The Chicago Sky are searching for their next head coach after shockingly firing Teresa Weatherspoon after one season. The decision was met with confusion by fans and even Angel Reese, who tweeted her support for Weatherspoon.
Chicago posted a 13-27 record and finished 10th in the WNBA standings. The Sky were No. 8 in the league after the Olympic break, but injuries and misfortune led to Chicago tumbling down the standings.
Chennedy Carter missed a critical stretch of games due to an illness requiring hospitalization, Angel Reese had season-ending wrist surgery, and Kamilla Cardoso missed the last couple of games of the season. Luck wasn’t on the Sky’s side. The Dream captured the No. 8 seed to advance to the playoffs.
Chicago missed the postseason for the first time since 2018, but that wasn’t an unexpected result. Did the front office think Weatherspoon would turn a rebuilding team into a contender in the blink of an eye? So much for the patience that the Sky preached throughout the season. Weatherspoon had too short of a leash.
Sky GM says it was “time for a change” in response to firing Weatherspoon
On Wednesday, the Sky held a groundbreaking ceremony for their new practice facility in Bedford Park. GM Jeff Pagliocca spoke to the media and discussed the decision to fire Weatherspoon. He said the organization felt it “was time to make a change.”
Pagliocca said Weatherspoon wasn’t “difficult to work with” and outlined what the front office is looking for in their next head coach: “structure, discipline, and accountability.” He said the Sky want to “continue their quest for a championship” and be “in the playoffs every single season.”
It’s worth wondering if Weatherspoon would still be in Chicago if the Sky made the playoffs. New York swept Atlanta and likely would’ve also swept a battered Chicago squad. Would that have mattered to the front office?
Pagliocca was promoted to GM after Weatherspoon, so he didn’t play a role in that decision, which is worth noting. Who the Sky choose as their next head coach is critical, but several good options are available after coaches like Curt Miller were fired.
If Chicago doesn’t secure a playoff berth in 2025, it will be interesting to see how the Sky handle that situation. Chicago will soon hire its fourth head coach since winning the title in 2021. Stability is important, and the Sky haven’t had that.
Chicago has one of the best young stars in the league, who wasn’t present at the groundbreaking ceremony. However, Pagliocca said that the organization is “in a good place” with Reese. Some fans aren’t buying that, but they hope it’s true.
