Chicago Sky Offseason Update #7: Courtney’s Block Party & The Return of KFC
Checking in on the Sky’s offseason action including Courtney in China, Kah playing for the US and the rest of the squad in Europe.
An extra Sky player in action means we’re getting right into the recap sans introduction this week:
Kahleah Copper (Team USA)
Copper returned to the floor with team USA for the first time since the 2022 World Cup in Australia when they squared off with Tennessee in an exhibition game on Sunday. All things considered, it was a great runout for the 2021 Finals MVP as she led both teams in minutes (24) and produced a very solid stat line in the process with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Her efficiency was solid (5/11) and she gained valuable experience with a couple of teammates — former college teammate Betnijah Laney in particular — who we can expect to see on the floor together next summer in Paris at the Olympic Games.
Courtney Williams (Shaanxi — China)
Shaanxi returned to winning ways on Sunday when they beat Daqing. Once again, Courtney took control in the third quarter with a full compliment of minutes and steered her team to a comfortable 23–9 edge in the period. Shaanxi have some solid local players, but there’s no substitute for the organization and confidence that a veteran like Williams brings to the floor when she’s in at the point guard position. The statistics bear out her impact as she compiled 19 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 blocks and a steal in just 25 minutes of action. There’s times when the passes she’s making are a step ahead of her teammates’ thought process, but she’s still showing the patience to teach when mistakes happen— meaning Shaanxi should be in a great spot as the chemistry of the team comes together late in the season.
Wednesday’s game against unbeaten Guangdong, however, reminded Shaanxi that there’s still a long way to go. Down 34–8 after the first quarter, it was difficult to see a path back into the game, but Courtney and company battled to a respectable 45–34 deficit at the half. Shaanxi kept within touching distance in the third before the visitors again blew the game open in the fourth. In spite of the defeat which dropped Shaanxi to 3–6, Courtney combined offensive production (23 pts) with efficiency (9/15 FG, 4/6 3PT) while adding her usual dose of impact across the board (6 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl) in just over 21 minutes on the floor. There’s still plenty of games left in the Chinese League, but Shaanxi will need to avoid falling into big holes like this before Courtney checks in if they hope to reach the playoffs.
Marina Mabrey & Elizabeth Williams (CBK Mersin — Turkey)
In recent posts, I’ve said that Marina’s misses were largely unlucky, and Saturday’s performance showed that her shot has been dialed in. Mabrey shot 11/19 and 5/11 from three to total 29 points as Mersin coasted to a comfortable 104–76 win. Despite the big scoring night, Mabrey still managed to dish out 6 assists (her 5th game in 6 hitting that total). As if all that offense weren’t enough, Marina was excellent at the defensive end with 7 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. She delivered her most impressive defensive work of the night after switches with a couple of great shot contests on bigs that led to misses. Williams, whose play isn’t getting the attention it deserves with Mabrey red hot, was typically reliable. She totaled just 8 points and 3 rebounds but blocked three shots to move her season total to 14 in 8 games with Mersin. Opponents Antalya are far from the class of the Turkish league but were above .500 coming in. Both Williams and Mabrey are helping make it possible for Mersin to dispatch sides of this calibre with relative ease.
Alanna Smith (Emlak Konut — Turkey)
After returning from injury, Alanna is still far from returning to her regular allocation of minutes, but she’s managing to be productive in the minutes she does play. Saturday, she scored 13 points on 50% shooting from the field including a pair of makes from behind the arc. She also chipped in with 8 rebounds, a steal and a block in just 19 minutes of action — suggesting she’ll be back to producing outrageous stat lines as her minutes ramp back-up. As a team, we’re continuing to see Emlak produce even without access to Alanna’s full allotment of minutes and productivity. Four players hit double figures including 19-year-old Berfin Sertoglu (16 points, 7/7 FT) — a frequent fixture with Emlak’s second team — who is now starting to make her mark with the senior side. In any case, Alanna is still the team’s fulcrum and led the team in plus-minus at +18.
Dana Evans (Beşiktaş — Turkey)
As opposed to recent games where Evans has set the table early and scored late, she came out firing early in Beşiktaş’ match again Istanbul rivals Galatasaray. The result was a 29-point outburst which included 5 threes (several of which were well beyond the arc) — most of which came in the first half with Dana turning provider in the second half. In total, Beşiktaş delivered their most dominant showing of the season with suffocating-energy defensively (7 steals) and seamless ball-movement at the offensive end (25 assists). Individually, Dana was sharp in all areas — narrowly missing a triple double with 9 rebounds and 9 assists. The breakneck pace she played with set the standard for her team, and her teammates rose to the occasion by shooting 52% from the floor and holding the opposition to 29.5% shooting on 71 attempts. Li Yueru — also under contract with the Sky — again displayed her gifted offensive game (22 pts and 11 rebs in 28 mins) but will be one to watch as she left early with injury.
Sika Koné (Perfumerias Avenida — Spain)
I’m running out of superlatives to describe the run Sika is on as she dropped another 15 points and 12 rebounds in Friday’s win over Estudiantes. It was a less efficient performance than some of her other recent showings (6/13), but she stayed sharp at the line (3/4) and continues to clean up her own misses on the glass. Her judgement and aggression defending the pick-and-roll has improved, but there also appears to be a concerted effort to avoid making unnecessary switches. That doesn’t mean she can’t defend those plays, but it does mean the return fixtures against Virtus Bologna and Mersin in the EuroLeague will be an important litmus test. In any case, Sika’s rate of improvement for Avenida is so steep that Jeff Pagliocca and the Sky front office can only be pleased. As a team, Avenida delivered a rapid response to their difficult loss to Landes in front of a brilliant home crowd and remain top of the Spanish league.
Morgan Bertsch (Spar Girona — Spain)
Bertsch delivered one of her most complete two-way performances of the European season in just 19 minutes of action as Girona moved to 4–2 in the Spanish league. Her defensive game — which is often her calling card — was especially disruptive with 3 steals, 3 blocks and at least (by my count) 3 deflections. Her one-on-one defending was superb as she was able to defend tightly without fouling. Offensively, she was uber productive with 15 points on just 9 attempts from the field. She grabbed just 2 boards but one produced the brilliant put back and-one below. Girona look a great team at the minute (8th win in 9 games in all competitions) and Bertsch — despite not being the team’s focal point — is a critical piece with her ability to quickly score and lock down defensively in varying roles and minutes from game-to-game.
Robyn Parks (PF Schio — Italy)
By virtue of the Italian league’s unconventional 13-team format and the international break beginning, Parks had a clean week on the calendar. Her side return to action Friday (11/17) against Faenza.
Taylor Soule (San Martino — Italy)
Soule’s offensive game again largely took a backseat (7 pts), but she managed to impact the game in basically every other way possible with 10 rebounds, 5 steals, 2 assists and a block. Soule’s willingness to dive on loose balls, scramble for every rebound and finish through hard contact in the lane has helped spur her hot start, and the energy she brings to the team seems to be infectious for those around her. At 4–1, San Martino are now tied for second in the Italian table and because of Soule and company’s willingness to do the little things, there will be lots of opportunities to steal wins even when their best offensive players (Raelin D’Alie, for instance, scored just 3 points after 25 last week) are not scoring. For the teams further up the table like Schio that have to contend with midweek battles against continental opponents, a well-rested team like San Martino who are willing to lay out for every loose ball is a nightmare matchup.
Check back again next Friday when we’ll recap everyone’s season so far and the handful of games that will take place following the international break’s conclusion. You can tap in live by finding the best site to stream the different leagues in this article I wrote earlier in the season.
Kahleah Copper: Team USA
Sunday 11/12 @ 11:00 AM: Exhibition @ Duke (ACC Net Extra & ESPN App)
Courtney Williams: Shaanxi
Sunday 11/12 @ 5:30 AM: Chinese League @ Fujian
Tuesday 11/14 @ 5:30 AM: Chinese League vs. Inner Mongolia
Thursday 11/16 @ 6:00 AM: Chinese League @ Xinjiang
Marina Mabrey & Elizabeth Williams: CBK Mersin
Thursday 11/16 @ 9:00 AM: Turkish League vs. Kayseri
Alanna Smith: Emlak Konut
Next Game: 11/19
Dana Evans: Beşiktaş
Thursday 11/16 @ 10:00 AM: Turkish League vs. Fenerbahçe
Sika Koné: Perfumerias Avenida
Thursday 11/16 @ 1:45 PM: Spanish League vs. Valencia
Morgan Bertsch: Spar Girona
Thursday 11/16 @ 1:15 PM: Spanish League @ Ensino
Robyn Parks: PF Schio
Next Game: 11/17
Taylor Soule: San Martino
Next Game: 11/19
For TV listings on all games, check out this post I wrote earlier this season.
