Chicago Sky Coach Sends Rick Carlisle Message Before NBA Finals originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Chicago Sky have rebounded from their 0-4 start to the 2025 WNBA season. They now hold a 2-4 record ahead of their first Commissioner’s Cup game, making them fifth in the Eastern Conference.
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New head coach Tyler Marsh has cleaned some things up, as he and the Sky held the Dallas Wings to 83 points on Saturday. This was the first time Chicago held an opponent to under 90 points all year.
Marsh brought his championship pedigree to the Sky after spending three seasons as an assistant under head coach Becky Hammon for the Las Vegas Aces. There, he and the Aces, led by MVP A’ja Wilson, won two WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023.
Indiana Pacers HC Rick Carlisle.Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Before Marsh began climbing the ranks as a WNBA coach, however, he earned his stripes in the NBA and the G-League. Before his three-year stint with the Aces, he spent three years on the sidelines learning from Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle.
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On Saturday, the Pacers defeated the New York Knicks by a score of 125-108 to advance to their first NBA Finals since 2000. Coach Marsh spoke with the Chicago Sun Times about coach Carlisle ahead of the 2025 NBA Finals.
“You could choose a ton of different areas Coach Carlisle is great at, whether it’s in-game adjustments, attacking mismatches offensively, how he communicates with his players,” Marsh said. “For me, it’s more so in the trust that I instill in our players. That’s what I tried to take from him. He instills a belief in each player that they are beyond what they’ve always been. … I’m all for the growth of each of our players and how that fits into our grand team concept.”
This advice is paramount for Marsh, who is coaching a Chicago roster that is loaded with talent. 2024 WNBA All-Star forward Angel Reese, All-Rookie center Kamilla Cardoso, and WNBA champion guards Courtney Vandersloot and Ariel Atkins are all starters for the Sky this season.
The Sky will resume play on Saturday when they take on the Indiana Fever. They will look to avenge the 93 to 58 loss they suffered to the Fever on opening day. The game will tipoff at Wintrust Arena in Chicago at 8:00 p.m. EST.
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Related: Unexpected Angel Reese Practice Video Surfaces Before Indiana Fever Game
Related: Chicago Sky Star Sends Message After Paige Bueckers News
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
