Sky's Angel Reese breaks silence on Courtney Vandersloot's ACL injury
The Chicago Sky suffered a crushing 85–66 loss to the New York Liberty at Barclays Center, falling to a 2–6 record. The team continues to struggle after losing two-time WNBA champion Courtney Vandersloot, who tore her ACL in the first quarter of a 79–52 blowout against the Indiana Fever. Angel Reese broke her silence regarding losing Vandersloot to injury.
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In the aftermath, All-Star rookie Angel Reese spoke publicly about Vandersloot's injury. 'It's super unfortunate,' she said. 'She works really hard, was a great leader for us, and she's continued to be that for us.' Reese added, 'She's done so much for our game and decided to leave a championship team, come to Chicago, and leave her legacy here.'
From the beginning of her career, Vandersloot made an immediate impact. The Sky drafted her third overall in 2011, and she quickly secured the starting point guard role. She earned All-Star recognition and a spot on the All-Rookie Team during her debut season. In 2014, she helped lead the Sky to their first WNBA Finals appearance, though they lost to Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury. Vandersloot's standout moment came in 2021 when she led Chicago to its first WNBA title, ironically by defeating the Mercury.
After spending ten seasons in Chicago, Vandersloot signed with the New York Liberty. In 2024, she helped the team win the championship in an overtime thriller against the Minnesota Lynx. The following year, she returned to the Sky, bringing back her leadership and experience.
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Over her career, Courtney Vandersloot has solidified her place among the league's best point guards. She earned five All-Star selections (2011, 2019, 2021–2023) and led the WNBA in assists seven times. In 2020, she set a league record with 10.0 assists per game. She also holds the WNBA records for career assists per game and total playoff assists.
So far this season, the Sky have struggled to find their rhythm. They dropped four of their first five games, suffering blowout losses to Indiana (93–58), New York (99–74), and Los Angeles (91–78). Their closest call came in a 94–89 loss to Phoenix. Afterward, they briefly rebounded with two wins over the Dallas Wings. However, back-to-back defeats to the Fever and Liberty pushed them back down the standings.
Next, Chicago will face the Atlanta Dream at Gateway Center Arena. Atlanta, currently 6–3, sits just behind New York in the standings. With the season on the line, can Angel Reese provide the spark the Sky need?
Related: Sky's Angel Reese comes through with off-court assist for Holly Rowe
Related: Coco Gauff's 'insane' reaction to frenzied ovation at Liberty vs. Sky game
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Indianapolis Star
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- Indianapolis Star
'Slap in the face': Indiana Fever veteran 'fighting for a fair share' in WNBA contract bargaining
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Once the Red Sox top pitching prospect, Bryan Mata remains motivated for the chance to become a big leaguer
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Indianapolis Star
an hour ago
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Quarterback Central: Top Indy-area quarterbacks to watch for 2025 IHSAA football season
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Craig will easily reach the top 10 in state history in career passing yards with a season similar to his junior year, though his top two receiving targets did graduate. The 6-2, 200-pound senior transferred from Covenant Christian to Mooresville for his junior season and completed 56% of his passes for 2,483 yards and 25 touchdowns (with 15 interceptions) in a 4-7 season for the Pioneers. As a sophomore, Cruz passed for 2,631 yards and 33 TDs (with 14 interceptions) and ran for five touchdowns for Covenant Christian. He has an offer from Indiana Wesleyan. The 6-3, 195-pound senior transferred from Springboro (Ohio) prior to his junior year and helped the Dragons to a 14-0 record and Class 4A state championship. Davis completed 68.1% of his passes for 1,949 yards and a staggering 23-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. The Towson University commit also proved to be a dangerous runner, going for 662 yards and 13 TDs on the ground. As the Dragons make the jump this season to Class 5A via the tournament success factor, Davis is one of several experienced players coach Kyle Ralph can count on. The 5-9, 165-pound Dobson helped Greenwood Christian to a 7-3 record in its first season as a sectional-eligible program (the Cougars lost by one point to Eastern Greene in their first sectional game). With Dobson returning and plenty of depth on the line, Greenwood Christian could make another jump in Class A. He completed 55% of his passes as a junior for 1,918 yards and 21 TDs (seven interceptions) and 1,029 rushing yards with 15 rushing TDs. Overall, Dobson has 3,236 passing yards and 33 TDs (14 interceptions) and 1,781 rushing yards and 24 rushing TDs. Dobson is one of the few on this list who also punts and returns punts and kicks. The 6-foot, 190-pound senior has been one of Central Indiana's most prolific passers over the past three seasons. 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With many of the skill position players around him returning, along with several offensive linemen, the Bulldogs should feature one of the best offenses in Class 6A. The 6-1, 205-pound senior completed 65% of his passes as a junior for Chatard for 1,950 yards and 14 touchdowns (with four interceptions) and ran for another four scores. Harrington is a young senior (just turned 17), so coach Rob Doyle is hoping Harrington can take another big step this season and have a big year for the Trojans, who finished 9-3 and battled eventual Class 4A state champion New Palestine to an overtime loss in the regional. The 6-foot, 160-pound senior put together a solid season in his first year as a starter, completing 61% of his passes for 1,528 yards and 11 TDs (with nine interceptions). Koers, who has offers from DePauw and Wabash, helped his team to a 6-4 season. Cathedral will move back down to Class 5A for at least the next two seasons. Koers will have one of his top receivers back in Jackson Harvey and 1,000-yard rusher Xavier Dangerfield. The 6-7 Moore was one of the most productive freshmen in the state last season as he completed 58% of his passes for 1,159 yards and 11 touchdowns (with four interceptions). Moore also ran for 57 yards and one TD for the 4-6 Hornets. It will be interesting to see how Moore progresses. He is a three-sport athlete who averaged 11.0 points and 6.4 rebounds as a freshman on the basketball court and batted .438 with nine doubles on the baseball field. The 6-1, 205-pound senior transferred to Franklin Central from Speedway, where he passed for 1,652 yards and 17 passing TDs as a junior and ran for 265 yards and two scores. Moreland also had a big sophomore season for the Sparkplugs, completing 60% of his passes for 1,884 yards and 15 TDs (with six interceptions). Moreland joins a Class 6A Franklin Central team that was 6-4 last season and returns leading receiver Hudson Moritz. The 6-4, 205-pound Nix was 60% passer as a junior, throwing for 1,725 yards and 22 TDs with 11 interceptions. He was also the leading rusher for the 7-3 Eagles, going for 805 yards on the ground with 14 rushing TDs. Leading receiver Andrew Sloan returns for the Eagles, though there will be some changes going into this season for Heritage Christian, starting with new coach Caleb Brink. Nix has 3,332 passing yards and 40 passing TDs (23 interceptions) and 833 rushing yards and 15 rushing TDs in high school. The 6-2, 185-pound senior, a Toledo commit, helped the Hawks to their first state title last year with a victory over Warsaw in the Class 5A title game. Decatur Central makes the jump to 6A this year under the tournament success factor but could be a contender in the larger class. The presence of an experienced quarterback like Polston certainly helps. He completed 64% of his passes last year in an 11-2 season, going for 2,069 yards and 21 passing TDs (eight interceptions). Polston is also a threat on the ground, rushing for 301 yards and five TDs. In his three years as a starter, he has 5,366 passing yards and 55 passing TDs (27 interceptions) and 1,108 rushing yards and 14 rushing TDs. The debut of the 6-4, 190-pound sophomore will be fun to watch. As a freshman, Sloan was a backup to now-graduated senior Gabe McWilliams, who threw for more than 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns. Sloan was 6-for-9 passing for 85 yards and a TD in backup duty. But the potential is off the charts. Sloan already has nine Division I offers, which is highly unusual for a player with so little varsity experience. His offer list includes Cincinnati, Maryland and Purdue. Center Grove, coming off an 8-5 season and regional championship, should stay among the Class 6A elite. The 6-4, 200-pound Sorgi, a Louisville commit, is the son of former Colts' backup quarterback Jim Sorgi. Jack is quickly making his own name for himself, completing 59% of his passes for 1,729 yards and 19 TDs (four interceptions) as a sophomore with 225 rushing yards and four rushing TDs. Sorgi should be poised to take another step forward as a junior and the full-time starter at quarterback for the Bruins, who are coming off an 8-5 season and Class 3A regional championship. The 6-foot, 185-pound senior was well on his way to a breakout junior season, completing 62% of his passes for 1,156 yards and 13 TDs (with two interceptions) before he suffered a season-ending injury in a Week 5 31-30 loss to Brownsburg. Sturgill also proved to be an adept runner, averaging 4.0 yards per carry (161 rushing yards total) and running for four TDs. Sturgill, who threw for 344 yards and three TDs as a sophomore, has offers from Butler and Western Illinois. The 6-3, 190-pound Walker, a Duke recruit, transferred from Lawrence Central to HSE before the second semester of his junior year. Last season for the Bears, Walker completed 46% of his passes for 1,467 yards and 17 TDs (with three interceptions). The dual-threat quarterback also ran for 377 yards and four TDs. For his career, Walker has completed 47% of his passes for 2,685 yards and 28 TDs (with six interceptions) and ran for 503 yards and five TDs. He joins a Hamilton Southeastern team that is coming off a 7-4 season. Ward, a junior, has led Danville to a 11-2 record in his starts over the past two seasons. As a sophomore, he completed 59% of his passes for 1,063 yards and 16 TDs (with three interceptions). Ward also ran for 63 yards and four TDs and caught seven passes for 55 yards when he was not playing quarterback. Overall in his two seasons, Ward has 1,780 passing yards and 28 passing TDs with six interceptions. Danville returns a strong group of upperclassmen from last year's 8-2 team that lost in last year's controversial Class 4A sectional game against Brebeuf Jesuit. Collin Ash, Roncalli: Ash, a senior, split time last year with now-graduated Jayden Buchanan. Ash passed for 732 yards and four TDs and ran for 649 yards and 11 TDs. Evan Clark, Indian Creek: The 6-1, 210-pound Clark was one of the most productive freshmen last year, throwing for 1,476 yards and 20 TDs and running for 190 yards and five TDs. Anthony Dennison, Warren Central: In eight games as a sophomore, the 6-1, 205-pound Dennison passed for 754 yards and seven TDs with six interceptions. Jack Quillen, a sophomore, will also be a name to watch at quarterback for the Warriors. Christopher Harris, Park Tudor: In seven games as a freshman, the 5-11, 165-pound Harris completed 63% of his passes for 1,122 yards and 18 TDs with six interceptions. He also ran for 425 yards and nine TDs. Mychael Lewis, Pike: The 5-11, 165-pound sophomore earned some valuable playing time as a freshman for the 6A Red Devils, passing for 343 yards and four TDs and rushing for 164 yards and three TDs. Mason Meyer, Mt. Vernon: The 5-10, 165-pound Meyer completed 49% of his passes for 1,150 yards and nine TDs and ran for 423 yards and nine TDs as a sophomore for the 4-6 Marauders. Bryce Sebanc, Plainfield: The 6-3, 170-pound junior picked up his first offer from Sacramento State this week. Sebanc passed for 559 yards and five TDs and ran for two TDs as a sophomore. Brady Trebley, Cascade: The 6-2, 185-pound Trebley had a big junior season as he completed 65% of his passes for 1,218 yards and 20 TDs and ran for 392 yards and eight TDs for the 10-1 Cadets.
