Sky say Vatansever will not return as coach and GM after taking over on interim basis for Wade
Chicago Sky interim head coach Emre Vatansever calls out to players during the first half of Game 2 of a WNBA basketball playoff series game against the Las Vegas Aces, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)
CHICAGO (AP) — Emre Vatansever will not return as the Chicago Sky’s coach and general manager after taking over on an interim basis following James Wade’s midseason departure, the team said Wednesday.
Whether he will go back to serving as an assistant coach was not clear.
The announcement comes three days after the Sky were swept out of the playoffs by the defending-champion Las Vegas Aces. Led by All-Star Kahleah Copper, Chicago finished eighth in the WNBA at 18-22 and made the postseason for the fifth year in a row.
Vatansever, who started as an assistant with the Sky in 2018, took over when Wade left for an assistant coaching job with the Toronto Raptors. He led Chicago to an 11-13 record. The Sky were 81-59 in 4 1/2 seasons with Wade and won the franchise’s first championship in 2021.
The Sky tied the Las Vegas Aces for the league’s best record in 2022, only to get knocked out by the Connecticut Sun in the semifinals. But they weren’t the same team after that.
The roster underwent a big transformation in the offseason, with Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot and her sharp-shooting wife Allie Quigley not returning.
___ AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball