Langbahn Team – Weltmeisterschaft

2016 Chicago Sky season

2016 Chicago Sky season
CoachPokey Chatman
ArenaAllstate Arena
Attendance7,009 per game
Results
Record18–16 (.529)
Place2nd (Eastern)
Playoff finishFourth Seed, Lost in Semifinals to Los Angeles 3–1
Team Leaders
PointsElena Delle Donne – 21.5
ReboundsElena Delle Donne – 7.0
AssistsCourtney Vandersloot – 4.0
Media
TelevisionWMEU-CD
ESPN
ESPN2
NBA TV

The 2016 Chicago Sky season was the franchise's 11th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The season began on May 14th, at home against the Connecticut Sun.

The Sky began the season with a win, but could not sustain that momentum and lost their next four games. They finished May with a win and extended their streak with three wins to start June. However, they only won one of their final five games in June to finish the first two months of the season with a 6–9 record. The Sky split a home and away matchup with Washington to begin July and lost two of their next three. The won three of their last four to end the month with a 5–4 record. The Sky came out of the Olympic break strongly, winning both their games in August and their first two in September. They lost their next two, before winning three in a row. They could not overcome Seattle on the final day of the season and finished with an 18–16 regular season record.

Their record was good enough for second place in the Eastern Conference and the fourth overall seed in the 2016 WNBA Playoffs. They earned a bye into the Second Round where they defeated sixth-seed Atlanta 108–98 and advanced to the Semfinals. There they matched-up against the Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks defeated the Sky 3 games to 1 and would go on to finish as WNBA Champions.

Transactions

WNBA draft

Round Pick Player Nationality School/team/country
1 10 Imani Boyette  United States Texas
3 34 Jordan Jones  United States Texas A&M

Trades and Roster Changes

Date Transaction
January 7, 2016 Extended Qualifying Offers to Jessica Breland, Clarissa dos Santos, and Jacki Gemelos
Exercised 4th-Year Team Option on Jamierra Faulkner
February 9, 2016 Signed Jessica Breland[1]
February 11, 2016 Signed Clarissa dos Santos to a training-camp contract[2]
March 7, 2016 Signed Yvonne Turner, Jacki Gemelos, and Shanece McKinney to training-camp contracts[3]
April 21, 2016 Signed Imani McGee-Stafford and Jordan Jones to rookie-scale contracts
Signed Maggie Lyon to a training-camp contract[4]
April 28, 2016 Waived Maggie Lyon
May 6, 2016 Waived Jacki Gemelos and Jordan Jones[5]
May 11, 2016 Waived Shanece McKinney[6]
May 12, 2016 Waived Yvonne Turner

Roster

2016 Chicago Sky Roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. From
C 34 United States Boyette, Imani 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) (1994-10-11)October 11, 1994 (aged 21) Texas
F 51 United States Breland, Jessica 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) (1988-02-23)February 23, 1988 (aged 28) North Carolina
F/C 41 Brazil de Souza, Érika 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) (1982-03-03)March 3, 1982 (aged 34) Brazil
G/F 11 United States Delle Donne, Elena 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 188 lb (85 kg) (1989-09-05)September 5, 1989 (aged 26) Delaware
C 8 Brazil dos Santos, Clarissa 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 196 lb (89 kg) (1988-03-10)March 10, 1988 (aged 28) Brazil
G 21 United States Faulkner, Jamierra 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) 141 lb (64 kg) (1992-03-09)March 9, 1992 (aged 24) Southern Miss
G/F 44 United States Laney, Betnijah 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) (1993-10-29)October 29, 1993 (aged 22) Rutgers
F 32 United States Parker, Cheyenne 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) (1992-08-22)August 22, 1992 (aged 23) Middle Tennessee
G 23 United States Pondexter, Cappie 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 160 lb (73 kg) (1983-01-07)January 7, 1983 (aged 33) Rutgers
G 14 United States Quigley, Allie 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 140 lb (64 kg) (1986-06-20)June 20, 1986 (aged 29) DePaul
G 22 United States Vandersloot, Courtney 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 145 lb (66 kg) (1989-02-08)February 8, 1989 (aged 27) Gonzaga
F 1 United States Young, Tamera 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) (1986-10-30)October 30, 1986 (aged 29) James Madison
Head coach
United States Pokey Chatman (LSU)
Assistant coaches
United States Jonah Herscu (Lake Forest College)
United States Christie Sides (Louisiana Tech)
Athletic trainer
United States Heidi Wlezien
Strength and conditioning coach
United States Ann Crosby (Western Michigan)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured
Notes
  • Age of player is as of the start of the regular season.

Depth

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

Schedule

Preseason

2016 pre-season game log
May: 2–1 (Home: 2–0; Road: 0–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
1 May 1 New York W 93–59 Elena Delle Donne (17) Betnijah Laney (7) Courtney Vandersloot (4) Bob Carpenter Center
3,432
1–0
2 May 4 Connecticut L 84–81 Elena Delle Donne (13) Jessica Breland (6) Jamierra Faulkner (5) Mohegan Sun Arena
4,207
1–1
3 May 5 Atlanta W 95–75 Betnijah Laney (14) Cheyenne Parker (5) Courtney Vandersloot (6) Mohegan Sun Arena
4,025
2–1
2016 pre-season schedule

Regular Season

2016 game log
Total: 18–16 (Home: 11–6; Road: 7–10)
May: 2–4 (Home: 1–2; Road: 1–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
1 May 14 Connecticut W 93–70 Vandersloot (14) Breland (9) Vandersloot (7) Allstate Arena
6,719
1–0
2 May 18 Minnesota L 80–97 Delle Donne (28) Delle Donne
Young (6)
Vandersloot (11) Allstate Arena
5,034
1–1
3 May 22 @ Atlanta L 81–87 Pondexter (17) Breland (10) Pondexter (5) Philips Arena
6,152
1–2
4 May 24 Los Angeles W 80–93 Faulkner 17 Breland
Young (9)
Faulkner (10) Allstate Arena
5,554
1–3
5 May 27 @ San Antonio L 78–79 Delle Donne (27) de Souza
Delle Donne (9)
Faulkner (11) AT&T Center
5,210
1–4
6 May 29 @ Dallas W 92–87 Pondexter (18) Boyette (8) Faulkner (9) College Park Center
5,297
2–4
June: 4–5 (Home: 2–1; Road: 2–4)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
7 June 1
6:00 PM[a]
@ Washington W 86–78 Delle Donne (18) Delle Donne (9) Vandersloot (8) Verizon Center
5,649
3–4
8 June 3
7:30 PM
Washington W 98–72 Delle Donne (18) de Souza (7) Faulkner (9) Allstate Arena
5,489
4–4
9 June 10
6:00 PM
@ Indiana W 73–64 Boyette (16) Boyette (12) Vandersloot (6) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
7,533
5–4
10 June 12
5:00 PM
@ Phoenix L 80–86 Delle Donne (18) de Souza (7) de Souza, Faulkner (3) Talking Stick Resort Arena
9,055
5–5
11 June 14
9:30 PM
@ Los Angeles L 85–98 Pondexter (20) de Souza (12) Pondexter (5) Staples Center
7,348
5–6
12 June 17
6:30 PM
@ Atlanta L 97–101 OT Delle Donne (26) de Souza (8) Vandersloot, Pondexter, Faulkner (5) Philips Arena
4,560
5–7
13 June 21
7:00 PM
San Antonio W 81–75 Delle Donne (23) Young (9) Faulkner, Young, Delle Donne (3) Allstate Arena
5,744
6–7
14 June 24
6:30 PM
@ New York L79–80 Delle Donne (31) Delle Donne (8) Vandersloot (5) Madison Square Garden
10,120
6–8
15 June 29
11:30 AM
Indiana L 83–95 Delle Donne (21) Delle Donne (6) Pondexter (6) Allstate Arena
11,892
6–9
July: 5–4 (Home: 3–3; Road: 2–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
16 July 1
6:00 PM[a]
Washington W 86–84 OT Delle Donne (28) Delle Donne (11) Vandersloot (5) Allstate Arena
5,320
7–9
17 July 5
7:30 PM
@ Washington L 82–87 Delle Donne (38) Delle Donne (10) Faulkner (7) Target Center
7,433
7–10
18 July 8
7:30 PM
New York L 85–88 Quigley (29) Delle Donne (7) Faulkner (5) Allstate Arena
5,633
7–11
19 July 10
6:00 PM
Phoenix W 100–95 Quigley (21) Boyette (13) Vandersloot, Faulkner (7) Allstate Arena
7,021
8–11
20 July 13
5:00 PM
Los Angeles L 67–77 Delle Donne (15) Boyette (7) Vandersloot, Faulkner (5) Allstate Arena
16,444
8–12
21 July 14
9:30 PM
Los Angeles W 84–77 Delle Donne (24) Boyette (8) Faulkner (6) Allstate Arena
6,012
9–12
22 July 17
6:30 PM
@ Seattle W 91–88 Delle Donne (35) Delle Donne (11) Faulkner (4) KeyArena 10–12
23 July 19
7:00 PM
@ Phoenix L 77–79 Delle Donne (18) Boyette (10) Vandersloot (3) Talking Stick Resort Arena
9,318
11–12
24 July 22
6:30 PM
Connecticut L 89–94 Delle Donne (20) Breland (8) Vandersloot (6) Allstate Arena
6,893
11–13
August: 2–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
25 August 26
11:30 AM
Atlanta W 90–82 Delle Donne (34) Boyette (9) Delle Donne, Pondexter (5) Allstate Arena
6,016
12–13
26 August 28
11:30 AM
@ Dallas W 92–85 Delle Donne (18) Delle Donne (9) Vandersloot (9) College Park Center
5,651
13–13
September: 5–3 (Home: 4–0; Road: 1–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
27 September 2
11:30 AM
Seattle W 92–88 Young (24) Breland (10) Vandersloot, Pondexter (5) Allstate Arena
5,997
14–13
28 September 4
11:30 AM
San Antonio W 97–73 Delle Donne (35) Boyette (7) Vandersloot, Pondexter 5 Allstate Arena
6,034
15–13
29 September 7
6:00 PM
@ Washington L 81–118 Vandersloot (17) Boyette (7) Vandersloot (8) Verizon Center
5,373
15–14
30 September 9
5:00 PM
@ Los Angeles L 88–95 Pondexter (22) Breland (9) Vandersloot (4) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
10,533
15–15
31 September 11
9:30 PM
@ Los Angeles W 96–86 Pondexter (24) Breland (10) Pondexter (5) Mohegan Sun Arena
6,620
16–15
32 September 13
6:30 PM
Minnesota W 98–97 OT Pondexter (24) de Souza (11) Pondexter (4) Allstate Arena
6,050
17–15
33 September 16
7:00 PM
New York W 92–68 Young (22) Young (9) Faulkner (11) Allstate Arena
7,925
18–15
34 September 18
6:30 PM
@ Seattle L 75–88 Faulkner, Breland (14) Boyette, de Souza (6) Faulkner (7) KeyArena
12,186
18–16
2016 season schedule

Playoffs

2016 playoff game log
Second Round vs. Atlanta Dream
Won Series: 1–0
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 September 25 Atlanta W 108–98 Vandersloot (21) Breland (16) Vandersloot (13) Allstate Arena
3,922
1–0
Semifinals vs. Los Angeles Sparks
Lost Series: 1–3
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 September 28 @ Los Angeles L 75–95 Faulkner (13) Breland (7) Vandersloot (5) Walter Pyramid
3,894
0–1
2 September 30 @ Los Angeles L 84–99 dos Santos (15) Breland (9) Quigley (5) Staples Center
7,855
0–2
3 October 2 Los Angeles W 70–66 Vandersloot (17) McGee-Stafford (11) Faulkner, Vandersloot (5) Allstate Arena
5,018
1–2
4 October 4 Los Angeles L 75–95 Pondexter (19) McGee-Stafford (10) Young (6) Allstate Arena
3,841
1–3
2016 playoff schedule

Standings

Eastern Conference W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
3 - New York Liberty 21 13 .618 10–7 11–6 11–5
4 - Chicago Sky 18 16 .529 3 11–6 7–10 8–8
5 - Indiana Fever 17 17 .500 4 8–9 9–8 8–8
6 - Atlanta Dream 17 17 .500 4 11–6 6–11 9–7
e - Connecticut Sun 14 20 .412 7 8–9 6–11 4–12
e - Washington Mystics 13 21 .382 8 5–12 8–9 8–8

Notes

# – Playoff seed
e – Eliminated from playoffs

Playoffs

The Sky's 18–16 regular season record was good for second in the Eastern Conference and fourth overall in the WNBA. This standing led to Chicago being seeded fourth and being granted an automatic bye from the first of two single elimination rounds. In the second single elimination round, the Sky drew sixth-seeded Atlanta, defeating the Dream 108–98 and advancing to the best-of-five semifinal round. The Sky fell to second-seeded Los Angeles in the semifinals, losing in four games.

First round:
Single elimination
(Sept. 21)
Second round:
Single elimination
(Sept. 24 and 25)
Semifinals:
Best-of-five
(Sept. 28 – Oct. 6)
WNBA Finals:
Best-of-five
(Oct. 9 – 20)
1Minnesota Lynx1139682
3New York Liberty948Phoenix Mercury958667
5Indiana Fever788Phoenix Mercury1011Minnesota Lynx7679758576
8Phoenix Mercury892Los Angeles Sparks7860927977
2Los Angeles Sparks95996695
4Chicago Sky1084Chicago Sky75847075
6Atlanta Dream946Atlanta Dream98
7Seattle Storm85

Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.

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 28 28 33.1 48.5% 42.6% 93.5% 7.0 1.9 0.6 1.5 21.5
Cappie Pondexter 33 29 27.4 42.9% 36.2% 88.2% 2.8 2.7 0.9 0.1 12.9
Tamera Young 32 20 25.8 45.0% 0.0% 79.0% 4.5 1.4 0.8 0.1 8.5
Courtney Vandersloot 30 21 24.3 41.9% 35.1% 90.4% 2.7 4.7 1.4 0.1 9.5
Jamierra Faulkner 34 14 19.3 42.5% 33.3% 76.9% 1.5 4.6 1.1 0.1 7.8
Imani McGee-Stafford 31 16 18.9 55.4% 66.0% 5.6 0.6 0.6 1.4 6.7
Allie Quigley 34 0 17.8 47.1% 36.6% 89.5% 0.9 1.6 0.5 0.1 9.5
Jessica Breland 34 16 17.2 49.4% 79.5% 4.4 0.7 0.5 1.1 6.0
Érika de Souza 31 18 16.6 51.7% 75.0% 5.2 0.6 0.5 0.7 5.8
Cheyenne Parker 25 7 12.6 50.6% 0.0% 53.1% 3.2 0.2 0.5 0.2 4.0
Clarissa dos Santos 20 0 9.4 33.9% 0.0% 85.0% 2.2 0.5 0.3 0.2 2.9
Betnijah Laney 8 1 5.3 16.7% 0.0% 100% 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.0 1.0

Awards and honors

Recipient Award Date awarded
Elena Delle Donne Eastern Conference Player of the Week July 18, 2016
September 6, 2016
Imani McGee-Stafford WNBA All-Rookie Team September 2016
Elena Delle Donne WNBA All-WNBA First Team September 2016

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b All times are specified as Central Time.

Notes

  1. ^ "Chicago sky re-signs forward Jessica Breland". hoopfeed.com. Hoopfeed. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  2. ^ "Sky Re-Signs Clarissa Dos Santos". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  3. ^ "Sky Adds Turner, McKinney and Gemelos to Training Camp Roster". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  4. ^ "Chicago Sky Adds Maggie Lyon to Training Camp Roster". nusports.com. NU Sports. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  5. ^ "Sky Waives Gemelos and Jones". sky.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  6. ^ "Sky waive Shanece McKinney". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 27, 2022.