A brand new period is starting for Angel Reese, Kamila Cardoso, and the Chicago Sky — and will probably be ushered in by new head coach Tyler Marsh. Marsh, a seasoned basketball coach with immense participant improvement expertise within the NBA, WNBA, and G-League, was formally launched because the Sky’s new head coach on Tuesday afternoon.
“I couldn’t be extra excited, couldn’t be extra blessed to be named the top coach of the Chicago Sky,” mentioned Marsh, seated alongside Sky basic supervisor Jeff Pagliocca and veteran gamers Rachel Banham and Elizabeth Williams.
For greater than 20 minutes, the 36-year-old first-time head coach took questions from the media and laid out his imaginative and prescient for a way the Sky can efficiently rebuild and finally contend for a championship. Fellow Sky veterans Moriah Jefferson and Michaela Onyenwere additionally attended the press convention.
Marsh pressured on quite a few events that he believes selflessness will probably be key to the Sky’s success shifting ahead.
“The championship groups that I’ve that I’ve been part of have an elite degree of professionalism, an elite degree of selflessness and accountability,” he mentioned. “That’s how we need to be right here.”
He introduced up the idea once more later within the press convention, when requested about how he’ll go about assembling a workers of assistant coaches.
“The phrase that retains developing is selflessness,” Marsh mentioned. “You’re going to listen to me say that so much. And that doesn’t simply apply to our gamers. That applies to our workers as effectively. We bought to be an ego-less workers, the place we collectively put the gamers first.”
Marsh has a tall job forward of him: he’ll substitute Teresa Weatherspoon, who was fired final month after one up-and-down season because the Sky’s head coach, and work intently with 2024 draft picks Reese and Cardoso. He’ll additionally want to determine how the Sky can enhance their anemic outdoors capturing — and finally, chart the pathway working championship rivalry.
Recruiting Tyler Marsh to Chicago was a no brainer resolution for the Sky
Pagliocca made clear that bringing in Marsh was a straightforward selection from the bounce.
“We share a ardour for the sport,” Pagliocca mentioned. “We share a ardour for this league, and I liked his imaginative and prescient for a way he needed to come back right here and play and compete. He’s a person of excessive character who cares so much about individuals, cares so much about household, and that issues fairly a bit to this group.”
And, whereas neither Pagliocca nor Marsh make clear the precise recruitment timeline, Marsh echoed the notion that the match made sense from the beginning, and that the fervour was there on the Sky’s entrance.
“If you already know Jeff, he is available in sizzling,” Marsh mentioned. “He was very intentional about letting me know the way unhealthy he needed me to be a part of this group and that went a good distance for me.”
For Pagliocca, Marsh’s breadth of expertise, and success, throughout varied basketball arenas, was a giant draw.
“Tyler is a born chief,” Pagliocca mentioned. “He’s a connector, he’s a tradition creator, and he actually brings a wealth of expertise from the G League — from the NBA to WNBA and actually, not simply expertise, however he actually performed a pivotal and very important position in serving to carry championships to these organizations.”
“As quickly as Tyler and I began speaking, there was fairly quick synergy and people conversations had been accelerated type of shortly,” Pagliocca mentioned. “Acquired him into city, and the remainder is historical past.”
Marsh defined that the emphasis on the human side of the sport was an enormous draw.
“We related on our values of how we consider individuals must be handled, after which that type of transcended into how we view the sport,” Marsh mentioned. “And so if you put individuals first, that makes a number of distinction, and that had an enduring influence on me on this course of.”
Tyler Marsh desires to prioritize participant improvement and tradition
Marsh is well-known for his observe report with participant improvement, most notably his work with Jackie Younger of the Las Vegas Aces, who he helped flip right into a constant three-point shooter.
He credit a number of his success to his broad vary of basketball expertise, and his dedication to all facets of participant improvement.
“I’ve been in a position to see and expertise basketball at nearly each degree, school, highschool, WNBA, G League, NBA,” Marsh mentioned. “If you’re round that many leagues, and also you’ve taken on so many positions, it’s not simply participant improvement that turns into a part of who you’re and a part of my make-up. It’s time within the video room. It’s time creating scouting stories, so it’s definitely just a little little bit of a effectively roundedness there.”
Marsh will work to assist develop all the Sky roster, and he famous that profitable championship groups see contributions from all 12 gamers on the roster. However, he additionally acknowledged that Cardoso and Reese had been cornerstones of the franchise.
“We wish Kamilla [Cardoso] and Angel [Reese] to be good at what they do already,” Marsh mentioned. “We need to proceed to spotlight their strengths. We additionally need to proceed to enhance and work out methods the place they will rating simply or they will nonetheless be efficient defensively.”
Chicago Sky’s new head coach, Tyler Marsh, refers to Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese because the “cornerstone” of the Sky’s franchise.
Marsh plans to hone on their strengths and create extra scoring alternatives for the Skyscraper duo shifting ahead. pic.twitter.com/9VlWaQ3Eb4
— WNBACentral (@WNBACentral_) November 12, 2024
Elizabeth Williams, a 10-year WNBA veteran getting into her third season in Chicago, praised Marsh for his emphasis on culture-building.
“We’re actually excited to have him right here,” Williams mentioned. “Clearly, he is available in with a number of expertise, however he additionally is available in with the mindset of making a sure tradition, and I feel he’s been intentional about speaking with us. The basketball stuff will com,e however basically, you’re attempting to to re-establish what issues will appear like. I feel he’s nice for the job.”
Whereas Weatherspoon didn’t work out long-term, the Sky entrance workplace feels assured issues will transpire in another way with Marsh.
At Tuesday’s introductory press convention, Pagliocca was requested what makes him consider that this association will work.
“We’re actual dedicated to Tyler — he’s about relationships,” Pagliocca mentioned. “I don’t assume it’s essentially about what wasn’t occurring final season, however it’s extra what Tyler’s bringing to us now that makes us really feel so assured.”
“The background in participant improvement, the philosophy. I feel it’s a really uncommon mixture you can have somebody that excels a lot within the participant improvement area, however is definitely much more wired to be a head coach.”
