Sky's HC Can Breathe Again

The Chicago Sky's head coach needed this win.

Jun 22, 2025; College Park, Georgia, USA; Chicago Sky head coach Tyler Marsh on the sideline against the Atlanta Dream in the second quarter at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Chicago Sky head coach Tyler Marsh likes to act like he’s the coolest guy in the room, but quietly, he was sweating. 

The Sky had big goals for the 2025 season. The year prior wasn’t great, but Angel Reese was an All-Star, Kamilla Cardoso was a solid young big, they had a few veterans like Ariel Atkins and Courtney Vandersloot, and they grabbed a young star point guard fresh out the draft in Hailey Van Lith. 

Yet, for more reasons than we can name, nothing has worked out right. From injuries to inconsistent play on both sides of the ball, the Sky have been fighting an uphill battle. But you know how life goes, just when things are bad, they get even worse. 

For roughly a month, the Sky essentially forgot how to play winning basketball, leading to an eight-game losing streak. 

Things happen in a season, and even the best teams lose their way, but for the Sky, they couldn’t compete. 

As the lopsided losses piled up, Marsh did his best to remain level-headed and calm throughout. He reminded his team time and time again that they were good enough to beat anyone. He also went back to the drawing board to address any coaching errors he made in the past. 

Finally, it all paid off. 

Aug 5, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky players celebrate after defeating the Washington Mystics in a WNBA game against the Washington Mystics at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

For the first time in nearly a month, the Sky walked off the court last night as a winner, beating the Washington Mystics. They also did it without Reese, something they’re getting used to. 

Once the final buzzer rang last night, Marsh was able to remove the facade and take a deep breath. Winning, at least lately, had become a foreign concept, but not anymore. 

“Relief for sure,” Marsh told reporter Karli Bell when asked how he was feeling. “Resiliency was the messaging. Not letting one possession derail the next. Coming out of it, I thought we did a really good job of handling the few runs Washington had.”

The Sky should enjoy this win, but from here on out, the rest of the regular season will be incredibly difficult. Reese isn’t likely to see the court too many times before the year ends, and who knows when Ariel Atkins will get back out there. 

If Marsh wants his seat to cool down, he’ll have to pull out all the stops and coach his butt off for the remainder of the season. 

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