Sky's the Limit! Courtney Vandersloot Joins Liberty
On a day defined by deja vu, the New York Liberty experienced the sensation in the sweetest way possible.
Just over 24 hours after Breanna Stewart announced her metropolitan arrival, WNBA sharpshooter Courtney Vandersloot, formerly of the Chicago Sky, announced on Thursday that she will sign with the Liberty after a dozen seasons with the Chicago Sky. Like Stewart before her, Vandersloot broke the news of her own signing via her social media accounts.
A four-time WNBA All-Star, Vandersloot helped guide the Sky to their first championship in 2021. She will likely fill in the Liberty's void at guard next to Sabrina Ionescu after Crystal Dangerfield was dealt away to add 2021 WNBA MVP and fellow modern star Jonquel Jones. Ionescu and Vandersloot ironically both spent their college years working under head coach Kelly Graves, the current Oregon women's basketball boss who oversaw the latter's collegiate years (2007-11) at Gonzaga before he moved to Eugene.
Like Jones, Vandersloot's production is downright historical: her average of 6.6 assists per game is the highest in WNBA history and she has led the WNBA in the category six times. She finished second last season at 6.5, barely outpacing Ionescu (6.3) as they both narrowly fell to Washington's Natasha Cloud (7.0). That output came two years after Vandersloot set the single-season assist record with an even average of 10 in the Bradenton bubble.
Vandersloot came up particularly big in the aforementioned run to the championship in 2021, averaging 13 points and 10.2 assists in the 10-game trek. She had 12.5 helpers per game during the WNBA Finals victory over the Phoenix Mercury, then led by current Liberty boss Sandy Brondello.
New York became far too familiar with Vandersloot's antics last season: on an afternoon when Ionescu became only the fourth player in WNBA history to record multiple triple-doubles, Vandersloot crashed the party with a game-winning triple just before the buzzer to give the Sky an 88-86 victory. She later put up 43 points and 24 assists in the three-game first round of an ultimately futile title defense, which came against the Liberty. Chicago withstood the Liberty's challenge before falling to a Connecticut Sun team led by her teammate Jones in five games.
Vandersloot spent the past 10 seasons playing with Allie Quigley, whom she married in 2018. Quigley likewise made an announcement on Thursday, declaring that she would not partake in the 2023 season but would not officially retire.
The 2023 New York Liberty season will open on May 19 in Washington D.C. against the Mystics.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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