Sky’s research, faith in Carter paying off in surprising ways

Complete game video of women's professional basketball in China and Turkey is not easy to acquire.

“No, that took a lot of work,” Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said. “I watched every game, every possession.”

Pagliocca was trying to decide if the Sky should take a chance on guard Chennedy Carter, the former No. 4 overall draft pick who didn't play in the WNBA in 2023.

Ultimately, the answer was yes, but the Sky offered only a training camp deal with no guarantees. Carter had other offers but settled on Chicago, based mostly on opportunity and the presence of first-time WNBA head coach Teresa Weatherspoon.

“I want to be around the best people, so it was kind of a decision like that,” Carter said this week after Sky practice in Deerfield. “’Spoon was the first person to convince me. A coach like her, I would love to play for, a coach that can relate to me.”

It's not often a team invites a player to try to earn a roster spot in camp, then that player tuns out to be the leading scorer. That's what happened with Carter. Even with playing limited minutes early in the season, she is the Sky's top scorer at 17.2 points a game.

Her intentional foul against Caitlin Clark earlier this season drew plenty of clicks and comments. A more appropriate highlight would be the last game before the Olympic break, when Carter torched Team USA guard Kelsey Plum and the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces for 34 points in a Sky victory on July 16.

Her childhood hero was Allen Iverson, and the comparison fits. Carter's speed is eye-opening, then it's a matter of whether her shooting and decision-making can keep pace.

“She's an incredible combination of speed, explosiveness, skill, competitiveness,” Pagliocca said. “Those players don't float around, so taking a chance on someone like that at the time, on a training camp contract, seemed like a good idea.”

Granted, this is a cautious victory. Carter didn't last with her first two WNBA teams. The Sky is hoping his time will be different, thanks in part to Carter's bond with both Weatherspoon and teammate Angel Reese.

“Me and Chennedy share personalities, we share stories,” Reese said. “People have expectations of us or false narratives of us and I think being able to overcome that and being able to play together was perfect. She belongs in the WNBA.”

Concrete path

Carter was by no means an under-the-radar prospect. She was a McDonald's All-American at Timberview (Texas) High School, south of Dallas-Fort Worth; averaged at least 21 points a game in three seasons at Texas A&M, and broke DePaul's hearts by scoring 37 points against the Blue Demons in a second-round NCAA Tournament game in 2018.

“I grew up with three brothers, I'm the only girl,” Carter said. “It's kind of how it is, playing with boys outside, that's where I get my grit. Texas heat, on the concrete, no shoes. Concrete with no shoes, that's how I grew up playing.”

The road to WNBA success wasn't smoothly paved either. Carter had a nice rookie season with the Atlanta Dream, averaging 17.4 points. In Year 2, she was suspended for conduct detrimental to the team, reportedly stemming from an argument with teammate Courtney Williams (who played for the Sky last season) about Carter's bench demeanor.

Carter was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks, averaged 8.9 points in 2022, then was released before the '23 season. A story in the Los Angeles Times described the transaction as “undoing one of the residual mistakes from the (coach) Derek Fisher era.”

Carter said she had an offer to join another WNBA team last season, but since her Sparks contract was guaranteed, she decided to focus on resetting her career.

“I worked on my game, I worked on my mental ability, my physical ability, I recovered,” she said. “I was with family and now I'm back and I'm better and I'm stronger than ever.”

Road to redemption

This figured to be a rebuilding year for the Sky after trading away all-star forward Kahleah Copper. But with the nucleus of Carter, Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, the Sky is in the exact same spot it was last year at this time — 10-15 record, eighth place in the standings.

The idea of targeting Carter as a free agent evolved over the winter.

“Right around the time it looked like we were going to be moving Kahleah Copper, we identified the needs and one of them was a scoring guard, a two-way player,” Pagliocca said. “We all felt basketball-wise, (Carter) checked a lot of boxes for us.

“I started spending time with her on the phone, coach started spending time with her on the phone. … It seemed like she was checking a lot of boxes as a human being too.”

Weatherspoon first met Carter during her college days at A&M, so they already had some familiarity.

“I knew there were going to be some incredible things she could do in this game of basketball,” Weatherspoon said. “At this point she's very calm and at ease and she's a playing a game she loves, and she's showing who she is.”

Carter was sidelined by an illness Thursday, and the Sky was blown out by Phoenix. In the big picture, making the playoffs this season isn't that important, but the Sky would obviously like to see the Carter-led nucleus continue to grow in the final 14 games.

“I always envisioned me doing this,” Carter said. “I told my family, literally before the WNBA season started, I was going to have a phenomenal season, I was going to do this and I was going to get back to where I was.

“I'm the same person I was, just a little bit better and I've grown and I've matured. But I'm still the same Chennedy. I just want to play.”