Chicago Sky head coach Tyler Marsh discusses Angel Reese, Kamila Cardoso, and more in first media availability

A new era begins for Angel Reese, Camila Cardoso, and the Chicago Sky, ushered in by new head coach Tyler Marsh. Marsh is a veteran basketball coach with extensive experience developing players in the NBA. WNBAand the G League, was officially introduced as the Sky's new head coach on Tuesday afternoon.

“I couldn't be more excited or happy to be named head coach of the Chicago Sky,” said Marsh, along with Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca and veterans Rachel Banham and Elizabeth Williams. He said as he got up from his seat.

For more than 20 minutes, the 36-year-old first-time head coach answered questions from the media and laid out his vision for how the Sky can successfully rebuild and ultimately compete for a championship. Fellow Sky veterans Moriah Jefferson and Michaela O'Nien also attended the press conference.

Mr Marsh has repeatedly stressed that he believes selflessness will be key to Sky's future success.

“The championship teams I've been on have an elite level of professionalism, an elite level of selflessness and responsibility,” he said. “That’s how we want to be here.”

He brought up the concept again in a subsequent press conference when asked how he would organize his assistant coaching staff.

“The word that keeps coming up is selflessness,” Marsh said. “You'll hear me say that a lot. And it doesn't just apply to our players. It applies to our staff as well. We're going to be a staff without egos and we're all going to put the players first. I have to.”

Marsh has a difficult task ahead of him. He will replace Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon, who was fired last month after an up-and-down season, and will work closely with 2024 draft picks Reese and Cardoso. He also needs to figure out how the Sky can improve its anemic outside shooting and ultimately chart a path to championship contention.

Bringing Tyler Marsh to Chicago was a natural decision for the Sky.

Pagliocca made it clear that introducing Marsh from the jump was an easy choice.

“We share a passion for the game,” Pagliocca said. “We share a passion for this league and I loved his vision of wanting to come here and play and compete. He's a person who cares so much about people, so much about his family. He's a very high-ranking person, and that's very important to this organization.”

And while neither Mr Pagliocca nor Mr Marsh have given a specific recruitment timeline, Mr Marsh agrees the fit made sense from the start and there was passion at the Sky front. did.

“If you know Jeff, he comes in hard,” Marsh said. “He was very intentional in letting me know how much he wanted me to be a part of this organization, and that meant a lot to me.”

For Pagliocca, Marsh's extensive experience and success in various basketball arenas was a big draw.

“Tyler is a natural leader,” Pagliocca said. “He's a connector, he's a culture creator, he brings a really wealth of experience from the G League, from the NBA to the WNBA, but it's really not just the experience, it's the ability to bring championships to these leagues. He played a very important and critical role in bringing about the organization. ”

“As soon as Tyler and I started talking, there was an immediate synergy and the conversation quickly accelerated,” Pagliocca said. “I took him to town and the rest was history.”

Marsh said a big draw was the emphasis on the human side of the game.

“We connected on our values ​​of how we believe people should be treated, and that reflected in the way we viewed the game,” Marsh said. “So putting people first makes a huge difference, and that had a lasting impact on me in this process.”

Tyler Marsh wants to prioritize player development and culture

Marsh is well known for his track record in player development, particularly his work with Las Vegas Aces Jackie Young, where he was instrumental in developing Jackie Young into a consistent 3-point shooter.

He attributes much of his success to his extensive basketball experience and commitment to all aspects of player development.

“I was able to watch and experience basketball at virtually every level: college, high school, WNBA, G League, NBA, etc.,” Marsh said. “When you've been around so many leagues and played so many positions, player development isn't just part of who you are and part of who I am. Video room time. . It's time to do the scouting report, so it's definitely a little more rounded out there.”

Marsh said he will work to support the development of the Sky roster as a whole, and that the winning team will see contributions from all 12 players on the roster. But he also acknowledged that Cardoso and Reese are the cornerstones of the franchise.

“We want Camilla.” [Cardoso] and an angel [Reese] You have to be good at what they’re already doing,” Marsh said. “We want to continue to emphasize their strengths. We also want to continue to improve and find ways for them to score easily or to maintain effective defense. I think so.”

Elizabeth Williams, a 10-year WNBA veteran entering her third season in Chicago, praised Marsh's focus on building culture.

“We're really excited to have him here,” Williams said. “Obviously, he comes in with a lot of experience, but he also has a mindset of creating a certain culture and I think he's being intentional about communicating with us. But he's essentially trying to re-establish what things look like. I think he's perfect for the job.”

Weatherspoon didn't work out long-term, but the Sky front office is confident things will change with Marsh.

At Tuesday's introductory news conference, Pagliocca was asked why he believed the deal would work.

“We are truly committed to Tyler. He values ​​relationships,” Pagliocca said. “I don't think it's necessarily what didn't happen last season, but it's more what Tyler brings to us right now that gives us a lot of confidence.”

“Background, philosophy in player development. I think it's a very rare combination to have someone who is this good in the field of player development but actually has an even stronger interest in being a head coach. .”