2015 Chicago Sky season

2015 Chicago Sky season
CoachPokey Chatman
ArenaAllstate Arena
Attendance6,894 per game
Results
Record21–13 (.618)
Place2nd (Eastern)
Playoff finishSemifinals
Team Leaders
PointsElena Delle Donne – 23.4
ReboundsElena Delle Donne – 8.4
AssistsCourtney Vandersloot – 5.8
Media
TelevisionWMEU-CD
ESPN
ESPN2
NBA TV

The 2015 Chicago Sky season was the franchise's 10th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).[1] The season began at home on June 5, 2015 against the New York Liberty. The Sky won that game, but went on to lose their next two games, both on the road. Their extended road trip continued with a victory at Indiana, which they followed with a loss at Atlanta. The road trip ended with an overtime victory over San Antonio. Another overtime victory over Atlanta saw the Sky go above .500. However, they lost two of their final three games in June to finish the month 5–5. They began July with a four-game winning streak, which included two victories over Connecticut, one against Washington, and one against Minnesota. The streak was ended with a defeat against Minnestoa, but the Sky rebounded with two straight victories. They closed the month with defeats against Phoenix and Los Angeles to finish the month 6–3. The team struggled to gain consistency in August as the won their first two games, but then alternated wins and losses for their next five games. The end of the month saw them defeat Washington twice and Atlanta for a three game winning streak, but it was ended with an end of month loss to Connecticut. The Sky finished the month 7–4. The Sky won their first three games in September before falling on the final day of the regular season against Connecticut.

The Sky finished the regular season 21–13, two games out of first place in the Eastern Conference. As the second seed in the East, they faced third seed Indiana in the Conference Semifinals of the 2015 WNBA Playoffs. The Sky won the first game, at home 77–72. They were defeated in game two at Indiana 82–89 to force a deciding third game in Chicago. The Sky could not translate home court advantage into a series win as they fell 100–89 to end their season. Their 21 wins were second in franchise history, only behind their 24 in 2013. Elena Delle Donne won MVP and lead the league in scoring. Courtney Vandersloot lead the league in assists, and Allie Quigley won the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Award.

Transactions

WNBA draft

See also: 2015 WNBA draft
Round Pick Player Nationality School/team/country
1 5 Cheyenne Parker  United States Middle Tennessee
2 17 Betnijah Laney  United States Rutgers
2 22 Aleighsa Welch  United States South Carolina

Trades and Roster Changes

Date Transaction
January 6, 2015 Exercised 4th-Year Team Option on Elena Delle Donne
Extended Qualifying Offers to Courtney Vandersloot, Jessica Breland, Sasha Goodlett, and Courtney Clements
January 12, 2015 Cored Sylvia Fowles
February 10, 2015 Signed Courtney Vandersloot[2]
February 11, 2015 Signed Tamera Young[3]
February 16, 2015 Traded Epiphanny Prince to the New York Liberty in exchange for Cappie Pondexter[4]
February 19, 2015 Signed Jessica Breland
February 23, 2015 Signed Allie Quigley[5]
March 5, 2015 Signed Jacki Gemelos and Clarissa dos Santos to training-camp contracts
March 18, 2015 Signed Sasha Goodlett and Courtney Clements to training-camp contracts
March 23, 2015 Signed Cappie Pondexter to a Contract Extension[6]
April 1, 2015 Waived Gennifer Brandon
April 29, 2015 Signed Cheyenne Parker and Aleighsa Welch to rookie-scale contracts
May 4, 2015 Signed Betnijah Laney and Victoria Macaulay to rookie-scale contracts
May 20, 2015 Waived Aleighsa Welch[7]
May 31, 2015 Waived Courtney Clements[8]
June 4, 2015 Waived Markeisha Gatling and Jacki Gemelos[9]
June 7, 2015 Temporarily Suspended Allie Quigley due to Overseas Commitments
June 17, 2015 Activate Allie Quigley from her Temporary Suspension[10]
Waived Victoria Macaulay
Signed Jacki Gemelos[11]
June 26, 2015 Waived Sasha Goodlett
Traded Sylvia Fowles and a Second Round Pick in the 2016 WNBA draft to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Erika de Souza from the Atlanta Dream as part of a 3-Team Trade[12]

Roster

2015 Chicago Sky roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
F51Breland, Jessica6' 3" (1.91m)170 lb (77kg) (1988-02-23)February 23, 1988 (aged 27)North Carolina4
F/C41de Souza, Érika6' 5" (1.96m)190 lb (86kg) (1982-03-03)March 3, 1982 (aged 33)Brazil9
G/F11Delle Donne, Elena6' 5" (1.96m)188 lb (85kg) (1989-09-05)September 5, 1989 (aged 25)Delaware3
C8dos Santos, Clarissa6' 1" (1.85m)180 lb (82kg) (1988-03-10)March 10, 1988 (aged 27)BrazilR
G21Faulkner, Jamierra5' 6" (1.68m)141 lb (64kg) (1992-03-09)March 9, 1992 (aged 23)Southern Miss2
G5Gemelos, Jacki6' 0" (1.83m)165 lb (75kg) (1988-11-22)November 22, 1988 (aged 26)USCR
G/F44Laney, Betnijah6' 0" (1.83m)160 lb (73kg) (1993-10-29)October 29, 1993 (aged 21)RutgersR
F32Parker, Cheyenne6' 4" (1.93m)190 lb (86kg) (1992-08-22)August 22, 1992 (aged 22)Middle TennesseeR
G23Pondexter, Cappie5' 9" (1.75m)160 lb (73kg) (1983-01-07)January 7, 1983 (aged 32)Rutgers10
G14Quigley, Allie5' 10" (1.78m)140 lb (64kg) (1986-06-20)June 20, 1986 (aged 28)DePaul7
G22Vandersloot, Courtney5' 8" (1.73m)132 lb (60kg) (1989-02-08)February 8, 1989 (aged 26)Gonzaga5
F1Young, Tamera6' 2" (1.88m)172 lb (78kg) (1986-10-30)October 30, 1986 (aged 28)James Madison8
Head coach
Pokey Chatman (LSU)
Assistant coaches
Tree Rollins (Clemson)
Christie Sides (Louisiana Tech)
Athletic trainer
Heidi Wlezien
Strength and conditioning coach
Ann Crosby (Western Michigan)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Depth

Pos. Starter Bench
C Erika de Souza Clarissa dos Santos
PF Jessica Breland Cheyenne Parker
SF Elena Delle Donne Tamera Young
Betnijah Laney
SG Cappie Pondexter Allie Quigley
Jacki Gemelos
PG Courtney Vandersloot Jamierra Faulkner

Schedule

Preseason

2015 Preseason Schedule
Total: 2–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–1)
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record
1 May 22 New York W 55–83 Elena Delle Donne (16) Delle Donne
dos Santos (8)		 Allie Quigley (4) Bob Carpenter Center
3,105		 1–0
2 May 27 Los Angeles L 76–67 Courtney Vandersloot (15) Tamera Young (6) Cappie Pondexter (6) Mohegan Sun Arena
3,947		 1–1
3 May 28 China W 59–92 Elena Delle Donne (18) Cheyenne Parker (6) Vandersloot
Gemelos (3)		 Mohegan Sun Arena 2–1
2015 pre-season schedule

Regular Season

2015 Regular Season Schedule
Total: 21–13 (Home: 13–4; Road: 8–9)
June: 5–5 (Home: 2–1; Road: 3–4)
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record
1 June 5 New York W 95–72 Elena Delle Donne (31) Jessica Breland (13) Allie Quigley (5) Allstate Arena
8,123		 1–0
2 June 6 @ Tulsa L 93–101 Elena Delle Donne (40) Delle Donne (9) Courtney Vandersloot (6) BOK Center
7,256		 1–1
3 June 11 @ Connecticut L 65–67 Elena Delle Donne (27) Pondexter
Laney (8)		 Courtney Vandersloot (4) Mohegan Sun Arena
4,523		 1–2
4 June 14 @ Indiana W 98–72 Elena Delle Donne (24) Elena Delle Donne (9) Vandersloot
Pondexter (4)		 Bankers Life Fieldhouse
6,433		 2–2
5 June 19 @ Atlanta L 73–74 Elena Delle Donne (26) Delle Donne
dos Santos (10)		 Elena Delle Donne (3) Philips Arena
5,166		 2–3
6 June 20 @ San Antonio W 95–87 OT Elena Delle Donne (28) Elena Delle Donne (13) Courtney Vandersloot (8) Freeman Coliseum
4,026		 3–3
7 June 24 Atlanta W 100–96 OT Elena Delle Donne (45) Elena Delle Donne (11) Courtney Vandersloot (5) Allstate Arena
9,893		 4–3
8 June 26 @ Indiana W 83–77 Cappie Pondexter (23) Elena Delle Donne (14) Courtney Vandersloot (7) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
6,889		 5–3
9 June 28 @ Washington L 71–86 Elena Delle Donne (26) Elena Delle Donne (7) Courtney Vandersloot (4) Verizon Center
7,400		 5–4
10 June 30 New York L 81–89 Elena Delle Donne (26) Elena Delle Donne (13) Courtney Vandersloot (10) Allstate Arena
5,048		 5–5
July: 6–3 (Home: 5–1; Road: 1–2)
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record
11 July 2 @ Connecticut W 77–74 Allie Quigley (19) Elena Delle Donne (10) Cappie Pondexter (4) Mohegan Sun Arena
5,607		 6–5
12 July 10 Minnesota W 90–83 Delle Donne
Pondexter (24)		 Breland
Delle Donne (10)		 Faulkner (6) Allstate Arena
6,709		 7–5
13 July 12 Connecticut W 96–76 Cappie Pondexter (29) Elena Delle Donne (8) Cappie Pondexter (7) Allstate Arena
5,051		 8–5
14 July 15 Washington W 75–57 Allie Quigley (15) Elena Delle Donne (10) Jamierra Faulkner (5) Allstate Arena
16,304		 9–5
15 July 17 @ Minnesota L 66–84 Jessica Breland (17) Clarissa dos Santos (13) Courtney Vandersloot (5) Target Center
9,033		 9–6
16 July 19 San Antonio W 93–82 Elena Delle Donne (29) Elena Delle Donne (13) Courtney Vandersloot (8) Allstate Arena
5,011		 10–6
17 July 21 Atlanta W 97–92 Elena Delle Donne (27) Elena Delle Donne (8) Courtney Vandersloot (4) Allstate Arena
5,967		 11–6
18 July 28 @ Phoenix L 87–89 OT Elena Delle Donne (32) Clarissa dos Santos (8) Courtney Vandersloot (6) US Airways Center
10,707		 11–7
19 July 31 Los Angeles L 77–88 Delle Donne (21) Breland (7) Vandersloot (13) Allstate Arena
7,014		 11–8
August: 7–4 (Home: 4–2; Road: 3–2)
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record
20 August 2 Washington W 69–68 Elena Delle Donne (22) de Souza (10) Courtney Vandersloot (10) Allstate Arena
4,141		 12–8
21 August 4 Indiana W 106–82 Elena Delle Donne (19) Delle Donne
Pondexter
Young (6)		 Courtney Vandersloot (7) Allstate Arena
4,979		 13–8
22 August 7 New York L 63–77 Elena Delle Donne (17) Elena Delle Donne (6) Vandersloot
Quigley (2)		 Allstate Arena
5,992		 13–9
23 August 9 Phoenix W 74–64 Elena Delle Donne (33) Jessica Breland (13) Courtney Vandersloot (7) Allstate Arena
7,181		 14–9
24 August 11 @ New York L 63–84 Cappie Pondexter (23) Jessica Breland (7) Courtney Vandersloot (9) Madison Square Garden
9,987		 14–10
25 August 14 @ Seattle W 94–84 Delle Donne
Vandersloot (21)		 Jessica Breland (11) Courtney Vandersloot (8) Key Arena
5,684		 15–10
26 August 16 @ Los Angeles L 64–76 Elena Delle Donne (23) Delle Donne
de Souza (8)		 Courtney Vandersloot (4) Staples Center
7,110		 15–11
27 August 21 Washington W 87–85 Elena Delle Donne (22) Delle Donne
Vandersloot
dos Santos (8)		 Courtney Vandersloot (10) Allstate Arena
5,861		 16–11
28 August 23 @ Washington W 66–64 Elena Delle Donne (18) Elena Delle Donne (10) Breland
Vandersloot (2)		 Verizon Center
7,400		 17–11
29 August 29 @ Atlanta W 98–96 Cappie Pondexter (22) Erika de Souza (7) Courtney Vandersloot (7) Philips Arena
6,872		 18–11
30 August 30 Connecticut L 68–72 Cappie Pondexter (18) Jessica Breland (7) Courtney Vandersloot (5) Allstate Arena
5,969		 18–12
September: 3–1 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–1)
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record
31 September 3 @ New York W 82–60 Courtney Vandersloot (21) Breland
de Souza (8)		 Courtney Vandersloot (5) Madison Square Garden
8,496		 19–12
32 September 6 Seattle W 93–65 Allie Quigley (17) Erika de Souza (8) Vandersloot
Faulkner (6)		 Allstate Arena
6,205		 20–12
33 September 11 Tulsa W 92–71 Elena Delle Donne (21) Young
Parker (5)		 Courtney Vandersloot (9) Allstate Arena
7,753		 21–12
34 September 13 @ Connecticut L 75–86 Elena Delle Donne (28) Erika de Souza (9) Tamera Young (4) Mohegan Sun Arena
8,049		 21–13
2015 season schedule

Playoffs

2015 Playoff Schedule
Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. Indiana (Lost Series 1-2)
Game Date Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record
1 September 17 Indiana W 77–72 Courtney Vandersloot (17) Elena Delle Donne (11) Quigley
Vandersloot (5) 		UIC Pavilion
4,098 		1–0
2 September 19 @ Indiana L 82–89 Courtney Vandersloot (19) Erika de Souza (8) Courtney Vandersloot (6) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7,124 		1–1
3 September 21 Indiana L 89–100 Elena Delle Donne (40) Jessica Breland (8) Courtney Vandersloot (14) Allstate Arena
2,882 		1–2
2015 playoff schedule

Standings

Eastern Conference W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
x - New York Liberty 23 11 .676 – 12–5 11–6 13–9
x - 21 13 .618 2 13–4 8–9 14–8
x - Indiana Fever 20 14 .588 3 11–6 9–8 13–9
x - Washington Mystics 18 16 .529 5 11–6 7–10 10–12
e - Atlanta Dream 15 19 .441 8 9–8 6–11 10–12
e - Connecticut Sun 15 19 .441 8 8–9 7–10 6–16

Notes

x – Clinched playoff spot
e – Eliminated from playoffs

Playoffs

See also: 2015 WNBA Playoffs
Conference semifinals
Best-of-3 		Conference finals
Best-of-3 		WNBA Finals
Best-of-5
         
E1 New York 2
E4 Washington 1
E1 New York 1
Eastern Conference
E3 Indiana 2
E2 1
E3 Indiana 2
E3 Indiana 2
W1 Minnesota 3
W1 Minnesota 2
W4 Los Angeles 1
W1 Minnesota 2
Western Conference
W2 Phoenix 0
W2 Phoenix 2
W3 Tulsa 0
  • Bold – Series winner
  • Italics – Team with home-court advantage

Statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage  TO  Turnovers per game
 PF  Fouls per game Team leader League leader

Regular Season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Elena Delle Donne 31 31 33.3 46.0 31.3 95.0 8.4 1.4 1.1 2.0 23.4
Cappie Pondexter 29 29 30.2 43.9 38.1 82.4 3.9 2.1 1.0 0.2 15.0
Courtney Vandersloot 34 34 29.9 46.3 35.6 90.1 3.4 5.8 1.3 0.5 11.4
Allie Quigley 32 7 22.5 43.1 34.0 82.6 1.8 1.7 0.4 0.5 11.1
Jessica Breland 33 30 21.4 47.1 0.0 77.4 5.9 1.3 0.7 1.1 6.7
Erika de Souza 17 15 19.4 49.4 0.0 47.6 5.5 0.5 0.5 0.8 5.5
Clarissa dos Santos 31 7 17.5 46.1 0.0 68.8 4.6 0.7 0.6 0.6 5.3
Tamera Young 19 10 17.1 39.2 0.0 82.8 2.9 1.3 0.6 0.4 4.5
Jamierra Faulkner 33 0 9.6 41.4 18.2 80.8 1.0 1.7 0.4 0.2 4.1
Betnijah Laney 32 2 12.8 39.4 0.0 69.6 2.1 0.6 0.5 0.2 2.9
Cheyenne Parker 30 0 9.3 40.0 0.0 38.5 2.5 0.2 0.2 0.7 2.2
Sasha Goodlett 16 5 13.1 53.8 0.0 85.7 1.9 0.3 0.2 0.6 2.1
Jacki Gemelos 17 0 5.0 40.0 30.0 0.0 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.1 1.1
Victoria Macaulay 4 0 6.3 28.6 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.5 0.3 1.0

Playoffs

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Elena Delle Donne 3 3 36.3 50.0 43.8 100.0 6.3 2.0 0.7 1.0 21.7
Allie Quigley 3 0 27.0 59.0 43.8 100.0 2.3 2.7 0.0 0.0 18.0
Courtney Vandersloot 3 3 31.7 50.0 50.0 100.0 4.7 8.3 0.3 1.0 13.7
Jessica Breland 3 3 28.3 52.0 0.0 100.0 7.7 1.3 1.3 2.3 10.0
Erika de Souza 3 3 22.7 56.3 0.0 100.0 4.7 0.7 0.7 0.3 7.0
Cappie Pondexter 3 1 22.3 30.8 0.0 100.0 1.0 1.3 0.7 0.0 6.0
Clarissa dos Santos 3 0 7.0 50.0 0.0 33.3 2.0 0.3 0.7 0.7 2.0
Cheyenne Parker 2 0 7.0 66.7 0.0 0.0 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.0
Jamierra Faulkner 3 0 6.0 16.7 0.0 50.0 1.0 1.7 0.0 0.0 1.7
Tamera Young 3 2 12.7 25.0 0.0 0.0 3.0 1.7 0.3 0.3 1.3
Betnijah Laney 1 0 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Awards and honors

Recipient Award Date awarded Ref.
Elena Delle Donne Eastern Conference Player of the Week June 15 [13]
June 23 [14]
June 30 [15]
August 10 [16]
August 24 [17]
Eastern Conference Player of the Month - June July 6 [18]
WNBA All-Star Starter July 14 [19]
WNBA MVP September 16 [20]
Peak Performer: Points September 17 [21]
All-WNBA First Team October 8 [22]
Cappie Pondexter Eastern Conference Player of the Week July 13 [23]
WNBA All-Star Selection July 21 [24]
Courtney Vandersloot Eastern Conference Player of the Week September 8 [25]
Peak Performer: Assists September 17 [21]
All-WNBA Second Team October 8 [22]
Allie Quigley WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year September 17 [26]

References

  1. ^ Sandalow, Brian (February 4, 2015). "Sky reflect on 10-year anniversary". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  2. ^ "Courtney Vandersloot signs long-term deal with Chicago". spokesman.com. The Spokesman. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  3. ^ "Tamera Young agrees to deal, stays with Chicago Sky". si.com. SI. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  4. ^ Bowman, James. "Chicago Sky acquire Cappie Pondexter from the New York Liberty for Epiphanny Prince". swishappeal.com. Swish Appeal. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "Chicago Sky re-sign Allie Quigley to multi-year deal". swishappeal.com. Swish Appeal. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  6. ^ "Sky Ink Pondexter to Multi-Year Contract Extension". oursportscentral.com. Our Sports Central. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  7. ^ "Welch Waived By Chicago Sky". abccolumbia.com. ABC Columbia. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  8. ^ Thompson, Phil. "Sky cut Courtney Clements, prepare to lose Allie Quigley temporairily". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  9. ^ "Sky Waives Gatling". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  10. ^ Thompson, Phil. "Sky Get Alli Quigley back". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  11. ^ "Sky Re-Sign Guard Jacki Gemelos". oursportscentral.com. Our Sports Central. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  12. ^ "Lynx Acquire Fowles, Sky Get de Souza in Three-Team Trade". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  13. ^ "Delle Donne Dominates, Bonner Heats Up Mercury En Route To Player Of The Week Honors". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  14. ^ "Delle Donne Collects Second Straight Honor, Diggins Powers Tulsa To Top Spot In West En Route To Player Of The Week Honors". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  15. ^ "Delle Donne Collects Third Straight Honor, Whalen Leads Lynx En Route To Player Of The Week Awards". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  16. ^ "Delle Donne Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  17. ^ "Delle Donne, Parker Earn Player Of The Week Awards". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  18. ^ "Delle Donne, Diggins Named WNBA Players Of The Month Presented By Samsung". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  19. ^ "Delle Donne Tops WNBA All-star Balloting". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  20. ^ "Sky's Elena Delle Donne Named 2015 WNBA Most Valuable Player Presented By Samsung". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Sky's Delle Donne And Vandersloot, Shock's Paris Earn 2015 WNBA Peak Performer Honors". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  22. ^ a b "WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne Headlines 2015 All-WNBA First Team As Unanimous Pick". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  23. ^ "Pondexter, Moore Earn Player Of The Week Awards". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  24. ^ "Bird, Pondexter Highlight Reserves For Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2015". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  25. ^ "ky's Courtney Vandersloot, Sparks' Candace Parker named WNBA Players of the Week". pr.nba.com. NBA. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  26. ^ Bullock, Chris. "Allie Quigley wins 6th Woman of the Year award". swishappeal.com. Swish Appeal. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
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