CHICAGO — The Chicago Sky are ready to once again enter a new era.
The team introduced Tyler Marsh at Wintrust Arena on Tuesday as the sixth head coach in franchise history, ushering in the latest iteration of the team’s culture after rotating between two head coaches over the past two recent seasons.
General manager Jeff Pagliocca understood the challenges of this hiring. Nearly 13 months ago to the day, the Sky were making the same enthusiastic pitches for Teresa Weatherspoon, who was fired in late September after a 13-27 start as head coach.
With two of the top recruits in the 2024 class – and more talent in next spring’s draft – the Sky find themselves at a crossroads as they welcome Marsh as their new head coach. But Pagliocca did not hold back his confidence in the hire, speaking firmly to Sky fans when introducing Marsh on Tuesday: “I heard you. I felt you. We delivered.
As the WNBA’s top coaching prospect after three years as an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces under Becky Hammon, Marsh said he didn’t feel rushed to make the decision to join the Sky . He was eager to take the next step in his career – interviewing with several other WNBA teams aside from the Sky – but also felt ready to return to the Aces next season if the fit wasn’t right with one existing vacancies.
After several conversations with Pagliocca about the Sky’s future, Marsh felt Chicago was the right place to begin his WNBA head coaching career.
“If you know Jeff, he comes in hot,” Marsh said. “He was intentional about letting me know how much he wanted me to be a part of this organization and that helped me a lot.” We connected our values on how we think people should be treated, and then that transcended into how we view the game. When you put people first, it makes a big difference , and it had a lasting impact on me in this process.
The hiring gained immediate support from players across the Sky roster. Rookies Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso shared their excitement about working with Marsh on social media following the announcement earlier this month. Michaela Onyenwere, Rachel Banham, Moriah Jefferson and Elizabeth Williams flew into Tuesday’s introductory press conference to show their support for their new coach and delve into the offseason building process.
When the players were first informed of the new signing, Banham called out Sydney Colson – a former Sky player who spent three years with Marsh on the Aces – for her comments. Colson’s response was positive and echoed by players around the league, who assured Banham and her teammates of Marsh’s basketball IQ and ability to instill discipline and rigor in individual players.
“We’re really excited to have him here,” Williams said. “Obviously he comes with a lot of experience, but he also comes with the mentality of creating a certain culture. He intended to communicate with us. I think basketball will come, but when you’re trying to reestablish what things will look like, I think he’s ideal for the job.
Establishing a new team culture will be crucial for Marsh after a tumultuous season under Weatherspoon, who struggled to maintain a consistent locker room culture throughout the 2024 season.
A disconnect in Weatherspoon’s approach to leading the Sky last year was too much emphasis on the pair of rookie stars, which led to frustration and a perceived lack of discipline among the rest of the roster, according to a league source.
This approach did not work. The on-field system still hasn’t done much to maximize the strengths of Cardoso and Reese, leading to fewer rookie releases for both on the offensive end. The imbalance in the roster created a negative atmosphere and the Sky withdrew from the playoffs.
Throughout the coaching search, Pagliocca placed emphasis on hiring a coach who could create a more disciplined and detailed structure for the Sky, both on and off the field – a goal which Marsh reiterated on Tuesday.
“I think it’s important to understand that even though they’re the cornerstone of this franchise, championship teams are won 1-12,” Marsh said. “Everyone has an important role to play. Everyone has value. It doesn’t matter how many minutes you play. That’s what we want to create here with Chicago. We want everyone to know their importance, everyone to know their value and how they can contribute to a winning franchise.
Marsh is an offensive-minded coach who is eager to adapt to the WNBA’s evolution toward high-scoring, high-octane styles of play. He has one immediate goal to improve for Sky this winter and into the 2025 season: shooting.
After making the fewest 3-pointers in the WNBA last season, the Sky are on track for a major overhaul next year. Pagliocca plans to partially address that need in free agency and the draft, where his goal is to acquire long perimeter players who can space the floor with high-precision shots.
But Marsh is also committed to increasing the volume and accuracy of the current roster from long range, jokingly telling Williams – a center who made two shots from behind the arc in her 10-year WNBA career – that he was even going to ask she shot 3 points this season.
“It’s just an uptick here for the league,” Marsh said. “If you’re one of the last franchises to adapt to the direction this league is going, you’re behind the gun. We want to create trends. We want to be ahead of the curve. We want to continue to take care of our players and implement the best resources possible so that they are as successful as possible in the best version of themselves.
The Sky are not completely overhauling their coaching staff. They will retain assistant coach David Simon and video coordinator Can Ozbalkan, both of whom were present at Tuesday’s press conference. Marsh hasn’t set a timetable for filling out the rest of his staff, but said he aspires to hire “ego-free” and “selfless” coaches who can contribute immediately.
Weatherspoon’s sudden firing struck a chord throughout the WNBA last season, particularly because of her importance as a cornerstone player in the league. But Marsh told the Chicago Tribune he was not concerned about his status despite the speed of Weatherspoon’s departure and did not seek assurances on the length of his tenure before signing with Sky.
And as he enters his second season as general manager, Pagliocca said the Sky are “committed” to Marsh and aim to provide him with the support and resources necessary to ensure a more stable future at the coaching position – chief.
“It’s a very rare combination that you can have someone who is so good at player development but is actually even more prepared to be a head coach,” Pagliocca said. “I think people are going to be very excited to come play here.”
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