Chicago Sky Offseason Update #27: So, We Meet Again
Dana, Marina and Elizabeth complete series sweeps in the KBSL Playoffs--setting up their second meeting in a semi-final this season.
The start of the KBSL playoffs (which featured Games 1 and 2 in a three day period) and the Spanish Cup (3 rounds in 4 days) meant that the Sky players overseas experienced their own brand of march madness over the last week. And with a trio of Sky stars moving on to the next round of the KBSL playoffs and both Avenida and Schio still in the thick of their own domestic playoff races, the chaotic run-in is far from over for 5 of the Sky’s stars (2 of whom have a continental final to look forward to as well). Meanwhile, 5 other Sky players saw their offseason campaign end in the last week—with focus now turning to the Sky’s training camp which opens April 28th. Let’s check in on all 10 players to see whose season ended brightly and who may still have brighter days ahead.
This Week’s Biggest Stories
1. Williams, Mabrey + Mersin ‘Upset’ Ormanspor
Mersin didn’t disappoint on their status as a highly-favored 6-seed and quickly dispatched 3rd-seeded Ormanspor with wins Saturday and Monday. The series served as a stark reminder that—with Kahleah Copper in the fold—Mersin can now survive stretches of play where Marina Mabrey (16 ppg, 31% FG, 21% 3PT) isn’t scoring efficiently, something they couldn’t have done a few months ago. Mabrey—to her credit—found other ways to impact the series averaging 9 boards per game and finishing just one assist shy of a triple double in Monday’s series clinching victory at home. Her continued success as a rebounder suggests she’ll be able to fill some of the void left by Courtney Williams in Chicago this season while her development as a playmaker has been the biggest (and most critical) growth in her game this offseason. Elizabeth Williams, though somewhat under the radar, led Mersin in minutes played in the series and was extremely efficient with the offensive opportunities she got (14.5 PPG, 62% FG). An early injury to Damiris Dantas of Ormanspor in Game 1 meant Mersin had a distinct advantage in the post in this series, but Williams’ defensive brilliance will be leaned on much more heavily in the rounds ahead.
2. Onyenwere Shines Despite Being Swept Out of KBSL Quarterfinals
Despite losing Dantas shortly after the series tipped, Ormanspor leaned heavily on Michaela Onyenwere and gave Mersin a serious scare in Game 1. And while Copper’s timely shot-making helped the visitors pull away, Onyenwere’s play in both games of the series again reinforced the idea that she’s ready for a breakout WNBA campaign this summer. Her scoring output was needed (25.5 p) for her team to have any chance, but she also did so with great efficiency from both the floor (65.6%) and the line (88.9%). Whether she was covered by Copper or others, Onyenwere was patient and confident in dealing with the pressure of the defense and finding ways to be effective even when being guarded as her team’s number one option—a skill that will be valuable as she prepares for her biggest role yet in a W offense. Dantas’ injury forced Onyenwere to again demonstrate her ability to succeed at the four (though probably only in spurts in the W) while her work on the glass (8 r) also stood out with only Mabrey (10) grabbing more boards Monday. She wraps an extremely impressive KBSL campaign with averages of 17.9 points, 7.1 boards and 1.6 assists per game on 59/25/82 shooting splits. Her three-point percentage is one to watch after she performed much better (32%) on more volume (2.8 per vs. 2.0 in KBSL) in the W, but her overall shot selection in Turkey has been exceptional—with her field goal percentage staggeringly high for someone doing so much work in the mid-range.
3. Evans & Beşiktaş Top Nesibe, Mersin Up Next
Though she’ll always find ways to score (18.5 ppg, 13/13 FT), Dana Evans never really got her shots to fall in Beşiktaş’ opening round sweep of Nesibe—finishing 11/36 (31%) from the floor and 2/10 from three over the two game series. In Game 1 on Saturday, Evans’ shooting shoulder was taped and—despite the tape being gone by Game 2—it would be hard to say that wear-and-tear of some kind isn’t impacting Evan’s recent slump shooting the ball. That being said, Evans’ assist numbers were also up in the series as she dished out 9 in Game 1 and a season-best 12 in Game 2. That eye for a pass got Li Yueru (22 ppg) heavily involved in the offense—with the Chinese big likely key to Beşiktaş’ success in the next round against Mersin. When the teams last met in early February, Beşiktaş won despite a cold shooting night from both Evans (8/24) and Jovana Nogić (5/19) and a good, but not dominant, performance from Yueru (16 p, 12 r). They can’t expect to survive such a game now that Mersin has Copper. Even on her best day, Yueru can only take over the game so much against a defensive force like Williams—meaning Beşiktaş will likely need one of their two perimeter stars to get going to win this series. If Evans heats up, don’t be surprised if Copper takes on that assignment in an attempt to quell her former teammates’ abilities. No matter the match-ups, I don’t see Beşiktaş progressing to the final without Evans’ efficiency trending back towards her averages. Watch for Mihaela Lazić—who has been in and out with injury—to be another key as her strong efficiency from long-range (43% in 14 games in ‘24) provides another outlet for Beşiktaş to score when their big two shooters are off the mark.
Quick Hits
Lindsay Allen and Taya Reimer—despite giving a good account of themselves—simply didn’t have the firepower to contend with Fenerbahçe’s super team as Botaş were swept in the KBSL quarterfinals. Allen looks a near lock to make the Sky’s roster while Reimer—who finished the season with averages of 12.3 p and 7.6 r on 47% FG—figures to have a serious fight on her hands to make the cut.
Isabelle Harrison wrapped the Athletes Unlimited season with three solid 16-minute outings. Her endurance in 5-on-5 scenarios will still take some time to come back early in the W season, but her overall game already looks sharp with final averages of 12.8 p and 4.3 r per game in just under 18 minutes on 52/29/75 shooting splits. Harrison finished 25th of 40 players in the league’s individual standings despite missing three games and playing on a minutes restriction.
Sika Koné was efficient with her scoring chances (6 p, 3/5 FG) but played just 4 minutes after half-time of Friday’s Spanish cup quarterfinal win. In Saturday’s semifinal, Avenida were already down 15 when Koné (8 p, 4/6 FG) entered the game late in the first quarter and, though they closed to single digits late, they couldn't claw all the way back as Zaragoza reached the final with a 73-61 win.
Chennedy Carter was absent from Bursa’s season-ending victory against Antalya Wednesday—with no update from the team on the reason for her absence. She finishes the Turkish season with 3 games played and averages of 25 p, 8 r and 3.7 a on splits of 50% from the floor and 83.3% from the line.
Robyn Parks and Schio captured their sixth straight win in the Italian League, this time against Brixia. It wasn’t a famous scoring night for Parks (7 p), but their latest win keeps Schio just behind leaders Venezia with 4 regular season games remaining.
As always, you can find the best site to stream all of the different leagues the Sky players are involved in live + the full schedule of games over the coming week in this article which is updated on a regular basis.