{"id":594788,"date":"2026-04-20T02:46:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T02:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/594788\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T02:46:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T02:46:15","slug":"sky-open-training-camp-courtney-vandersloot-pleased-with-rehab-progress-roster-overhaul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/594788\/","title":{"rendered":"Sky open training camp: Courtney Vandersloot pleased with rehab progress, roster overhaul"},"content":{"rendered":"

Courtney Vandersloot still believes in where the Sky are headed.<\/p>\n

And at some point this season, the WNBA\u2019s second-ranked player in career assists expects to be part of it on the court. Vandersloot spent the offseason rehabbing her knee after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in early June. The injury sidelined her for most of the 2025 season.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s still without a specific return timeline \u2014 the medical staff hasn\u2019t given one because it doesn\u2019t want to add unnecessary pressure \u2014 but she expects to be back this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m feeling really good,\u201d Vandersloot said. \u201cThey still have a little bit to go \u2026 but we\u2019re definitely on track.\u201d<\/p>\n

When she does return, she will step into yet another new version of the Sky. General manager Jeff Pagliocca overhauled the roster for the third time in as many years.<\/p>\n

This time, he did it with two defining moves: trading Angel Reese, once viewed as a pillar of the franchise, and landing veteran All-Star Skylar Diggins in free agency. He also added Rickea Jackson, Azura Stevens and DiJonai Carrington through a mix of signings and trades.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got our choices,\u201d Vandersloot said. \u201cThe roster got put together pretty well. We got playmaking, we got size, we have shooting and we have the right returners \u2014 leadership, youth. All the mixes you think of when you picture a perfect roster. But the game is played in between the lines, so we have a lot of work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vandersloot praised Pagliocca last season for incorporating player feedback into major roster decisions, and she said she again felt part of every conversation this offseason.<\/p>\n

She was especially pleased about landing Diggins. The two had talked in the past about playing together and finally made it happen. To her, the changes point in the right -direction, even if they\u2019ll still need to prove it on the court.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to come back here to rebuild this franchise because I know there\u2019s something special here,\u201d Vandersloot said. \u201cI just had to get people on board.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another positive step for the organization was supposed to be the team\u2019s new practice facility in Bedford Park.<\/p>\n

The Sky had targeted opening it for the 2026 season, but construction delays mean they\u2019ll be at UIC<\/a> through at least the end of May, according to a recent team statement.<\/p>\n

Diggins, who played for the Storm the last two seasons \u2014 one of four teams with a dedicated practice facility \u2014 isn\u2019t concerned. At least for now.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got a one-day sample size, but I\u2019ve been in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where we didn\u2019t even have a weight room,\u201d Diggins said. \u201cI\u2019ve been at the bottom of the bottom, and I\u2019ve been at the nicest. What I love to see are the changes that are being made around here. So far, so good.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sky are one of five WNBA teams practicing on college campuses during training camp, along with Portland, Toronto, Los Angeles and Dallas. Under the new collective-bargaining agreement, all teams must have dedicated facilities by 2028.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, the Sky\u2019s roster is still coming together.<\/p>\n

Kamilla Cardoso and Elizabeth Williams are still overseas fulfilling commitments, though both are expected back within a few days.<\/p>\n

Carrington hasn\u2019t arrived yet, either. She\u2019s rehabbing a foot injury from September that required surgery, and coach Tyler Marsh said it\u2019s unclear whether she\u2019ll be ready for the season opener May 9.<\/p>\n

Stevens and Maddy Westbeld were at practice but are in \u201creturn-to-play\u201d protocol for lower-body injuries.<\/p>\n

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read<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Courtney Vandersloot still believes in where the Sky are headed. And at some point this season, the WNBA\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":594789,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-594788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594788"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594788\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}