The Chicago Sky performs night after night for fans, family, friends, and supporters.
They are expected to play to their potential, not only for themselves but also for the people watching. It is the responsibility of the coaching staff to make sure the players have all the tools and skills necessary to do this.
The coaching staff of the Chicago Sky try their hardest to make sure their players are well equipped to do their job and have fun while doing it.
Head Coach
Head Coach Pokey Chatman will enter in her first season at the helm of the Chicago Sky as coach and General Manager of the team. Team Owner Michael Alter promised fans and supporters that he would bring in a coach with a proven track record and commitment to winning and he definitely found that in Chatman.
Chatman was previously the head coach of the Russian Spartak Moscow Region in the Euroleague and led the team to a perfect 16-0 record. With her leadership, they also took the 2010 Euroleague Championship. This championship wasn’t just any championship, but considered to be the most prized championship in the most competitive European basketball league.
Before coaching at the professional level, she was also the head coach at LSU and led the team to consecutive NCAA Final Four Tournaments. She also led the team to consecutive Southeastern Conference regular season titles. Some of the awards Chatman has won are the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association National Coach of the Year, Naismith National Coach of the Year, Victor Award Female Coach o the Year, and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association National Coach of the Year.
Assistant Coaches
Assistant Coach Jeff House and Christie Sides will both start their first season with the Chicago Sky in the upcoming season. House has over 20 years of basketball knowledge and experience that will be vital to the Sky’s success.
During the 1998-2004 seasons, House was part of the New York Liberty staff as video coordinator and advance scout. Eventually he became an assistant coach and important part of helping the Liberty win the 1999, 2000, and 2002 WNBA Eastern Conference Championships. 2005 saw House as the top assistant with the Washington Mystics before going back to the college level as a recruiting coordinator/assistant coaching position at the University of Virginia.
Before the Sky, Sides was the assistant coach with the Spartak Moscow Region in Russia. It was here that she helped Chatman lead current Sky center Sylvia Fowles and Spartak to consecutive FIBA Euroleague Championships in 2008 and 2009.
Sides was also and assistant coach on the Slovakian Women’s National Team since 2008. With her guidance, she helped the team make it to the European Championships in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Before Sides was involved with professional basketball, she again helped assist Chatman but this time it was at the Collegiate level. Sides was an important part of the staff at LSU and her familiarity with Chatman’s coaching style will take her far with the team.
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