Sky coach Overton resigns, but why?

Bo knew the Sky.

But not for very long.

On Wednesday, the Chicago Sky announced that head coach and general manager Bo Overton had resigned, effective immediately.

No reason was given for the unexpected resignation and no one within the organization was willing to speak about it on or off the record, which only underscores the strangeness of the situation.

The typically upbeat and enthusiastic Overton, a former small-college coach who had just completed his first season with the Sky last summer and seemed thrilled at the chance to use the team's No. 2 pick in next month's WNBA draft, was seen publicly at a DePaul women's basketball game as recently as 12 days ago scouting potential WNBA players.

He had said many times during this off-season how excited he was to improve on the Sky's 2007 record of 14-20, which left the team just short of a spot in the playoffs but was a vast improvement over the previous season.

"I can't really say anything more than what's out there," Sky owner Michael Alter said. "Our policy is to not comment on personnel decisions. People will have to draw their own conclusions or interpretations."

And since Overton has not yet issued a statement and had not returned a message left by the Daily Herald on his cell phone, that leaves the mind to wonder about all kinds of possibilities.

Did Overton have a fallout with Alter and Sky president Margaret Stender? Or did he simply have philosophical differences with them?

Did Overton get into some kind of legal or ethical trouble? Or did he simply become interested in another job?

High-profile women's coaching jobs at the college level have recently become open at schools such as UCLA and Alabama.

Stender says she doesn't know if Overton has taken another job.

From all appearances, and right up to the news of his resignation, Overton seemed fully immersed in his job with the Sky and was proceeding as expected with plans for the upcoming season.

His commitment to the team and the franchise had never been in question. In fact, when Overton first arrived in Chicago, he talked about his position with the Sky as if it were his dream job.

Now, the Sky's nightmare is naming its third head coach and general manager in as many seasons.

In the same news release that spelled out Overton's fate, the Sky announced that his former assistant, Steven Key, would take over both of his roles - head coach and general manager.

Key is a holdover from the staff of Dave Cowens, who was the Sky's first head coach. He guided the Sky to a 5-29 record in 2006 and then bolted to the NBA for a job as an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons.

The 39-year-old Key was a point guard at Boston University and was the head coach of a men's professional basketball team in Germany for three years before joining Cowens' staff for the Sky's inaugural season.

Alter and Stender said that assistant coach Stephanie White will remain with the team in her current role. They are unsure when or if another coach will be added to the staff.

"Right now, we want to move forward and we're excited about where we're going, and we do have enormous confidence in Coach Key and we're glad he's here," Stender said. "He's been with us since the beginning. The players really respect him. He helped build the system that we're using, so we're not going to skip a beat on this. We're going to be OK.

"I'm kind of an optimist. Things happen for a reason. You deal with it and it's like, 'OK, let's go forward.' We're in such a good place. We're so excited about (the) No. 2 (draft pick)."

Former Naperville Central star and Tennessee All-American Candace Parker is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft. The Los Angeles Sparks hold the top pick.

At No. 2, the Sky will likely pick up 6-foot-6 All-American center Sylvia Fowles from LSU.