Tyler Marsh has a vision for the Chicago Sky.
It starts with an expectation and ends with a trophy. Everything else that comes in between — well, Marsh still is filling that in.
It’s his first year as a WNBA head coach, but Marsh doesn’t want to hear any caveats or excuses. He learned a lot about winning during his career as an assistant coach, evidenced by the four championship rings — one NBA D-League, one NBA, two WNBA — he collected in the last 12 years.
But Marsh also knows winning can’t be rushed. And as his first season in Chicago tips off Saturday with a road game against the Indiana Fever, he’s most focused on setting a foundation that can carry the Sky for seasons to come.
“Establishing a culture, establishing a mindset, establishing an identity of who we want to be for this year — and for the long term — is how we’ll gauge ourselves moving forward,” Marsh said Monday during Sky media day.
“We want it to be something that’s sustainable, something that’s not just for Year 1 and fades away in Year 2 but something that we can continue to build upon and lay on a foundation so everyone that’s in here now and everyone that’s to be a Chicago Sky (player) moving forward understands what we’re about.”
This season will be a challenging test for Marsh as a first-time head coach — but he’s not alone in that experience. He’s one of seven first-time head coaches in the WNBA this season, and eight of the league’s 13 teams hired a new coach this season, including the expansion Golden State Valkyries, who hired Marsh’s fellow former Las Vegas Aces assistant Natalie Nakase.
For Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca, getting the coaching hire correct was the most important decision of the offseason. And his selection was met with immediate enthusiasm by Sky players, who praised Marsh for his energy and rigorous attention to detail throughout the preseason.
“In my eyes, (he) exceeded the expectations as a first-year coach already with how he has commanded buy-in immediately from the first day of camp,” Pagliocca said. “Outside of the system, the relationships and the speed he’s been able to build them with the players has allowed the buy-in to continue to grow.”
The Sky’s new vision depends on Pagliocca’s belief in Marsh, whom he described as a “partner in crime” in building the team’s foundation for this season. But the Sky aren’t making leadership solely a responsibility for the coaching staff. That’s why they brought in a crop of veteran talent that includes Ariel Atkins, Kia Nurse, Rebecca Allen and former captain Courtney Vandersloot.
Last year the Sky’s rookie stars, Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, felt lost. The 2024 roster was one of the youngest in the league with a median of four years of experience on opening day. Reese described a sense of expected leadership from the two youngest players on the roster, an unwieldy burden to place on rookies attempting to find their way in the league.
That won’t be the case this season, especially with Vandersloot back at the helm of her longtime team. Marsh described the 11th-year guard as an extension of the coaching staff on the court, providing a crucial metronome for the rest of the team.
“Her experience, her maturity, her wisdom — it’s something you can’t really put a price on,” Marsh said.
This year is about growth, but Sky players aren’t being shy about setting high expectations.
The Sky missed the playoffs last season after finishing 10th in the league with a 13-27 record. That afforded them a lottery pick — which Pagliocca used to trade for Atkins — for a rare upside to an otherwise poor finish.
But the Sky don’t want to think about assets or silver linings. They’re tired of losing and ready to compete. So Reese and her teammates set the bar in the preseason: Making the playoffs is an absolute minimum.
“I want to get to the playoffs and I want to get there bad,” Reese said. “I love to win, and it left a bad taste in my mouth not making the playoffs last year and not being able to help the team.”
To do so, the Sky will need to finish among the top eight teams, jockeying with the likes of the Seattle Storm, Atlanta Dream, Phoenix Mercury and Dallas Wings for a foothold in the middle of the standings.
With a revamped roster and a shifted strategy, the playoffs are an attainable goal for the Sky. And as they build toward a future of returning to the championship stage, that begins with regaining a sense of competitiveness in 2025.
“We are always going to be in win-now mode,” Pagliocca said. “We retooled. We knew we had to make some changes. We’re really confident about the group that we have, and as long as we’re improving each day, we’ll gauge it that way internally.
“But the goal is to make the playoffs in an extremely competitive league.”
