Saturday, September 5, 2020

On the Beat With the Chicago Sky 09/02/20

Tuesday's Chicago Sky media session featured Sky veteran Stefanie Dolson and newcomer Stephany Mavunga. Although they spell their names differently, reporters joked it was a “Stephany 2fer.” The players rolled with it, with veteran Stef asking for a nickname for the newcomer and Stephany commenting she was just happy to be with the Sky and would accept a new name to eliminate any “Stephany” confusion.
Center Dolson starred at the University of Connecticut before being selected by he Washington Mystics in the 1st round (6th overall) of the 2014 WNBA draft. After three seasons with the Mystics, Dolson was traded to the Sky in the big Elena Delle Donne trade. For her career, she has played 207 games, averaging 9.7 points, 5,1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 blocks and .5 steals per game. She is also a two-time All Star.
I asked Dolson about the Big East Women's Basketball tournament moving from Chicago's Wintrust Arena to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. Dolson fondly recalled her time at UConn and is happy to see the tourney come to Connecticut. She finished hoping for the sports situation to improve by then.
A native of Harare, Zimbabwe, power forward Stephanie Mavunga starred at North Carolina and Ohio State before the Indiana Fever selected her in the second round (14th overall) of the 2018 WNBA draft. The Sky recently acquired Mavunga in exchange for traded Jantel Lavender and two 2021 draft picks  In her third season, Mavunga has played 55 games, averaging 2.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, while mixing in some assists, steals and blocks.
Fresh to the Sky environs in “the Wubble,” Mavunga is recovering from a broken nose which requires her to wear a face mask. She talked about the mask and even gave us the first look at the actual mask she'll be wearing.
Unfortunately, the Sky followed that session later in the day with a 86-83 loss to the Minnesota Lynx. The Sky now stand at 11-7, still good for 1st place in the Eastern Conference. With four games left, they have a three game lead over the Connecticut Sun. The Sky play the Mystics, who at 4-12, should provide a breather for the Sky, but could also be primed to upset the front-running Sky.
While the Sky have clinched a playoff spot, they are currently in the 5th spot of the eight team field. The loss to the Lynx put them 1.5 games behind the Lynx for the 4th spot. Obviously, the Sky would like to reach the top four, but it will be a tough climb with only a handful of games left for all.
Go to WNBA.com for more info on the league. Also, check here for recurring coverage.

No comments: