20. Following her nine-year ABL/WNBA playing career, Robinson was an assistant with the Mystics before guiding McAlester High School to a state championship in Oklahoma. She’s also served as a collegiate assistant at Utah State and TCU and as a head coach at Murray State Community College.
Given Robinson’s coaching resume, the chances seem high that she returns to the league in some capacity. If she could get in as an assistant and produce a few consistent seasons, she certainly has the credentials to be a future head coach.
Rachel Galligan is a basketball analyst at Just Women’s Sports. A former professional basketball player and collegiate coach, she also contributes to Winsidr. Follow Rachel on Twitter @RachGall.
The WNBA has released the schedule for the 2022 regular season, which will include an expanded schedule and “series” play in an effort to reduce travel.
Regular season games will tip off on Friday, May 6 and conclude on Sunday, Aug. 14.
For the first time in the league’s 25-year history, teams will play a 36-game regular season schedule. Based on the calendar, that means teams will play 36 games in just over 90 days. A source tells Just Women’s Sports that it will be common for teams to have nine games over 17-day stretches and, as a result, coaches could implement load management to rest their stars and starters more often.
WNBA All-Star weekend will run from July 9-10, and the All-Star Game will be played on Sunday, July 10.
For the second consecutive year, the WNBA will host a Commissioner’s Cup. Each team will play 10 games during the regular season that count toward the Commissioner’s Cup standings. After 60 total games, the Commissioner’s Cup championship game will be held on July 26.
The Chicago Sky will host the Los Angeles Sparks, Candace Parker’s former team, in their regular season opener. The team will hold its 2021 WNBA championship ring ceremony ahead of one of their first few games.
The Sky will also face the Phoenix Mercury, their opponent in the 2021 WNBA Finals, three times during the regular season on May 31, July 2 and Aug. 14.
The last possible date for the WNBA Finals is Sept. 21, with the 2022 FIBA World Cup scheduled to begin Sept. 22 in Sydney, Australia.
As the league continues to look for ways to limit travel, the 2022 schedule features teams playing back-to-back games in the same city at various times throughout the season.
The WNBA Draft is currently scheduled to be held April 11, with training camp set to open less than a week later on April 17, as first reported by Khristina Williams and confirmed by Just Women’s Sports. Preseason games will begin April 22. The first round of the newly formatted WNBA playoffs will begin on Aug. 17. The last possible date for the WNBA Finals is Sept. 21, with the 2022 FIBA World Cup scheduled to begin Sept. 22 in Sydney, Australia.
The WNBA Draft Lottery will take place on Dec. 19 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Rachel Galligan is a basketball analyst at Just Women’s Sports. A former professional basketball player and collegiate coach, she also contributes to Winsidr. Follow Rachel on Twitter @RachGall.
The stage is set and two teams remain as the Chicago Sky and Phoenix Mercury tip off a best-of-five series Sunday for a WNBA championship.
The Mercury advanced to their fourth WNBA Finals after defeating the second-seeded Las Vegas Aces in a thrilling five-game semifinal series. They got there by taking out the New York Liberty and Seattle Storm in first- and second-round single-elimination games. The last time the Mercury were in the Finals in 2014, they swept the Sky to earn their third WNBA title.
Phoenix won all three meetings between the two teams during the regular season, with two of the games decided by single possessions.
Despite depleted depth with injuries to Kia Nurse and Sophie Cunningham, the Mercury’s core of Olympians has found a way. Brittney Griner has led the way with 21 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in the playoffs, while Diana Taurasi has averaged 19.7 points per game and engineered multiple late-game comebacks.
The Sky, meanwhile, are playing their best basketball of the season at the right time. After finishing the regular season in sixth place with a 16-16 record, Chicago flipped a switch in the playoffs, defeating the Dallas Wings and Minnesota Lynx in the single-elimination rounds before upsetting the top-ranked Connecticut Sun 3-1 in the semifinals.
Chicago has not been to the WNBA Finals since that 2014 meeting with Phoenix. Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot, who form the longest-tenured backcourt in the league, were a part of that team seven years ago. The Sky will lean on their chemistry, the championship experience of Candace Parker and the firepower of Kahleah Copper, who’s averaging a team-high 18.2 points per game in the playoffs.
What will it take for the Sky to earn their first-ever WNBA championship, or for Phoenix to win their fourth? We break down the Finals matchup, with keys for each team and a championship prediction.
Keys for the Chicago Sky
Energy and toughness
It takes a certain amount of grit to finish .500 in an up-and-down season and take your play to another level in the playoffs. The Sky have been the toughest team on the court throughout the postseason, no matter which opponent they’ve faced. They feed off of the energy of Copper, who will need to continue to be the most consistent player on the roster for Chicago to win a title.
The Sky will have success if they take advantage of their depth in this series. As a team that thrives on an up-tempo style of play, they need to run at the Mercury and expose their tired legs in the open court.
Rebound the basketball
This has been a major key for Chicago all season long. The Sky have been able to control the glass during the playoffs with a plus-two rebound margin against their opponents. Out-rebounding the Mercury will be no easy task with the 6-foot-9 Griner in the paint, but the Sky’s communication and rotations will need to be on point for them to limit Phoenix’s second-chance opportunities and create looks for themselves.
Offensive versatility
The Sky have five players who average double-figure scoring. Vandersloot, their lead facilitator, has been brilliant at finding her teammates in the situations where they are most successful. And as a team, the Sky are averaging 20.7 assists per game.
With steady and consistent performances from Parker, Copper and Vandersloot, Chicago can force the Mercury to pick their poison every night in terms of defensive schemes.
Limit turnover numbers
At this point, possession is an automatic key for any Sky game. So far in the playoffs, they haven’t let turnovers affect the outcomes of games as much as they did during the regular season, especially against the Sun, but a trend that plagued them earlier in the year could return. The last two semifinal games, in particular, got a bit sloppy for both teams.
Chicago plays fast and makes quick decisions, so some turnovers can be expected. But in order to win three more games and bring a championship back to Chicago, the Sky will need to limit their unforced turnovers and value every possession.
Keys for the Phoenix Mercury
Others need to step up
Phoenix’s depth has been a reason for concern all season, but it’s reached a new level with Nurse out for the Finals with a torn ACL and Cunningham trying to work her way back from a calf injury. Coach Sandy Brondello said Friday night that the team expects Cunningham to return for Game 2 on Wednesday.
In their absence, the Mercury know what they’ll get from the “Big 3” of Taurasi, Griner and Skylar Diggins-Smith. They’ll need Brianna Turner and Shey Peddy to continue to elevate their offensive production and defensive contributions to sustain Chicago’s depth.
Establish Griner immediately
Griner is playing the best basketball of her career at this moment. The Sky have length, versatility and size inside, but none of their post players can match up one-for-one with Griner. Running their offense through her so she can assert her dominance in the paint early on is as important as anything else. Where Griner goes, this Mercury team goes, and their hopes of winning a title depend on her playing the way she has been.
A fast start
Phoenix needs to apply immediate pressure to Chicago in this series. If the Mercury go down two games at home, I don’t see them being able to rebound on the road and win a championship. It’s critical they secure at least one win on Sunday or Wednesday to give themselves a shot.
Diana Taurasi
The X-factor in this fairytale rematch is Taurasi, the 2014 Finals MVP. The 39-year-old has continued to remind everyone why she’s in consideration for the title of the WNBA’s greatest player of all time. Taurasi has led the Mercury to all three of their championships in 2007, 2009 and 2014. She scored a playoff career-high 37 points in Game 2 of the semifinals and led Phoenix’s comeback in Game 5 on Friday night with 14 points in the fourth quarter.
Taurasi in a WNBA Final is something special, and Phoenix has always relied on her to be at her best in these moments.
Prediction
Chicago Sky 3-2
This series is going to be a battle. As remarkable as the Mercury have been with very little margin for error, I think their lack of depth will catch up to them and be the difference in the series, giving the Sky their first championship in franchise history.
Rachel Galligan is a basketball analyst at Just Women’s Sports. A former professional basketball player and collegiate coach, she also contributes to Winsidr. Follow Rachel on Twitter @RachGall.
Kahleah Copper was ready for Candace Parker’s first day with the Chicago Sky. Months after Parker left the Los Angeles Sparks to sign with her hometown team on Feb. 1, making the biggest splash in 2021 WNBA free agency, she arrived at her first training camp.
Parker’s debut practice with the Sky was enough of a milestone, but Copper knew that Parker had also just celebrated her 35th birthday. Awaiting the two-time MVP in Chicago was a veteran team hungry for a championship — and a bundt cake from Copper.
“When I got here, it was right after my birthday and Kah is big on making sure you celebrate your birthday,” Parker says. “I just thought it was really cool. I’ve never gotten a cake for my birthday at training camp.”
The gesture was just the start of a special relationship between the teammates, through which the 14-year veteran has served as a mentor for Copper in her sixth season.
As the Sky prepare to face the Phoenix Mercury in a best-of-five Finals series starting Sunday, driven by Copper’s 18.2 points per game on 53.2 percent shooting and emotional leadership in the playoffs, both players think back to that first day. Parker jokes now that Copper didn’t reach out to her during free agency, but the bond they’ve formed since then has helped Copper become the type of player who can take over games and lead the Sky to their first championship in franchise history.
“From Day 1, she challenged me. She was on me every single day like, ‘No, you’re going to be that person for us, you’re going to be that defender for us, you’re capable,” Copper says of Parker. “I think that her challenging me and just who she is, I’m like, damn, if she thinks I can do it, for sure I can do it.
“She’s really taken me under her wing, teaching me on and off the court … She’s played a major part in also keeping me level-headed.”
Parker knew about Copper’s basketball talent, having played against her for five seasons. That potential became even more apparent when Parker got to Chicago and saw the 6-foot-1 guard in practice every day, becoming her shooting partner during the season.
“She’s energetic and her personality is kind of how she plays. She plays hard, she’s got a quick first step, she can knock down the jump shot, she can shoot the 3, she defends,” Parker says. “We feed off her energy, and I saw that early in training camp. I have always played against her and she was always really hard to guard, but to be able to see it up close and personal in training camp, I was like wow, she can be something really crazy and she’s already a really good player.”
Copper entered the 2021 season with more of a target on her back after a breakout year in the bubble. In her first season as a full-time starter in 2020, Copper more than doubled her minutes (31.3) and points per game (14.8) as Chicago’s second-leading scorer.
This year, the Sky added Parker to an already loaded roster with Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley, Stefanie Dolson and Diamond DeShields, and with players like Azurá Stevens and Ruthy Hebard waiting in the wings. Where Copper could have faded into the background, she surged forward as one of the Sky’s most consistent players through a tumultuous regular season. Leading the team with 14.4 points and 30.8 minutes per game, Copper helped the Sky right the ship after a 2-7 start and was named to her first WNBA All-Star team.
“Last year, teams recognized her as a main player and one of our leading scorers. This year, she takes another step and she’s an All-Star and she didn’t stop there,” Sky head coach James Wade says. “That’s the thing that’s special: She didn’t stop there. She said, ‘I’m not just satisfied with being an All-Star. I would like to take one step further and even lead.’ She’s found the lane in which she can lead us, and that’s emotional energy, that’s defensive energy, and that’s getting buckets.”
“There was never a doubt in my mind that I could do it. I just needed the opportunity,” Copper says. “My mindset is that I am only going up from here. I am just trying to do what I do consistently because I know I bring so many different things to this team.”
***
During a road trip to Los Angeles this season, a few Sky players extended their stay to spend time together at Parker’s home. It was then that Copper and Parker found themselves talking about another common bond.
Parker played for legendary coach Pat Summitt at Tennessee from 2004-08, four years before Copper entered the Rutgers basketball program under Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer.
“Everybody came over to my house and we were able to just talk and just understand where we came from,” Parker says. “We shared stories about Vivian Stringer and Pat Summitt. To know [Copper] is to love her. Her energy is amazing and it’s hard not to gravitate towards that.”
Parker’s message for Copper throughout the season echoes what Stringer instilled in her during her four years with the Scarlet Knights.
“I just want her to realize how great she is,” Parker says. “You don’t have to be the No. 1 draft pick, you don’t have to be No. 1 all your life to be the next superstar. Honestly, I told her early on in training camp, ‘You could be the next superstar and I see it,’ and to just keep after it.”
“I never get too high on things, never get too low,” Copper says. “I just feel like throughout my process, even coming from college, you get humbled at every stage in your career. Going from high school to college and you were one of the best players, and then you go to college … [Stringer] humbles you as soon as you get there. It ain’t about you.”
Copper leaned into that lesson during her first few years in the WNBA. Drafted seventh overall by Washington in 2016, Copper was a role player during her rookie year, averaging just over 16 minutes per game for the 13-21 Mystics.
Copper’s time in Washington didn’t last long. A few months before the 2017 season, the Mystics traded her to the Sky in a package deal for Elena Delle Donne. Suddenly, the 22-year-old had to adjust to a whole new city, team and system.
“I’ve learned at every stage of my career to be humble and just put in the work,” says Copper, now 27. “And then coming into the league and having to start over again. I appreciate my process, and that keeps me humble.”
Copper’s journey took another unusual turn after the 2020 season. Instead of going overseas in the offseason, as many WNBA players do to supplement their salaries and stay in basketball shape, Copper took an assistant coaching position with the Purdue Northwest women’s team. Spending the season on the sideline and the other side of the huddle with the Division II program gave her a new lens into the game.
“I was able to stay mentally there and just learn,” Copper says. “Being a coach and just seeing things from that perspective and appreciating the things that my coaches do for me and appreciating their time, but also seeing the game, I was able to stay sharp because I was coaching.”
The film studies, scouting reports and lessons she instilled in her team gave Copper a greater appreciation for her own coaches. It also prepared her to step into a leadership role with the Sky this season.
“It helped me as a leader, as a communicator, and even how I approach it as a professional,” Copper says. “I was telling my kids, ‘It’s so funny, I’m telling you to not let this person go left, and I’m actually having flashbacks of my coaches telling me don’t let this person go left.’
“I think I approach it so differently now. I take so much pride in the scouting report and how much time that the coaches put into it and game-planning.”
***
Before Parker got to Chicago, Copper observed and learned from another all-time great. Vandersloot, Chicago’s longest-tenured player, was a big part of the Sky’s last run to the WNBA Finals in 2014, when Diana Taurasi and the Mercury — their same opponents in this year’s Finals — swept them in three games.
Vandersloot has been just as crucial to this playoff run for the Sky, dishing out 8.7 assists per game and recording the second triple-double in WNBA playoff history in Chicago’s semifinal Game 1 win over Connecticut. Copper, who calls the 32-year-old Vandersloot “the most competitive person on our team,” feeds off of the point guard’s mix of selflessness and swagger.
“I appreciate Sloot so much, whether she’s cursing me out about moving the ball or running the floor or telling me to step up,” Copper says. “If you feel like Sloot believes in you, it also takes your game to another level.”
Wade credits Vandersloot and Parker for supporting Copper in her development this year. As Copper has come into her own as a scorer, defender and teammate, the Sky have risen with her — and tried to give her the spotlight they know she deserves.
“She just puts her head down and just goes to work,” Parker says. “I think if you continue to do that, eventually people notice. She doesn’t need to hear it. This isn’t something she struggles with. … It’s the positive energy that really made me understand how great she can be. I’m glad people are recognizing it and I hope that they continue to.”
Wade knows he has a special two-way player in Copper, who can not only affect the game in so many different ways but also lift her teammates up with her energy.
“Off the floor, she’s this different person where she’s straightforward, closed and quiet and nice and sweet and she does everything for people,” Wade said. “But when she plays, it’s like she’s so open, you see everything. You can see where she came from, you can see passion, pride. You can see all these things just in the way she plays and it’s amazing to watch. I feed off of it.
“The sky’s the limit for her. We would love for when it’s all said and done, when you think of Chicago Sky basketball, you think of Kahleah Copper.”
As Copper gets ready to play in her first WNBA Finals series, she reflects on the seasons when she didn’t get as much playing time, when the Sky ran most of their offense through their three All-Stars.
Even then, she says she focused on celebrating everybody else’s accomplishments. Now she’s one of those All-Stars, but her approach hasn’t changed.
“We talk about preparation meeting opportunity — that’s what it was for me,” Copper says. “I was always consistently believing in myself and always confident. When preparation met opportunity, I was locked in. From that moment on, I never turned back. I have always celebrated other people’s success, and when it was my turn, I was already ready.”
Rachel Galligan is a basketball analyst at Just Women’s Sports. A former professional basketball player and collegiate coach, she also contributes to Winsidr. Follow Rachel on Twitter @RachGall.
The two knockout rounds of the WNBA playoffs are behind us. The best-of-five semifinal series tip off Tuesday night, with No. 1 Connecticut hosting No. 6 Chicago and No. 2 Las Vegas meeting No. 5 Phoenix in Game 1. Despite the more drawn-out play of the semifinals, the games shouldn’t be lacking for drama.
To get you ready for the series, we break down the keys to each matchup, dive into the scouting reports and offer up our predictions.
Chicago Sky vs. Connecticut Sun
The Sky beat the Sun twice in the regular season, but they have yet to face Jonquel Jones, who missed all three meetings while playing in EuroBasket this past June. In many ways, this is a completely different matchup between two teams who look a lot different than they did three months ago.
On Tuesday, the Sun swept three WNBA awards with Jonquel Jones winning WNBA MVP, Curt Miller being named Coach of the Year and Brionna Jones earning Most Improved Player honors.
“You can’t really focus too much on those past games because there was no Jonquel, there was no Alyssa Thomas. Heck, there wasn’t even Curt [Miller] for a couple of those games,” Chicago Sky head coach James Wade said shortly after landing in Uncasville, Conn for Game 1. “They’re a different team when he’s there, and Alyssa Thomas and JJ are the mainstays of that team.”
“It’s a unique matchup because we haven’t played each other at full strength,” said Miller, who missed two games while caring for his mother. “They’re starting a different lineup, they’re playing really well with their rotation right now. This just feels like a completely different matchup.”
The Sky’s season has been a rollercoaster, but they are playing some of their best basketball right now and undoubtedly have the experience to win a championship. Chicago finished the regular season with a 16-16 record, earning the No. 6 seed in the playoffs and defeating the Dallas Wings and Minnesota Lynx in succession to advance to the semis.
“You can really see how hard they are playing late in the season that really translates to their tempo and offensive attack,” Miller said. “When they play in and out of their actions with tempo, they are an elite offensive team with five weapons on the floor at any time.”
The Sun earned the No. 1 seed after riding a 14-game win streak to a 26-6 record, but they have not played a game in nine days since their regular season finale on Sept. 19. The coveted double-bye allows for crucial rest and personal preparation time, but it doesn’t necessarily benefit a team from a scouting perspective.
“We went into [Sunday] afternoon still preparing for three separate teams, and not until 7 p.m. did we find out crystal clear who we were going to play,” Miller said. “Chicago actually knew, if they won, that they were going to play us. So they probably had more of a head start of truly just focusing on us for the next round than we did splitting time between three separate teams.”
Keys for Chicago Sky
Continue to defend
We know Chicago can play with a heightened sense of urgency and effort defensively, but that defense needs to be at its season’s best against the Sun. The Sky have been successful when forcing turnovers and pushing the tempo, but we’ve seen them defend better in the halfcourt as of late, especially given their length and athleticism at the point of attack (in other words, early on in offensive action like on ball screens).
“You can see we’ve been more communicative and we’ve communicated well amongst each other,” Wade said. “We’ve been more active these last three games, and we knew that if we wanted to live in these playoffs, we’d have to step it up a notch defensively and everybody is accountable.”
ANOTHER Sloot steal 🤩 pic.twitter.com/jH6AwmmsJf
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) September 26, 2021
Fast start
It will be important for Chicago to push the pace from the jump, not just in this first game but in the series overall. Seeing the ball go through the net early on, allowing their defense to dictate their offense and forcing Connecticut to play at their speed and pace will be key to maintaining confidence against the Sun’s suffocating defense.
Keys for Connecticut Sun
Transition defense
This is arguably the biggest key for Connecticut against the fast-paced Sky.
“They pose a lot of challenges and are tremendous offensively. Their pace is really special, they can attack off made baskets and misses,” Miller said. “Everything starts with your offensive execution and everything starts with your transition defense. You can’t begin to think that you can have success against Chicago if you’re not able to play in transition all game long.”
Take care of the ball
The Sky punished the Lynx in their second-round win Sunday by converting turnovers to easy baskets, which has been a bit of a soft spot for the Sun this year.
The Sun are 24-3 in the last two seasons when they keep their turnovers to 12 or fewer. On the other side, the Sky were third in the league in forced turnovers during the regular season, with their opponents committing 15.6 per game. The Sun’s ability to take care of the basketball will be critical to coming out on top in this series.
Pound the ball inside
Jonquel Jones’ mere presence throws a huge wrench into the scouting and film study of the past matchups. Connecticut has the advantage of size and versatility with Jonquel Jones and Brionna Jones, so getting the ball inside to those two early and often will help the Sun dictate their offensive flow.
Keys for both
Both teams will look to be aggressive on the boards, limit their opponent’s second-chance points and take care of the basketball. The Sky and Sun each have success when they are aggressive on the offensive glass.
“We’re going to have to rebound. That’s the thing they hang their hat on,” Wade said. “We’re going to have to match it, box out, rebound as much as we can and take care of the ball. If we can do those two things at a great rate, we can pretty much find our way.”
Phoenix Mercury vs. Las Vegas Aces
After two thrilling, single-elimination playoff wins, the Mercury find themselves in a best-of-five series against the Aces and their dominant offense. Besides the sheer star power on both rosters, this matchup will showcase experience, strong interior play and emotion on each side of the court.
Las Vegas won two of three against Phoenix in the regular season. Each of those contests were decided by single-digit win margins, including one overtime game and one game-winning block.
“You’ve got a team with three Olympians,” said Aces coach Bill Laimbeer. “Brittney Griner is a very talented post player who is very motivated this year. [Diana] Taurasi is Taurasi. It’s just 3-balls all over the place. [Skylar] Diggins-Smith penetrates and creates all over. The rest of them are role players who do a very solid job. They’re a quality basketball team.”
The Aces, who entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed after finishing the regular season 24-8, have advanced further in the postseason every season for the last three years. Last year, they lost to the Seattle Storm in the WNBA Finals.
This is now a veteran and highly talented playoff team that added a major piece to the puzzle when it signed Chelsea Gray in 2021 free agency. Gray finished the season fourth in assists, averaging 5.9 per game, while also contributing 11.1 points per game and several crucial, late-game baskets.
“I think we’re more talented now. Two years ago we had a fine team; last year we were short-handed across the board,” Laimbeer said. “We got Chelsea Gray and we feel like she passes well, she leads well, she’s been there and done that. She’s a big-shot player. She’s made big shots her whole career, she can get her own shot if necessary but can also set people up and find the right seams to make passes. She’s going to make some big shots in a series and that’s what we’re counting on.”
Keys for Phoenix Mercury
Control the glass
The single most important key to the Mercury’s success in this series is in the rebounding battle. As Griner and Brianna Turner look to control the paint against the Aces’ Liz Cambage, Phoenix will have to be aggressive on the offensive glass with second-chance points to have the upper hand.
Balanced scoring
The Mercury can expect Griner and Diggins-Smith to produce consistently, but they’ll need an additional level of scoring to keep up with Las Vegas’ high-octane offense. The Mercury escaped the first round with the help of Sophie Cunningham’s career-high 21 points. In Round 2, Phoenix had five players finish in double figures, including Taurasi who played on a clearly ailing left ankle.
Win at the free-throw line
The Mercury are at their best when they are aggressive and find a way to get to the free-throw line, which coincidentally is also the Aces’ game strategy. In their win over Las Vegas in July, the Mercury not only controlled the boards but also made more free throws than Las Vegas attempted.
DOMINANT. pic.twitter.com/B7jW4XPMKc
— Phoenix Mercury - X (@PhoenixMercury) September 26, 2021
Keys for Las Vegas Aces
Dominate the paint
The Aces need to establish their post presence early and often with Cambage and A’ja Wilson. In such a post-heavy matchup, the team that consistently plays from the inside out, gets touches in the paint and forces their opponent into foul trouble will have the advantage.
I expect the Aces to pound the ball inside, assert themselves on the interior and open up perimeter shots to force the Mercury’s defense to make adjustments. This will put heavy pressure on Griner to put up big numbers on the offensive end and stay out of foul trouble.
The matchup between Griner and Cambage in the paint is as exciting as they come. A healthy Cambage is a huge plus for Las Vegas, but she is still working herself back into game shape after missing five games due to COVID-19.
“There’s still a ways to go with Liz. She’s back on the court, which is a huge positive for us, but COVID took a lot out of her both conditioning-wise and physically-wise,” Laimbeer said. “This series is going to be a work in progress for us and for her. I expect her to play as hard as she can. She’s not going to be able to play extended minutes at any one time, so I’m going to have to get her in and out of the game quickly.”
Wear them down
The Mercury are coming off of two close playoff wins, the last one an overtime thriller. Fatigue crept in down the stretch for Phoenix in that game, so Las Vegas has a clear advantage as the more rested team and will need to exploit it early.
Knock down perimeter shots
The Aces’ scariest weapon this year is their depth of individual talent. During the regular season, the Aces led the WNBA with 89.3 points per game, were second with 37.5 percent shooting from the 3-point line and had seven players average double figures. When their offense is clicking on all cylinders, they’re able to score consistently at all three levels.
Predictions
Sun over Sky in five
Aces over Mercury in four
Rachel Galligan is a basketball analyst at Just Women’s Sports. A former professional basketball player and collegiate coach, she also contributes to Winsidr. Follow Rachel on Twitter @RachGall.