Newly-named Chicago Sky head coach Tyler Marsh opened up on why he chose the Sky in a Tuesday interview with Women's Hoops Network.
"Just the feel," Marsh told Women's Hoops Network. "The feel from the interview process with our general manager, Jeff Pagliocca. We connected in terms of how we saw the game, what the trajectory of that was going and how Chicago fit in that.
"I think it's about people first, and the intentionality that Chicago brought forth in terms of believing and communicating why they felt like I would be a good fit with them and how I worked in that vision moving forward... It seemed like a match."
Marsh was hired to take up the Sky's head coaching duties in November. Chicago parted ways with Teresa Weatherspoon, who took up a head coaching spot with the Vinyl Basketball Club of the Unrivaled Basketball League, in September. Marsh was as an assistant coach with the Indiana Pacers and four NBA G League squads in the past. He spent three seasons with the Las Vegas Aces, where he would work as an assistant coach and the head of player development for Las Vegas teams that won back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023. Sky forward Angel Reese showed her support for Marsh in November, showing Chicago may have found its coach of the future in the former Toronto Raptors player development coach.
Marsh will join a Sky squad that includes two high-level sophomores in Reese and center Kamilla Cardoso. The rookie head coach laid out a development path for budding duo last month. Chicago currently holds the No. 3 and No. 10 selections in the 2025 WNBA Draft, giving them the opportunity to pair the two with complimentary guards who can score, shoot and create plays. The Sky hadn't picked in the first round since 2021, when they chose Australian guard Shyla Heal with the No. 8 pick, before they selected Reese and Cardoso last season.
Reese and Cardoso finished last season with a combined average of 23.4 points and 21 rebounds per game. Cardoso continued her strong rookie season into her time with the Shanghai Swordfish of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association, where she is averaging 20.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest. She ended a Monday win over Jiangsu with 32 points, 14 rebounds, two steals and three blocks. Reese will suit up for Unrivaled's Rose Basketball Club next month, where she will join two former Sky players in guard Kahleah Copper and forward Azura Stevens.
Chicago's young core can be balanced out by a solid group of veteran bigs and guards heading into the 2025 season. Center Elizabeth Williams, a one-time All-Star and two-time All-Defensive Team selection, will be under contract for the Sky next season. She will be joined by guards Lindsay Allen, Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson.
For Marsh, taking the next step in his coaching journey was all about finding the right fit.
"The situation was so great in Las Vegas in terms of the people I worked with on the day-to-day, from the coaching staff to the front office to the players, I knew they had to be the right fit for me to make that jump," Marsh continued. "I couldn't be more grateful for the support and everything outpouring that everyone from Las Vegas has shown me, and the love that the city of Chicago and the fanbase has shown me thus far.
"I'm looking forward to getting settled into Chicago and starting a new path with the Sky."