Chicago Sky head coach Tyler Marsh discusses Angel Reese, Kamila Cardoso, and extra in first media availability

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 growth 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,” stated Marsh, seated alongside Sky normal 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 confused on quite a few events that he believes selflessness shall 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 stated. “That’s how we wish 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 stated. “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 nicely. We obtained to be an ego-less workers, the place we collectively put the gamers first.”

Marsh has a tall job forward of him: he’ll exchange 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 taking pictures — and finally, chart the pathway working championship rivalry.

Recruiting Tyler Marsh to Chicago was a no brainer determination for the Sky

Pagliocca made clear that bringing in Marsh was a simple selection from the leap.

“We share a ardour for the sport,” Pagliocca stated. “We share a ardour for this league, and I liked his imaginative and prescient for a way he wished 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 particular recruitment timeline, Marsh echoed the notion that the match made sense from the beginning, and that the eagerness was there on the Sky’s entrance.

“If you already know Jeff, he is available in sizzling,” Marsh stated. “He was very intentional about letting me understand how dangerous he wished 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 an enormous draw.

“Tyler is a born chief,” Pagliocca stated. “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 important function 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 form of shortly,” Pagliocca stated. “Obtained 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 linked on our values of how we imagine individuals must be handled, after which that form of transcended into how we view the sport,” Marsh stated. “And so once you put individuals first, that makes a whole lot of distinction, and that had an enduring impression on me on this course of.”

Tyler Marsh desires to prioritize participant growth and tradition

Marsh is well-known for his monitor document with participant growth, 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 whole lot of his success to his broad vary of basketball expertise, and his dedication to all elements of participant growth.

“I’ve been capable of see and expertise basketball at just about each degree, school, highschool, WNBA, G League, NBA,” Marsh stated. “Once you’re round that many leagues, and also you’ve taken on so many positions, it’s not simply participant growth 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 studies, so it’s actually a bit little bit of a nicely roundedness there.”

Marsh will work to assist develop your entire 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 stated. “We wish to proceed to spotlight their strengths. We additionally wish to proceed to enhance and work out methods the place they’ll rating simply or they’ll nonetheless be efficient defensively.”

Elizabeth Williams, a 10-year WNBA veteran coming into her third season in Chicago, praised Marsh for his emphasis on culture-building.

“We’re actually excited to have him right here,” Williams stated. “Clearly, he is available in with a whole lot of expertise, however he additionally is available in with the mindset of making a sure tradition, and I believe he’s been intentional about speaking with us. The basketball stuff will com,e however primarily, you’re attempting to to re-establish what issues will seem like. I believe he’s nice for the job.”

Whereas Weatherspoon didn’t work out long-term, the Sky entrance workplace feels assured issues will transpire in a different way with Marsh.

At Tuesday’s introductory press convention, Pagliocca was requested what makes him imagine that this association will work.

“We’re actual dedicated to Tyler — he’s about relationships,” Pagliocca stated. “I don’t suppose it’s essentially about what wasn’t taking place final season, nevertheless it’s extra what Tyler’s bringing to us now that makes us really feel so assured.”

“The background in participant growth, the philosophy. I believe it’s a really uncommon mixture that you could have somebody that excels a lot within the participant growth enviornment, however is definitely much more wired to be a head coach.”