Chicago Sky Offseason Update #25: Back Like She Never Left
Isabelle Harrison shines in her return to the court while old running mates Marina Mabrey and Kahleah Copper decide a key battle of current Sky stars.
With 7 of the 9 Sky players still playing overseas representing a Turkish club, the KBSL playoffs should offer plenty of opportunities for the Sky’s stars to go head-to-head. However, there’s still plenty of jockeying for seeding that will take place over the final few games before the playoffs—with just two games separating the teams seeded second (18-8) through sixth (16-10) in the current standings. The first exchange of blows in the race for home court advantage came this weekend when six Sky players—all of whom play for teams currently in a playoff position—squared off in a pair of key KBSL matches. But before we get to the big games in İstanbul and Ankara, let’s stay stateside to look at the standout story of last weekend which comes from Week 2 of Athletes Unlimited.
This Week’s Biggest Stories
1. Harrison Impressive in Return to Action
Isabelle Harrison backed up her solid return to the court last Thursday with two more promising performances over the weekend. Though her rhythm will take time to come back (12/30 FG across the 3 games), her athleticism stood out in the weekend doubleheader. After an injury lay-off of nearly a year was extended by a bout with vertigo in Week 1 of Athletes Unlimited, Harrison ran the floor well, didn’t shy away from physicality and played more minutes as her weekend return went on. Of course, this isn’t a great surprise—Harrison has long been known as a highly-athletic player—but it’s promising for the Sky to see her so physically sharp after less than 60 minutes back on-court. Also impressive? Her work in the two-player game with Mercury guard Natasha Cloud. Cloud—a team captain for Week 2—clearly had a vision in mind when she drafted Harrison, and that was most evident in Saturday’s 93-90 win. Cloud and Harrison got into two-player actions early and went back to them regularly—taking advantage of some intelligent rolling by Harrison which gave both players a chance to score from those actions. As compared to playing overseas, Athletes Unlimited seems to offer Harrison a better platform to return to action given it acts as both a high-level competition and a targeted ‘ramp up’ to the W season for all involved.
2. Mabrey + Copper Deliver Big Win Over Onyenwere + Ormanspor
After clinching a spot in the EuroLeague Final Four in the midweek, Mersin’s trip to second-place Ormanspor (and Sky forward Michaela Onyenwere) Sunday looked like an obvious trap game. The hosts were riding high—having won nine of their last ten—and their confidence was evident early when it seemed as if every shot went in during a 47 point first half. Unfortunately for Onyewnere and company, they couldn’t slam the door shut on the visitors during that hot stretch. Marina Mabrey and Kahleah Copper did just enough (45 pts) to keep their side in the game in the first half before the Sky’s former duo lit it up after the break to propel Mersin to a 93-79 victory. While the efficiency from both Mabrey (31 p, 12/19 FG) and Copper (30 p, 12/18 FG) was fantastic, Mersin’s work at the defensive end was equally key in knocking Ormanspor out of rhythm and creating opportunities for early offense in transition. Key to that effort was (surprise, surprise) Elizabeth Williams who registered 3 steals and 3 blocks. Also key: Copper’s defense on Onyewnere—who finished with 7 points and couldn’t get the volume or quality of looks she normally does as a result of the former Finals MVP’s coverage. Mersin’s win doesn’t help them climb the standings yet, but this performance should have the rest of the KBSL on notice.
3. Carter’s Aggressiveness Fuels Bursa Victory
Chennedy Carter returned from a one game absence with a fantastic 35-point outing on 11/20 FG in Bursa’s 87-79 win over Tarsus. Beyond the obvious (high scoring + good efficiency), what stood out most was Carter’s shot selection. None of her 20 field goals were from behind the arc and—while she’s never been a high volume three-point shooter—the lack of long-range attempts was reflective of the fact that Carter was aggressive early and often. Her drives and penetration led to a lot of easy scoring, opened the floor up for teammates (50% shooting) and helped her get to the line 14 times (she hit 13). Crucially, she didn’t vary her shot selection as the game went on just for the sake of it. The Tarsus defense didn’t demonstrate an ability to stop her getting to/scoring at the rim, so she persisted with her work off the dribble (see below)—showcasing the finishing package that made her such a dangerous threat during her explosive rookie season. If she can make the Sky’s final roster, that feel for the game will be crucial to her role with Chicago’s bench unit. You never want to become too one-dimensional as a scorer, but you also need to recognize when the defense can’t stop that dimension and exploit it—especially when it’s such a high percentage one.
Quick Hits
Dana Evans and Beşiktaş topped Botaş on Sunday and moved into pole position for the #2 seed in the KBSL playoffs. Evans’ efficiency was good not great (7/17 FG, 2/5 3PT), but she got to the line often and converted all 7 of her attempts to finish with a team-high 23 points. With high fatigue from a packed slate of games, this is a victory Evans and Beşiktaş will happily take—with their focus now squarely on Thursday’s EuroCup semifinal second leg.
Robyn Parks (12 p, 7 r, 3 a) got things started early with 8 first quarter points as part of what wound up a very balanced offensive performance for Schio—with 7 players scoring 5 or more. The result of the team effort? A key 71-61 road victory over Bologna where the visitors—backed by a dominant defensive stretch in the final quarter (6 points allowed)—gained important ground in the race for the #2 seed in the LBF playoffs.
Lindsay Allen (24 p, 9 r), Taya Reimer (7 p, 8 r) and the rest of the Botaş offense simply couldn't get going in Sunday’s loss to Beşiktaş. As a team, they shot just 32% from the field and—even on a day when their opponents shot only 37%—that type of efficiency will rarely get it done at the pro level. Fortunately, each of the teams directly behind Botaş in the standings also suffered defeat—meaning they still have a one-game lead in the race for the final playoff spot with two very winnable games left on their schedule.
Sika Koné, once again, didn’t have much of a role in the first half away to Girona on Sunday (4 mins) and she never seemed to find her rhythm offensively (3 p, 0/2 FG) as a result. Even then, she found a way to positively impact the game in the second half with her energy on the glass (5 r) and as a screener again resulting in a positive plus-minus (+4). Avenida picked up a key 66-62 win that moved them back to the top of the standings (20-4) in Spain after Valencia lost.
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.