{"id":598223,"date":"2026-04-21T20:27:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T20:27:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/598223\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T20:27:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T20:27:12","slug":"whats-not-to-love-about-sky-rookie-gabriela-jaquez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/598223\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s not to love about Sky rookie Gabriela Jaquez?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Driving from Columbus to Chicago, Sky<\/a> guard Jacy Sheldon couldn\u2019t wait to get in the gym.<\/p>\n

She was dying to meet every one of her new teammates. But even amidst legends of the game like Skylar Diggins and Courtney Vandersloot, one player stood out.<\/p>\n

Gabriela Jaquez, the Sky\u2019s first-round pick in the 2026 draft.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a killer, man,\u201d Sheldon told the Sun-Times over the phone. \u201cShe wants to win. She competes on both sides of the ball. That\u2019s someone I want on my team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spend a day in the Sky\u2019s training camp and you\u2019ll hear one thing over and over again: everyone loves Jaquez, the No. 5 overall pick in this year\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re watching her do exactly what she did in college: knock down threes, crash the boards, and own her defensive assignments.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re starting to see player archetypes she might fit into \u2014 veteran guard Rachel Banham told the Sun-Times Jaquez reminds her of Bridget Carleton.<\/p>\n

In the end, Jaquez is just following the advice she\u2019s received from coaches, family, and even retired WNBA champion Sue Bird: be yourself.<\/p>\n

A simple directive for Jaquez, who\u2019s been waiting on this moment for a long time.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce I realized that I wanted to play basketball in college then I was like, yeah I want to be a professional basketball player,\u201d Jaquez told the Sun-Times on Day 2 of camp. \u201cBecause of my competitive spirit. You wanna be the best you can be, and the WNBA is the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jaquez is well aware of the learning curve for rookies in the W: getting used to the physicality and new terminology.<\/p>\n

But in some ways this new chapter is easier than before.<\/p>\n

Jaquez noted something she\u2019s heard from everyone in the pro game: that college practices are actually the hardest ones you\u2019ll ever experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to understand in college, everyone\u2019s way younger,\u201d Jaquez said. \u201cYou have to take care of everyone\u2019s bodies differently now that, you know, people are 30, 35.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed: the Sky will have five players in the 30 or older club on this year\u2019s roster. And coach Tyler Marsh is smart to be managing their load already. Some players are nursing offseason injuries, others are racing back from overseas tournaments.<\/p>\n

Jaquez, meanwhile, is starting the season healthy, and has had a whole two weeks to rest since her last game. (In women\u2019s basketball time, that\u2019s like a whole year.)<\/p>\n

She\u2019ll be expected to help glue their offense together, especially once their optimal rotation is healthy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best thing about Gabriela is she has the ability to impact the game in multiple ways without needing the ball,\u201d Marsh said. \u201cWhether that\u2019s cutting hard and creating space for others, she\u2019s highly dependable.\u201d<\/p>\n

No doubt about that. But you don\u2019t draft a player fifth just because they make the right cuts. Jaquez can do more. And with a shorthanded roster, they\u2019ll need her to be more sparkle than glue.<\/p>\n

Vandersloot, Azur\u00e1 Stevens, and DiJonai Carrington are all rehabbing injuries. There\u2019s a wide open opportunity for Jaquez.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a chance to show that her NCAA title game performance \u2014 21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists \u2014 is a preview of the player she can be in the pros.<\/p>\n

Does that game feel like a long time ago, or like it was yesterday? Jaquez isn\u2019t sure.<\/p>\n

A lot has happened since then.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s been on Jimmy Kimmel, she\u2019s moved to Chicago, but on some level she feels like she\u2019s still in college.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s waiting for some free time to establish her new life. Maybe get a car. Take a walk by the lake. Figure out who grown-up Gabriela is going to be.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, she can keep being her usual self on the court.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Chicago<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Tyler Marsh enters his second season facing a familiar challenge: a short-handed roster. <\/p>\n

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There\u2019s no timeline for her return, but Vandersloot expects to be on the court this season. She\u2019s confident in the latest roster reset, especially after the addition of Skylar Diggins.<\/p>\n

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\"Las<\/p>\n

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Who\u2019s contending? Who\u2019s pretending? The season is still three weeks away, but it\u2019s never too early to start guessing.<\/p>\n

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