Sky executives showed up at practice Tuesday to walk players through plans for the new Bedford Park practice facility, a $40 million project they hope will signal progress after a 9-30 season.
Right after the meeting, Angel Reese undercut the optimism with blunt honesty about her offseason expectations.
“I’m not settling for the same s−−− we did this year,” Reese told the Chicago Tribune. “We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s a non-negotiable for me.”
Reese said she’d do whatever it takes to recruit top talent, but also raised the possibility of leaving if the Sky don’t meet her standards.
“I’d like to be here for my career,” she said. “But if things don’t pan out, obviously I might have to move in a different direction and do what’s best for me.”
A season of skepticism
Reese’s comments extended a pattern of doubt about the Sky’s direction.
In late August, when asked whether the team took steps forward despite missing the playoffs, she answered it was “hard to tell.” After her recovery from a back injury, she hinted at a disconnect over how it was handled, saying she’d “speak on it after the season.” But she emphasized she learned to put herself first.
“Probably didn’t do that last year,” Reese said after her second game back. “Just try to go out there and play through every damn thing. I can’t always do that. I have to prioritize myself. And when everybody else wants me out there, I can’t do that.”
Rising standards
Much of Reese’s skepticism has centered on how the Sky measure up in a league where standards for player experience are rising — especially with an upcoming free agency in which nearly every veteran is on the market.
After the All-Star break, she said she returned with notes from other stars about the “small things” great organizations provide — and she passed that list along.
Asked Wednesday what role the new facility will play in attracting free agents, Reese acknowledged it will be a step up.
“Y’all saw the rec that we practice at,” she said. “I don’t think anybody wants to practice there.”
Feedback session
Tuesday’s meeting with executives also included time for player input. Reese pushed for a bigger training room, locker room and office space. Guard Ariel Atkins requested a bathroom near the court — which she lamented isn’t standard.
“I think they’re doing a good job of getting up to par of where the standards should be for the WNBA,” Atkins told the Sun-Times.
What Atkins, a free agent, decides this offseason will be a meaningful signal. Last week, she said it was too early to discuss her future. But she’s exactly the kind of player the Sky should be able to convince, having seen the vision up close. If they can’t, that would be trouble.
Reese told the Tribune it would be a “leap of faith” for a superstar to choose Chicago.
Culture over facilities
Head coach Tyler Marsh knows it’s on him and the organization to start building that faith — and he thinks it starts with people as much as facilities.
He expects every team will eventually have a practice facility, leveling that part of the playing field. What will set teams apart, he said, is their culture.
“It’s hard to see that in the midst of what this season has been on the court,” Marsh said. “But I think that we’re as cohesive as can be given a 9-30 record.”
It would certainly help to have their franchise player, though. Asked whether Reese’s future in Chicago is stable, Marsh said:
“Angel has shown a commitment to wanting to be here. We as an organization continue to show a commitment that we want people that want to be here.”
He added that he had seen her comments but had not addressed them with the team.