This weekend: LOL at me thinking the weekend would be chill since there weren’t any NWSL or football games.
I did make the decision to not even try to keep up with the Sky signings like other content creators. This newsletter and its accompanying social media feeds might be a day or two behind others, but I tell you slow news is solid news. I saw things that were old within minutes of posting. Maybe if I was being paid per post I would consider that pace. Then again, it seems exhausting. Let’s dig in to what happened before the draft takes us out.
— Veronica
The Chicago Sky’s Very Good Weekend
Can a weekend of fabulous signings make up for trading Angel? Maybe. Can it make up for the fact we still have one of, if not, the worst run franchise in the W? It really shouldn’t. But let’s meet the new & not so new gals.
Skylar Diggins: 7-time All Star Guard. 2025 stat line: 15 points, 2.5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1.2 steals. 3rd overall pick in the 2013 draft after being outstanding during her time at Notre Dame.
While the pregnancy protection in the new WNBA collective bargaining agreement (YAY! Unions!) will be known as the Dearica Hamby rule, Diggins played the entire 2018 season pregnant and let it be known that her team did not support her.
The W not doing right by their pregnant and new mom players is as old as the league and a topic for another issue of this newsletter.
Suffice to say, Diggins will NOT be a silent leader. She will speak her mind on and off the court. Diggins demands high standards and backs it up with big results. I have always loved this about her.
DiJonai Carrington: DiJonai gets a lot of attention for her looks and who she is or isn’t dating (The Foul will live rent-free forever in my brain), but she’s a defensive baddie.
She was the target of a racist “fan” who mocked DiJonai’s nails. And that’s just one documented incident. She loves fashion, will go hard on the court, and will also be giving us a lot to follow this season.
Rickea Jackson: I was really hoping we would draft Rickea instead of Angel or Kamilla. But not in a way that I was disappointed we got them. Anyway, I am a fan. She is a forward who averages 14 points a game.
Rickea is another player who loves the pre-game fit catwalk. A fashion icon, Chicago fans should learn to enjoy the show and not chirp about her “lack of focus” or whatever else Angel haters complained about.
Z!!!!: Azurá Stevens, affectionately called Z, is back! She was drafted 6th overall in the 2018 draft and went on to earn All Rookie honors. Z was also a key part of the Chicago Sky’s 2021 championship run. And given this is Chicago, has always gotten a warm reception each time she returned to Wintrust. Franklin, her cat, is also coming home! Her smile hides a baddie on the court. Welcome home, Z!
Jacy Sheldon: Another member of the 2024 draft class. But the Sky is already her third team. She is a fine player and will be an asset off the bench. What made this trade look foolish to me is THAT WE TRADED A FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICK for someone who averages 6.3 points per game. Perhaps whomever is doing our negotiations can go to DC to join that team? They seem equally skilled.
Elizabeth Williams: A center-forward who continues to grow into a defensive baddie, Williams is a fan favorite. Re-signing her is a good sign. She is also a defender of reproductive rights off the court.
Rachel Banham: A guard who comes off the bench to put a pop in our step. One of our biggest weaknesses is finishing the game strong. I like her energy and her 36.7% 3-point shot percentage.
Sloooot: Courtney Vandersloot (Guard) has been my favorite player since the Sky drafted her third in 2011. To be honest, I love yelling “SLOOOOOT!” each time she drops a bucket. Which is a lot. She is a five-time All-Star and All Rookie. Her list of achievements with the Sky is long and includes being the Sky all-time leading scorer.
Fun fact…the player who was our all-time leading scorer is Sloot’s wife, Allie Quigley. Watching them play together was a freaking delight. I have a VanderQuig tee.
I was at the United Center watching when Sloot torn her ACL last season. LIKE RIGHT THERE. No word on her status or when she might be able to take the court, but I am rooting for her. That said, she is in the last year or two of her career. When she returned home last season, I saw it as a way for the Sky to bring in a vet to help mentor younger players, not as the player we need to win a championship.
Her injury and age is what Angel was chirping about that caught her heat. And from some reports alienated her from the front office. I agree with what Angel said. The Sky needed to bring in some heavy hitters (wait do we say that in basketball?) to punch up the team.
Is this enough?: A lot of fans were pissed when Angel was traded. It was another example of how this franchise is still operating under 2010 vibes - we should just be happy we have a team. When this is 2026 and we want a world class franchise.
Will we be competitive? I think very much so.
Does this mean we can stop dunking on the Sky ownership and management? HELL NO.
What’s next: Tonight is the WNBA draft, so gonna keep this newsletter short. Let’s see what the Sky do.
While this newsletter and the larger project of supporting women’s sports is my passion project, I still need to buy groceries, put gas in my vehicles (I have a purple sparkly moped scooter and a car), and buy nachos at games.
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