Chicago Sky Offseason Update #11: New Faces, Old Places

Sika & Avenida knock off Mersin (again) while a familiar face joins Morgan Bertsch in Girona.

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Courtney Williams (Shaanxi — China)

Shaanxi’s matchup with Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun) and Shanxi was not chosen for television coverage on Sunday — a disappointing reality given how well Courtney played versus her former teammate. Williams scored 23 points in just 25 minutes on an efficient 11/17 shooting while adding 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Unfortunately, Shaanxi as a team (38.9% FG) could not keep up with their opponent’s efficiency (52.8%) in the 99–79 loss. On Wednesday, Shaanxi were off of TV again and suffered an eighth defeat in ten that has them fading away from the playoff picture. Courtney was close on a triple double again with 9 points and 9 rebounds, but her shots weren’t falling (3/12 FG) meaning she scored just 7 points in her 36 minutes of action.

Marina Mabrey & Elizabeth Williams (CBK Mersin — Turkey)

Elizabeth & Marina were able to get some valuable rest as Mersin’s 65–29 first-half edge gave coach Osman Olcay Orak the flexibility to pull his starters early. Mabrey chipped in 2 pt, 3 ast and 4 reb in just 8 minutes — all of which came in the first half. Williams, despite playing just 11 minutes, was extremely productive with 10 pts on 5/8 shooting plus 3 rebs and 1 stl. With the lead falling to ‘just’ 23 midway through the fourth, Williams returned to the game and delivered a trio of key plays in short succession that helped Mersin stretch the lead back to an insurmountable 30.

It would be easy to say the extra rest dented Mersin’s rhythm and resulted in an 8-point first quarter showing in Wednesday’s EuroLeague loss to Avenida, but I think more of the credit should go to the opposing defense. Neither team shot the ball brilliantly, but the 21 turnovers Mersin committed were always going to make it difficult to win. Williams was exceptional with 15 pt, 11 reb, 4 stl and 3 blk, but Mabrey (12 pt, 3/12 FG) and Mersin’s other star Alina Iagupova (12 pt, 1/13 FG) both happened to have an off shooting night. When two superstars are so far off their normal standard, every team will struggle to win against any opponent. When that opponent also plays a swarming defense and is supported by a raucous home crowd, things get even more difficult. Despite all those negatives, Mersin still lost by just 11 to what is currently Spain’s best team. There’s no reason anyone from CBK needs to linger on this defeat for too long.

Alanna Smith (Emlak Konut — Turkey)

Visitors Emlak bravely overcame an early deficit with a strong middle phase of the game, but things unraveled with Nesibe going on a 14–0 run that stretched into the fourth and led to a 23-point home win. Offensively, Emlak fell in love with the three ball a little too much in the second half (53% of all shots were threes), and their struggles on the boards (51–29 deficit) only compounded their issues at both ends. Nesibe made a number of well-defended shots during the run that won the game, but the 19 offensive rebounds they grabbed ensured they got more chances even when shots didn’t fall. Smith, ever productive, put up 18 pt, 3 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk and 2 stl. A lot must change for Emlak to get their domestic season back on track (which continues Saturday against Elizabeth, Marina and Mersin), but an increased emphasis on working Alanna in the post (9 of 15 FGA in this game were threes) would benefit the team in a number of ways.

Dana Evans (Beşiktaş — Turkey)

Dana bounced back from a frustrating EuroCup match with a dazzling display as Beşiktaş routed Botaş 83–53. Evans was efficient in every aspect of the game with her aggression going to the basket helping her scoring game (7/12 2PT FG) and forcing the defense into shifts that allowed her to deliver some spectacular assists (6 total). She was also sharp from beyond the arc — with a 3/6 performance moving her season mark to a staggering 47.1% in eight Turkish league matches. Evans has delivered a number of impressive performances in Europe this season, but this 27-point outing stands out to me as one of her most impressive — especially when analyzing her ability to balance playmaking and finding her own shots.

Sika Koné (Perfumerias Avenida — Spain)

Avenida produced a wild victory against an underrated IDK Eustotren side on Saturday with Koné’s scoring (8 pts) taking a backseat to her strong performance on the glass (12 boards, 5 o-boards). After another dreadful start where Avenida went scoreless for almost 5 minutes to start the game, the league leaders built a lead as big as 16 points late in the second quarter before a topsy-turvy second half brought Eustotren back into the game at 55-all with six minutes left. From there, Sika delivered with 4 of the final 10 points Avenida scored to win 65–61 plus two rebounds and a steal. It wasn’t Sika or her team’s most dominant performance, but they continue to find ways to win games and remain perfect 1/3 of the way through the Spanish season.

Matched up against Williams, arguably the EuroLeague’s best post defender, on Wednesday I expected that Sika might have a quiet night. Instead, she produced another stunning performance with 19 pt and 10 reb in just 19 minutes of action. Koné left the game in the third quarter with what looked like a serious ankle injury before returning and then hobbling off just 1:08 later. When Sika was fully mobile, she was simply dominant. Offensively, she consistently found the pockets of space in the paint to finish both at the rim and with set shots and floaters from five to ten feet out. On the glass, Koné provided a reminder of why the Sky were such a highly rated rebounding team with her on the floor by out muscling everyone on Mersin for a number of boards. That she could return at all suggests the injury isn’t too serious, but it’s still something to monitor moving forward. Even without the Malian on the floor, Avenida played brilliantly, fed off the energy their sell out crowd created, and reinforced their position as one of Europe’s best sides.

Morgan Bertsch & Rebekah Gardner (Spar Girona — Spain)

Girona won for the 11th time in 12 games despite being without the recently departed Kelsey Mitchell. Bertsch’s role — and forgive me for sounding like a broken record — remains stop start, but she offered a special dose of productivity in this contest with three huge blocks and two threes made. The standout aspect of her defense in this win was her reading of the floor and anticipation in transition — which resulted in two of her three blcoks. Time will tell whether Bertsch is given the chance to establish more rhythm as a scorer with Mitchell gone, but the signing of Sky guard Rebekah Gardner (who’s expected to join the team in the new year) should boost Girona’s chances of succeeding both domestically and in the upcoming EuroCup knockout phases.

As a reminder, Gardner was an all-league selection in each of the last two seasons of the Spanish league, with her performances in 2021–22 earning her the league’s MVP. Gardner missed the final 37 games of the 2023 WNBA season after having surgery for a broken bone in her foot. Gardner is, in theory, a free agent this offseason, but she classifies as a reserved player — meaning we can expect to see her back in a Sky jersey next season.

Robyn Parks (PF Schio — Italy)

After their brilliant EuroLeague win against Valencia, Schio pulled out another fantastic comeback in the absence of star guard Arella Guirantes to beat Ragusa in the Italian league. After Schio trailed by as many as 14 in the opening quarter, a brilliant team shooting display (16–32 3PT) pulled them back into the game over the course of the final three quarters. Parks took a more involved role as a scorer early but she successfully turned provider when her shots wouldn’t fall. She dished out 4 assists — her second best total of the season — while scoring 7 points of her own. And even on a so-so shooting night (1/5 3PT), Parks’ joint best +16 plus-minus speaks to her impact on the game defensively. Veteran guard Giorgia Sottana also deserves a mention for leading the team with 22 pts on 6–8 3PT shooting — having entered the game shooting 27% from deep.

Sottana delivered the goods again in Wednesday’s narrow EuroLeague win in Poland — hitting the game-deciding three with 21 seconds remaining. Parks couldn’t buy a bucket (2/12 FG) but still chipped in with 3 assists and 5 key rebounds. Given the quality of her shot selection, I can’t imagine that Parks’ shooting difficulties will continue for too long — though the cold spell did cost her playing time late in this game. That said, coach Georgios Dikaioulakos still turned to Parks as part of his closing defensive unit to protect the three-point lead Schio had after Sottana’s shot. That type of defensive trust from Dikaioulakos means that Park’s ample playing time won’t be impacted long term. In any case, her effort at the defensive end continues to be a part of Schio winning — with the Italian side putting together 6 wins from their last 7 in all competitions.

Taylor Soule (San Martino — Italy)

San Martino got back to winning ways on Sunday at home against Roma — moving their season record to an impressive 6–2. Even if Taylor Soule wasn’t filling up the boxscore with 14 points and 6 rebounds, she brings so much that the box score can’t quantify. Soule drew a charge, forced misses with tight close-outs, deflected passes, and provided key energy for her teammates throughout. When the ball came to her, Soule’s decision making was strong and her shooting efficiency (5/9 FG, 2/2 3PT) is just another asset for coach Giuseppe Piazza. Foul trouble was a little bit of an issue in this game but only because of some ticky-tack calls by the officials. In any case, Soule’s game-leading +17 plus-minus tells you everything you need to know about how San Martino plays with her on the floor. Next up is a visit to Parks’ Schio next Sunday with second place in the league on the line.

Check back again next Friday when I’ll recap all of the coming week’s games including domestic action, EuroLeague (round 9) play and the first half of the EuroCup Round of 32 ties. You can find the best site to stream the different leagues live and the full schedule of games over the coming week in this article I wrote earlier in the season.