[Bleacher Nation] - Sky Notebook: What a Difference a Year Makes, Angel Reese Expanding Game, Lots of Love for Tyler Marsh, More The are one day away from tipping off a 2025 season that comes with increased expectations. That’s what will happen when you add a new head coach, a slew of veterans, a high-profile rookie, and enter Year 2 with a star-studded frontcourt! With the Sky and Fever having their first of five meetings tomorrow, I thought it would be the perfect time to clean up my notebook. Below you will find plenty of thoughts from training camp, preseason, and this week’s Media Day, as well as some general team news. © Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images What a Difference a Year Can Make The echoey audio inside Intentional Sports during Monday’s Media Day left many players leaning in and asking for questions to be repeated. But, make no mistake, the team’s message could not have been clearer. This is not the same Chicago Sky team that took the court and spiraled toward a 13-27 record last season. General Manager Jeff Pagliocca had a clear mission to head into this summer and pursue significant change. Improving chemistry and versatility appeared to be the goal, not only to win more games but to bring out the best in the franchise’s young core. “We brought in a number of three-point shooters. We brought in a number of vets. We brought in a Hall of Fame point guard. There was improvements that needed to be made for us to capitalize on our size and our youth, and to allow Angel, Kamilla, and Elizabeth Williams … their jobs will get easier with floor spacing. With some positional size with shooters, we’re going to be able to do a lot,” Pagliocca said. For what it’s worth, the change in play style has already been on full display throughout the team’s three preseason games. We watched the Sky knock down at least nine threes in two of their performances, matching the total number of times they did so during the 2024 regular season. They finished the season . Tempo has also been a clear point of emphasis during training camp after the Sky finished bottom four in PACE last season. At Sachs Recreation Center, hands on knees have been a common sight, and deep breaths have been an equally common sound. Giving that much effort before the ball is even tipped isn’t easy to do, but it sure feels that way for this new-look Sky roster. Even the players who just walked through the door sense something different about what the Sky have started to build. “I was talking to Kia and EWill after one of our first preseason games, and I was telling them I haven’t played basketball with this much joy in a while,” rookie guard Maddy Westbeld said. “They had both smiled back at me and just said the same thing for them, too. So I think that is just a testament. This is kind of a unique situation where everybody is truly bought into just the chemistry and the culture of this place.” While Pagliocca may have been the driving force behind the sweeping changes, the executive did anything but take credit. Instead, he joined a handful of players in praising the immediate efforts of one man. The Love for Tyler Marsh is Real Arguably, the greatest constant throughout the preseason process has been the praise for first-year head coach Tyler Marsh. Coming over from a Las Vegas Aces team with gobs of championship experience, the former assistant has already started to exceed expectations: “I’m going to give Tyler all of the credit. I wasn’t able to do the things that we got accomplished if he wasn’t in that room with me this year the majority of the time. You’re going to hear me say it all the time: He is the key to this operation. He’s as skilled as a young coach as I’ve personally been around. Whenever I get the opportunity, even when it’s not asked, I’m going to profess my love to that man.” Asked about Pagliocca’s passion during his own Media Day availability, Marsh quipped that he was not quite sure if it was true love yet. The coach appears to be taking a more patient approach, which is precisely the mentality he wants to instill in his star player as she heads into Year 2. Angel Reese remains a critical piece to the puzzle. While some may question how her post play and physicality fit into the Sky’s more free-flowing and up-tempo attack, the 23-year-old forward has sounded confident in her ability to contribute night in and night out. Will there be an adjustment period? Absolutely, but this appears to be something she is well aware of. “Don’t be expecting me to come down and shoot six to seven threes a night. Obviously, that’s what I’m working on, but it’s just a confidence piece,” Reese said on Media Day. “Taking the shots I was hesitating on last year and building off that … Just giving myself grace and giving myself patience.” Reese has gushed about Marsh’s new style of play, comparing it to her more versatile AAU days. Whether it be grabbing the rebound and leading transition, pick-and-popping for more mid-range jumpers, or distributing from the middle of the floor, Marsh is going to give Reese the opportunity to do it all: “Everybody in the country knows I...
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