The Phoenix Mercury are bringing their head coach and an assistant home in April when the defending WNBA runner-up faces the Chicago Sky in a preseason game on Saturday, April 25, at the Sanford Pentagon.
The game will tip a 3 p.m. CT, and tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, March 25, at 10 a.m. Tickets can be purchased here.
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Mercury head coach Nate Tibbets was born in Sioux Falls and is the son of Fred Tibbets, a former University of South Dakota women’s basketball coach and a six-time state champion coach for the Sioux Falls Roosevelt girls basketball program. Nate Tibbets has previously coached the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA D-League, now known as the G-League.
Mercury assistant coach Megan Vogel is fifth on South Dakota State’s all-time scoring list, having finished her career with 1,850 points. Vogel was second on the list when her career came to a close.
This will be the first WNBA game played in South Dakota. The Pentagon has previously hosted an NBA preseason game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Milwaukee Bucks on October 10, 2013.
The Mercury lost to the Las Vegas Aces in four games in last season’s WNBA finals. Phoenix’s roster includes six-time All Stars DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas, four-time All Star Kahleah Cooper and three-time All Star Satou Sabally.
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The Sky’s roster is loaded with young stars who grew their brands in college. Angel Reese, Hailey Van Lith and Kamilla Cardoso headline that list, while Courtney Vandersloot is a five-time All Star, Ariel Atkins is a two-time All Star and Kia Nurse and Elizabeth Williams have each been All Stars.
Sanford Sports Vice President Jesse Smith said he approached the Mercury about two years ago at the Final Four in Phoenix with this idea. He knew WNBA teams have a limited number of preseason games, but felt there was a path to pulling this off because of the South Dakota connection and the area’s reputation as a “hotbed for women’s basketball.”
“We think our fans will eat this up,” Smith said.
Smith credited the team for stepping up to make the game a unique experience in Sioux Falls, as they will be bringing their in-game assets like their hip hop squad, DJ and home announcer.
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In addition to the game, the Mercury will be hosting a free youth clinic for girls in grades three through eight on Friday, April 24. There will only be room for 150 athletes at the clinic, and it will be run by Mercury coaches and players with the help of Sanford Sports Academy.
Registration for the clinic is at 3:45 p.m., and it will run from 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. There will then be an autograph session from 5:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
“It’s an awesome opportunity for our girls hoopers to interact with and be inspired by some of the best players in the world,” Smith said.
Smith hopes this is a good experience for the Mercury and Sioux Falls basketball fans, and this forms into a long-term relationship.
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“When the Mercury committed to doing this, they’re coming here to create Mercury fans in Sioux Falls,” Smith said. “They want to make this their northern home base and create new fans to follow the Mercury. I can absolutely see a scenario where they want to come back in a couple years and see what they’ve cultivated here after planting that seed with this opportunity.”
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Phoenix Mercury, Chicago Sky preseason game coming to Sanford Pentagon
