CHICAGO (AP) \u2014 Angel Reese aired her frustrations with the Chicago Sky as the franchise finishes another losing season.<\/p>\n
The two-time WNBA All-Star told the Chicago Tribune that she \u201cmight have to move in a different direction and do what\u2019s best for me\u201d if the team doesn\u2019t improve its outlook.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am very vocal about what we need and what I want,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019d like to be here for my career, but if things don\u2019t pan out, obviously I might have to move in a different direction and do what\u2019s best for me. But while I am here, I\u2019m going to try to stay open-minded about what I have here and maximize that as much as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chicago improved to 10-30 after routing Connecticut on Wednesday night. Reese had 18 points and 13 rebounds. The franchise is 3-15 since the All-Star Break, but Reese missed a lot of those games with a back issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not settling for the same … we did this year,\u201d the young star told the paper. \u201cWe have to get good players. We have to get great players. That\u2019s a non-negotiable for me. I\u2019m willing and wanting to play with the best. And however I can help to get the best here, that\u2019s what I\u2019m going to do this offseason.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s going to be very, very important this offseason to make sure we attract the best of the best because we can\u2019t settle for what we have this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reese, who was the No. 7 pick in the WNBA draft last season, is averaging 14.6 points and and a league-best 12.6 rebounds. She has at least one more season on her rookie contract.<\/p>\n
Reese walked back her comments after Wednesday night\u2019s win and said she had already apologized to the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI probably am frustrated with myself right now,\u201d she said. \u201cI think the language was taken out of context and I really didn\u2019t intentionally mean to put down my teammates because they\u2019ve been through this with me throughout the whole year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reese said she has to learn from the situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just have to be better with my language because I know it\u2019s not the message, it\u2019s the messenger, and understanding what I say can be taken any kind of way so I just have to really be better and grow from this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Reese told the paper that she wanted coach Tyler Marsh to coach players harder and didn\u2019t think the team\u2019s current roster was good enough to win championships. She also was called out injured point guard Courtney Vandersloot, who is sidelined with an ACL injury. Vandersloot was a big part of the franchise\u2019s only championship in 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t rely on Courtney to come back at the age that she\u2019s at,\u201d Reese said. \u201cI know she\u2019ll be a great asset for us, but we can\u2019t rely on that. We need someone probably a little younger with some experience, somebody who\u2019s been playing the game and is willing to compete for a championship and has done it before.\u201d<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n