The Chicago Sky team is one of the newer additions to the WNBA. After getting their start in 2006, they have consistently sought to improve themselves to be a formidable opponent. With all the hard work they have put in, they have also achieved many things.
Team Achievements
Since the first season in 2006, the Sky has continued to improve season over season. In their first season of play, the Sky posted one of the worst records in WNBA history. They finished the 2006 season with an overall record of 5-29 and finished last in the Eastern Conference.
The team wouldn’t stay down for long and drastically improved the following season after some leadership changes. Head Coach and General Manager Dave Cowens resigned after one season with the team to take another position as part of the coaching staff of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons.
Bo Overton from the University of Missouri-Kansas City took over as Head Coach and General Manager and under Overton’s leadership the team improved. After scoring the third round draft-pick in the 2007 WNBA Draft, the team was able to add some much needed depth to the roster. With a new coach and new players, the Sky was able to finish the 2007 season with an overall record of 14-20.
They finished just two games behind earning the fourth and final spot in the playoffs. The following season saw the addition of Sylvia Fowles and the ultimate addition to the team.
The team has never made it to the playoffs but has come very close. Other than coming close in 2007, the team was also very close in 2008, 2009, and 2010. In the 2008 season, the team finished 12-22 and 5th in the East, just one spot shy of the playoffs. In 2009, the Sky held the No. 2 spot for much of the season.
They finished with an overall record of 16-18, which put them in a three-way tie for fourth place. The Washington Mystics won the tiebreaker and the Sky ended up finishing 5th again. 2010 saw the team finishing 14-20, which was good enough for sixth place. The team is long overdue for a playoff appearance and hopefully 2011 will be the lucky year.
Individual Achievements
The first season as a team saw talented players such as Bernadette Ngoyisa, Stacey Dales, and Elaine Powell make up the roster. In 2007, the Sky had the No. 3 pick in the draft and selected guard Armintie Price.
Price would prove to be the right choice as she was later named the 2007 Rookie of the Year. Sylvia Fowles also earned some recognition for her talent and play. In the 2009 WNBA All-Star Game, Fowles became the third player to dunk in the All-Star Game.
Her first attempt hit the bottom of the rim, but her second attempt was clean and put her in the elite ranks of Michelle Snow and Lisa Leslie who had dunks in the 2006 and 2005 All-Star Games, respectively. Fowles was selected to the All-Star Game in both 2009 and 2010. She was also named the 2010 WNBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player.
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