As coaching search begins, Sky invests in the future

The Sky launched a new beginning Wednesday, but it also had some old business that was never addressed.

The team held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new practice facility in Bedford Park. The building is just south of Midway Airport, adjacent to the Wintrust Sports Complex, and should be completed in time for the 2026 WNBA season.

The Sky fired head coach Teresa Weatherspoon after just one year on the job on Sept. 27, a move that met with protests on social media from young stars Angel Reese and Chennedy Carter.

“I think that emotions were high for a couple of days,” Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said at the ceremony. “Look, we can respect that, we can appreciate it. We understand there are bonds built with coaches and players, especially the young ones. We're in a good place right now, we're back in normal discussions.”

Throughout its 19 seasons, the Sky has endured plenty of changes and departures. Coaches have come and gone — the next hire will be the ninth in team history — while star players have left in free agency or demanded trades. In fact, Kahleah Copper and Marina Mabrey have departed within the past 12 months.

So it was an interesting contrast Wednesday. Roughly two weeks after announcing another head-scratcher coaching move, the Sky is taking a giant step forward as an organization by building a dedicated practice facility. Sky operating officer and co-owner Nadia Rawlinson said the cost will exceed $30 million, described it as a public-private partnership with Bedford Park, and predicted it will be the “gold standard” of WNBA team facilities.

Two questions that remained unanswered are why exactly the Sky decided to fire Weatherspoon and who made the decision.

“As an organization, we just felt it was time to make a change,” Pagliocca said.

“We made the decision that was right for the franchise,” Rawlinson added.

Weatherspoon was hired last year in part to keep two-time all-star Copper in Chicago. Copper, who signed a two-year extension with the Sky, sat at the podium with Weatherspoon when she was introduced.

In the ensuing months, Pagliocca was announced as the team's first dedicated general manager and Copper was traded to Phoenix after the Sky came up empty in free agency. It's unlikely Pagliocca made the decision to fire Weatherspoon on his own.

The Sky was well aware Weatherspoon lacked coaching experience. She served as head coach at Louisiana Tech, her alma mater, but had never coached in the WNBA. The inexperience showed at times, and one potential path was the Sky bringing in an seasoned assistant to help her out in Year 2. At the same time, Weatherspoon seemed to do very well as a role model and den mother, which could explain why Reese and Carter took the news hard.

“We're looking for a coach we can keep here for a very long time,” Pagliooca said. “We want to make sure there continues to be structure, discipline, accountability, just a championship mindset.”

There is no timeline for hiring a new coach, and Pagliocca said he's been impressed with the level of interest in the job. Besides Reese, Carter and center Kamilla Cardoso, the Sky is set to add two more first-round picks in the 2025 draft. So the future could be bright for the next coach.

“We want to keep a very exciting product on the floor,” Pagliocca said. “We want to make sure we continue with what built with our two young rookie stars. We're really confident about free agency again and we're going to go after it.”

Arrival of the practice facility should help with free-agent recruiting. The Sky now has a dedicated practice court at the Sachs Recreation Center in Deerfield. But the team doesn't have its own locker room or training room, no players lounge and the doors are not open 24 hours.

Two Sky players attended Wednesday's ceremony: Center Elizabeth Williams, who missed most of last season with an injury and signed an extension for next year; and Michaela Onyenwere, a free agent.

“Not having your own space is hard,” Williams said. “When you have these facilities you feel like a pro and I think that's important.”

Asked about the coaching change, Williams did her best to stay neutral.

“I think everybody liked each other off the court, I feel like everybody had a good relationship,” she said. “So I don't think there was anything deep or personal behind it. I think the team was working through a lot of newness.”