Instead of Sky ownership adequately addressing the misstep during its first media availability since the firing, it was left to GM Jeff Pagliocca, who was hired nearly three weeks after Weatherspoon.

The Sky fired coach Teresa Weatherspoon on Sept. 27 after one season.

In a parking lot near Midway Airport, a giant white tent provided cover for about 75 white folding chairs.

Inside, supporters gathered Wednesday to celebrate the groundbreaking for the Sky’s practice facility, which is more than a year away from opening. Team ownership wanted the focus to be on the future, which it believes is bright, despite a series of failures in the three years since the Sky’s title season.

The latest — the hiring and subsequent firing of coach Teresa Weatherspoon after only 11 months on the job — poses a question: How will the team explain Weatherspoon’s abrupt dismissal to potential replacements?

“We will be as forthright as we can,” general manager Jeff Pagliocca said. “There’s some stuff that, of course, we want to keep in-house.”

It was only a year ago that Sky owners concluded a limited coaching search and decided they wanted to take a chance with Weatherspoon, who had no head-coaching experience in the WNBA. But it turned out that ownership was more focused on winning the news conference after the midseason departure of championship-winning coach James Wade.

What transpired after their hasty hire was a season that spiraled into chaos, resulting in a 13-27 record and the team’s first non-playoff season since 2018.

Instead of Sky ownership adequately addressing the misstep during its first media availability since the firing — when asked, operating chairman and co-owner Nadia Rawlinson told reporters, “We’re actually here to talk about the practice facility” — it was left to Pagliocca, who was hired nearly three weeks after Weatherspoon.

“We want to make sure we’re continuing our quest for a championship and being in the playoffs every single season,” Pagliocca said. “It was something that we felt we needed to do.”

From the beginning, it was clear that Weatherspoon’s inexperience would be a difficult hurdle to overcome. She had just six seasons of head-coaching experience, all at the college level.

Weatherspoon’s inability to keep the team schematically prepared was evidenced by her rotations and poor late-game play-calls. Her failure to maximize rookie Kamilla Cardoso, the No. 3 overall draft pick, on offense also came into question.

According to league sources, Weatherspoon had lost the locker room because of a culture that catered to the needs of a few players.

“Every locker room goes through their ups and downs,” center Elizabeth Williams said Wednesday. “There’s always growing pains, whether it’s with younger players or with a new coach. That was the general sentiment.”

League sources had previously told the Sun-Times that free agents were skeptical of joining the Sky. On Wednesday, Pagliocca acknowledged the team had heard “things along those lines.”

Stephanie White isn’t expected to return to coach the Sun in 2025. To attract White, who will be highly sought after if available, the Sky would have to be willing to spend money like the Mercury and Aces.

Both franchises set a new bar regarding their head coach’s salary. According to Front Office Sports, Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts is the highest-paid coach in the WNBA, making just over $1 million per year.

Aces coach Becky Hammon is second, making $1 million per year. Lynx coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve is third, according to FOS, making $700,000.

Beyond White, coaching candidates the Sky will look to interview include former Sparks coach Curt Miller and former Dream coach Tanisha Wright.

Wednesday was a step toward becoming a more attractive spot for top players and coaches.

But it will take time to correct leaguewide opinions that the Sky are not a serious franchise.