The Chicago Sky have their next head coach.
The Sky announced Sunday that they have officially hired Las Vegas Aces assistant coach Tyler Marsh as their next coach. The news was first reported on Saturday by ESPN’s Bobby Marks And Callie End of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Marsh joins Chicago after three seasons in Las Vegas during which he helped the franchise win back-to-back WNBA championships. In addition to assistant coach, his title included head of player development, and he is widely credited with helping players like A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young improve their games.
Prior to the Aces, Marsh worked for the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors, as well as four different G League teams.
“I am very grateful to be the next head coach of the Chicago Sky,” Marsh said in a statement. “Thank you to Jeff Pagliocca, Michael Alter and all of Sky’s owners for their confidence in me to be the next leader of this franchise. I look forward to building relationships with our players and our entire organization as we are working to establish a championship culture on and off the field. Thank you to Mark Davis, Nikki Fargas and Matt Delsen for the opportunity to be a part of one of the greatest sports organizations in the world. , to our team and to all Aces players for allowing me to make history with you as we brought back-to-back championships to the city of Las Vegas. I love you all and I wouldn’t be in this position without you.
His hiring continues a turbulent offseason for Aces leadership. Another assistant coach, Natalie Nakase, was hired to become the first head coach of the expansion Golden State Valkyries team, while general manager Natalie Williams was fired as part of a front office restructuring.
Can Tyler Marsh turn the Sky into a playoff team?
In Chicago, Marsh will inherit a franchise that has experienced significant turmoil since winning the 2021 championship. The team failed to repeat in 2022, then saw head coach and general manager James Wade resign after a 7-9 start in 2023. Assistant coach Emre Vatansever took over as interim head coach and general manager and went 11-13, but was fired after the season.
Teresa Weatherspoon was hired with the hopes that she could quickly turn the team into a contender, but quiet free agency led franchise star Kahleah Copper to request a trade, which was granted. The Sky undertook a complete rebuild, drafting Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso in the 2024 WNBA Draft, allowing Courtney Williams to enter free agency and trading Marina Mabrey.
The Sky ended up going 13-27, missing the playoffs for the first time in six years. Weatherspoon was surprisingly firedpart of a brutal offseason for WNBA coaches and much to the chagrin of Reese, who is now the focus of Chicago’s future plans.
Reese at least signaled his approval of Marsh’s hiring on Saturday.
Under Marsh, the Sky may still have a rebuild to do. The team has one lottery pick for 2025, but a pick swap with the Dallas Wings looms as part of the trade that brought Mabrey to Chicago.
