Check out the revamped roster, information from Wintrust Arena

The Chicago Sky will take the pitch in front of the home fans at Wintrust Arena for the first time this season on Friday.

After an unsuccessful title defense and the departure of most of the 2021 championship core, the offseason had a bit of uncertainty, but the revamped Sky got off to a 2-0 start with road wins against the Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury at the WNBA opener. weekend. At the team’s media day, coach James Wade said “we’re going to cause a little bit of chaos” with expectations for the season.

To prepare you for the upcoming season, here is a brief introduction to each member of the new squad.

No. 33: Forward/Center, 6-4

Anigwe spent time with the Connecticut Sun, Dallas Wings, Los Angeles Sparks and Mercury before joining Sky this season. With Ruthy Hebard on maternity leave, Anigwe was added to the roster as a pregnancy/delivery replacement player. In the Sky’s win over the Mercury, she chipped in four points, five rebounds and two blocks.

No. 25: Forward, 6-4

Selected in the third round of the 2019 draft by the Wings, Bertsch joined the Sky on a training camp contract. He made his first WNBA regular season appearance in the opener against the Lynx. Through two games, he is averaging seven points, 4.5 rebounds and three assists.

No. 2: Guard/Forward, 6-1

The 2021 WNBA Finals MVP returns this season “in the driver’s seat.” After signing a player marketing deal with the league, she spent the offseason in the US building her brand instead of playing abroad. She also helped Wade rebuild the roster, calling herself an “assistant general manager.” The leading scorer for the 2021 champion team, Copper is off to a strong start averaging 17 points, six rebounds and three assists.

No. 11: Guard, 5-6

Evans, a native of Gary, is in her third season in the WNBA. She joined the Sky via a trade with Wings in 2021. Evans did not see much playing time with Courtney Vandersloot as the Sky’s starting point guard, but she is expected to make a leap this season. With Marina Mabrey sidelined with an ankle injury, Evans started against the Mercury and had 13 points, four rebounds and five assists.

No. 35: Guard, 6-1

Gardner has spent much of his professional basketball career playing in Turkey, Israel, Romania and Spain. At 32, she was the oldest player selected to the WNBA All-Rookie Team in 2022. Known for her relentless defense, Gardner recorded four steals, three rebounds, three assists and one block in 22 minutes in a win over season opener.

No. 20: Forward, 6-3

Harrison was drafted 12th overall in 2015 by the Mercury, but sat out for the season with a torn ACL. She made her WNBA debut in 2016. In 2017, she was traded to the San Antonio Stars (now the Las Vegas Aces), then again in 2019 to the Wings, where she played before signing a two-year contract with Sky as an unrestricted player. free agent. Harrison underwent surgery to repair his left meniscus last week and has no return date.

No. 24: Forward, 6-4

The Sky selected Hebard at No. 8 in the 2022 draft. In her rookie season, she appeared in all 22 games, averaging 5.7 points and 3.9 rebounds and shooting 75% from the free throw line. Hebard recently gave birth to her first child and, in partnership with Togethxr, released a short film detailing her experience as a new mom. The timeline for her to return to Sky’s front court is unknown.

No. 23: Forward, 6-3

Kone, who has yet to make her WNBA debut, was drafted 29th overall by the New York Liberty in 2022. The Mali basketball player was claimed on May 18 by Sky after playing in two preseason games with the Liberty. .

No. 4: Guard, 5-11

Mabrey has spent her WNBA career with the Sparks and Wings. After two seasons in Dallas, she was traded in a four-team deal involving the Liberty, Mercury, Wings and Sky. Mabrey started Friday’s win against the Lynx, but she missed Sunday’s game with an ankle injury.

No. 21: Forward, 6-1

After going undrafted out of the Virginia Commonwealth in 2014, Parks played professional basketball at the international level. With the Italian team Campobasso he averaged 32 minutes and 19 points, shooting 49.2% from the field, 33.8% beyond the arc and 82.5% from the free throw line. She signed a training camp contract with Sky in February.

No. 8: Forward, 6-4

Selected No. 8 overall in 2019 by the Mercury, Smith spent the first three seasons of her career there. As a member of the Australian national team, she represented her home country at the 2020 Olympics. In the season opener, Smith had 15 points, four rebounds, one assist, two steals and three blocks.

No. 1: Center/Forward, 6-3

After one season in Connecticut, Williams spent six seasons with the Atlanta Dream, where she earned All-Defensive honors in 2020 and was named Most Improved Player in 2016. She joined the Sky after playing with the Washington Mystics in 2022. The younger brother Williams’s Mark plays for the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA.

No. 10: Guard, 5-8

Williams signed with Sky after previous spells with Mercury, Sun (twice) and Dream. The eight-year WNBA veteran made her first All-Star appearance in 2021 with Dream and was a part of the Sun finals in 2019 and 2022.

Sky players celebrate after Rebekah Gardner hits a three-pointer while being fouled during the second quarter on May 7, 2023 at Wintrust Arena. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

how to get there

Wintrust Arena, located at 200 E. Cermak Road, has been the home of Sky since 2018.

There are three parking lots available for fans; Lot A is the closest option with access via the pedestrian bridges. To get a GPS location for Lot A, use “2301 South Prairie Avenue, Chicago, IL 60616” as your destination. Parking fee is $25 for up to 16 hours.

Don’t you drive? There are CTA buses No. 3, No. 21 and No. 4 or options on the Green and Red lines. The Metra train from Millennium Station downtown to McCormick Place’s Grand Concourse in the South Building is also an option.

baggage policy

Like other sports arenas, fans are required to have clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bags no larger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches.

Prohibited bags include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Purses, bags or containers larger than a small handbag (a handbag is the size of a hand with or without a strap)
• camera bags
• cinch bags
• briefcases
• computer bags
• Backpacks
• Coolers (including thermos)
• fanny packs
• Luggage of any kind