Chicago Sky parting with interim head coach, GM Vatansever after playoff loss

The Sky are moving on from Emre Vatansever.

The Sky announced Wednesday that interim head coach and general manager would not retain his posts into next season. Vatansever replaced former head coach and general manager James Wade in July.

"We are extremely grateful for Emre taking over the helm at a difficult time this season," owner Michael Alter said in a statement. "He did a tremendous job of leading this team to another playoff berth and we will be forever grateful for taking leadership the way he did."

Former assistant Vatansever took over as head coach for Wade and helped steer the Sky into the playoffs for the fifth-straight year. The Turkey native confirmed Tuesday he was very interested in returning as coach. A few Sky players made a point of endorsing Vatansever for the job during exit interviews.

"You actually don't need a whole lot to build around this team," Vatansever said. "I believe we can build something around this team if we (add) a couple of key players."

One strange thing about the timing of this news is Vatansever went through two days of those exit interviews with players, spoke to reporters for 20 minutes on Monday, then was let go on Wednesday. Another angle to consider is whether the hiring of a new general manager and coach will be strictly the decision of majority owner Michael Alter, or will new additions to the ownership group like Dwyane Wade or Laura Ricketts have input?