Chicago Sky Offseason Update #20: The MVP Returns
Kahleah Copper arrives to aid Mersin's EuroLeague push while new signing Lindsay Allen shows out with a near triple-double.
Marina Mabrey & Elizabeth Williams & Kahleah Copper (CBK Mersin — Turkey)
Mersin—apparently taking my advice—added the support their team has been calling out for since Alina Iagupova departed and signed Kahleah Copper (a name you might know) for the remainder of the season on Friday. Copper didn’t feature Saturday against Beşiktaş but will likely make her debut after playing with the US during the upcoming international break. It goes without saying that, with Kah in the fold, Mersin’s fortunes are completely changed. I’m not sure I’d call them EuroLeague favorites as Fenerbahçe still look quite strong (and even Praha will be tough to beat), but they’re right back in the mix after looking off the pace of Europe’s best in recent matches.
Mersin started the aforementioned match at home against Beşiktaş with their best quarter while the visitors opened with their worst—meaning it felt as if the home side were steadily sliding out of the game from then on. But even after a second half where they scored just 30-points, Mersin still had a chance to win before struggling to find an action that could shake Marina (19 p, 8 r, 7a) free for an attempt at a tying three late. Despite the 75-70 loss, Mersin do deserve credit for their strong defense throughout, with Beşiktaş (who shot just 39%) simply hitting timely shots in the face of the defense. Yet, I can’t help but feel that the high-flying Mersin offense of months gone by might’ve found a way to win anyways—especially in a game where Williams (19 p, 14 r) was so productive. Thus, the international break comes at a perfect time as Mersin just need to reset and work on integrating Copper—a process that will start as soon as she completes her national team duties with the US in Antwerp.
Dana Evans & Li Yueru (Beşiktaş — Turkey)
As mentioned above, the biggest credit I can give to Beşiktaş offensively is the difficulty (and timeliness) of shots they were able to hit. Both Dana (23 p, 6 a) and Li (16 p, 12 r) delivered good numbers, but the defensive commitment they showed (2 steals each) felt more impactful on the outcome. Dana, in particular, popped up with critical plays at all of the key moments of the game. First, both of her steals led to assists on transition threes in a dominant (27-14) third quarter where Beşiktaş clawed their way in front. Then, in the final minutes, Evans scored or assisted on all of Beşiktaş’ points as they closed the game on a 9-2 run to seal the victory. The biggest shot: a clutch three that broke a 70-all tie with 22 seconds remaining and ended up as the game-winner. Even on a night where her shooting wasn’t efficient (8/24 FG), this game shows that Dana possesses the mental qualities needed to compartmentalize each game’s highs and lows and be the Sky’s starting point guard (more on that here).
Lindsay Allen (Botaş — Turkey)
In her first game since signing with the Sky on Thursday (more here), Allen was exceptional as Botaş rolled to a 130-63 win. With opponents Hatay at 0-21 on the season after the loss, the win is not entirely surprising, but the level at which Botaş played on the offensive end would’ve been impressive in an empty gym. As a team, they shot 66% from the floor and registered 44 assists on 57 made field goals. Allen’s fingerprints were all over the offensive explosion as she finished with 20 points (9/10 FG) and 12 assists in just 26 minutes of the blowout victory. Her fourth double-double in the last 5 comes at a crucial time for Botaş with this win pushing them (9-12) into a three way tie for ninth-place just a half game behind 8th placed Emlak (10-12) who currently hold the final playoff spot. In that stretch, Allen has been elite with averages of 19 points and 10.6 assists per game on insane shooting splits (56/47/87). Even more important: Botaş’ 3-2 record in a stretch where the prior 4 matches had all been against teams ranked in the top 6 of the league standings.
Sika Koné (Perfumerias Avenida — Spain)
After a stretch where Sika played through injury for some time, she’s started to rebound back into top form in recent weeks, but it felt like it had been a while since she truly took over a game. On Friday, that changed as Koné delivered her 9th double-double of the season with a season-high 24 points on just 11 shots. When Avenida went to her in the post, Koné scored almost without fail and her work on the offensive glass (4 boards) allowed her to add to her tally even when the ball didn’t come her way. Unsurprisingly, she continues to excel at the foul line (6/7)—reducing the viability of opponents trying to defend her physically. As if all that weren’t enough, Avenida’s offense under new coach Nacho Martinez seems to be getting Koné the ball on the perimeter with the chance to drive a lot more often and the results are extremely promising—with Sika’s ball handling looking more than capable of supporting the obvious physical advantages she has off the dribble. To tie a bow on a dominant win (88-68) where Sika was the game’s most impactful (+23) individual, the Malian’s defense continues to improve. She’s regularly identifying gaps left behind by others and helping across to effect shots at the basket. Even if those shots go in, it’s still impressive to see how quickly Koné’s processing of the game continues to develop.
Morgan Bertsch & Rebekah Gardner (Spar Girona — Spain)
Girona’s fourth match against local rivals La Seu in just over a month ended in victory just like the previous three, but the mood felt much different as Girona produced their most impressive display in several weeks. The key to the change in performance—aggression. Girona consistently attacked the basket and found higher percentage looks than the spot up threes they’ve too often settled for in recent weeks. The result: a dominant first quarter where Girona shot 69%, outscored La Seu 21-7 and turned the game into a bit of a formality over the final 30 minutes. Gardner, who seemed to find her shooting stroke (14 p, 4/4 FG), was key to the decisive opening frame with 10 points—fueled by a pair of threes that came after drives by teammates effectively collapsed the defense. As a team, Girona’s 55% clip from deep in the opening 20 minutes reflected the increased quality of looks their attack-first mindset created. Not to be forgotten, Bertsch, too, was able to shake her recent shooting woes by passing on open looks from behind the arc and getting to her spots (8 p, 4/7 FG).
Robyn Parks (PF Schio — Italy)
After a frustrating midweek loss, Schio started slowly Saturday against Sassari—trailing by as many as 9 in a first half where they finished with just 27 points. Fortunately, their defense was strong enough to keep them within striking distance until 49 second-half points allowed them to coast to victory. Parks failed to offer her usual offensive output (5 p, 1 a), but, overall, she was a positive part of the victory—finishing with 7 rebounds, 1 steal and a +4 plus/minus. Thus, this performance is reflective of her overall evolution this season. After being relied on so heavily to score at Campobasso a season ago, Parks now has the luxury of playing alongside talented scorers like Arella Guirantes (14 p) who can help shoulder the offensive burden. As a result, her defensive performances and work on the glass (now up to 4.2 rebounds/game) can be just as important in Schio collecting a victory as a 20-point scoring night is. That understated impact on the game continues to earn Parks the trust of coach George Dikeoulakos who gave her a team high 32-minutes and has effectively blended her as a key leader for both the starting and bench units.
Taylor Soule (San Martino — Italy)
San Martino suffered a tough defeat in overtime Saturday with Soule forced to watch from the bench after fouling out with 5 minutes remaining in the fourth. With an average of 4 fouls per game, it’s not the first time that coach Giuseppe Piazza has managed Soule in foul trouble but, in this instance, his gamble to keep her in after picking up her fourth a minute earlier proved an unlucky one. While her teammates played well in overtime, it definitely seemed that they lacked the extra dose of aggression that Soule brings to the table. With talented shooters and post players, they’re still more than capable of scoring, but it always feels like Taylor is the player best equipped to put her head down and go get a bucket when the team needs it. Thus—even when it isn’t Soule’s best offensive night (4 p, 1 a)—the team sometimes lacks a bit of dynamism with her off the floor. In any case, San Martino still look comfortably on course for a playoff berth (3 games ahead with 7 games to go), and I don’t see Soule picking up fouls so easily in the W—as her physical style would be more in line with the league’s norm.
Check back again next Monday (2/12—special bonus release!) when I’ll recap all of the the Sky participation in the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments that tip off Thursday (2/8—preview here). After that, keep your eyes peeled for the second overseas recap of the week in its regular Friday slot (2/16) where I’ll recap each player’s season so far before league play resumes later that day. You can find the best site to stream the different leagues (+ the Olympic Qualifying tournament) live and the full schedule of games over the coming week in this article I update on a regular basis.