Chicago Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon has had a challenging beginning to her WNBA coaching tenure. The Sky had a promising start to the 2024 season, but they've lost their last three games heading into their upcoming matchup against the Indiana Fever. Weatherspoon's squad will have another tough task in front of them against Caitlin Clark and the Fever, and the head coach had an eye-opening stance on the drama surrounding Clark and the league as a whole.
Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon gets honest on WNBA drama, Caitlin Clark
“I think there's been a lot of talk about women's basketball. It's a big thing. It's huge. But what you want to be spoken about is the game. The skill, the talent versatility, how hard we play. What they have to do to be able to step between those four lines all the time. And to talk about competitors. They're out there to compete and go win,” Weatherspoon said before Sunday's Fever game.
There have been several controversial incidents and discourses that have polarized fans at the start of the 2024 season. One of the biggest narratives is WNBA veterans sending messages to rookies by being more physical.
First, Angel Reese took a hard hit from Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas in the Sky's home opener. Then, Chennedy Carter shoulder-checked Clark during the first Sky-Fever matchup of the season on June 1st. While both fouls crossed a line, Weatherspoon understands things happen in the heat of the moment. At the same time, she knows players must conduct themselves appropriately in those moments.
“Once you've heard it and you've spoken about it, you move on. And that's what we did as a team. We spoke about it. We did what we had to do to speak about how we conduct ourselves and we moved on from there. The world kept speaking… but you have a job to do. That's to get back between those four lines and get yourselves together to go back out and compete,” Weatherspoon said when asked to revisit Carter's foul on Clark.
Fans and analysts do not just see rookies like Clark as victims, but as competitors who are subject to criticism. One major criticism of Clark is that she is averaging a considerably high 5.5 turnovers per game. Despite her struggles, Weatherspoon believes Clark will eventually figure things out.
“Caitlin is outstanding with what she does. You have to be very smart defensively because she will make sure to get the ball to the right people. We always talk about her ability to score but she has great vision… She understands the game very well, and all [of her] turnovers we talk about, as she continues to grow in this game, all that will [improve],” Weatherspoon claimed.
Sky look for major improvement against Caitlin Clark and the Fever
Chicago enters their matchup against Indiana with a 4-8 record. The team is looking to snap a three-game losing streak and begin climbing up the Eastern Conference standings. Meanwhile, the Fever will be looking to continue to build momentum after their 91-84 victory over the Atlanta Dream on Thursday.
If the Sky execute on both sides of the ball, they have a chance to snap their cold streak and get back into the playoff race.
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