{"id":611623,"date":"2026-04-28T17:31:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T17:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/611623\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T17:31:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T17:31:07","slug":"aicha-coulibaly-ready-for-her-moment-as-sky-weigh-final-roster-spots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/611623\/","title":{"rendered":"Aicha Coulibaly ready for her moment as Sky weigh final roster spots"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aicha Coulibaly knew she\u2019d earned it. She\u2019d turned heads in her WNBA training camp debut with her defense and physicality. And with injuries and absences thinning the Sky\u2019s<\/a> rotation, they needed a player like her.<\/p>\n

Still, when she found out she was starting in the first preseason game \u2014 and that her matchup was none other than perennial MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas \u2014 she was a little surprised.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was exciting to the point where I was tense and had to relax a little bit,\u201d Coulibaly said.<\/p>\n

Coach Tyler Marsh pulled her aside before the game and told her she didn\u2019t need to save the world. He just wanted her to be the same player she\u2019d been throughout training camp.<\/p>\n

Then she went out and did it. She scored seven points and grabbed two steals in fifteen minutes. She didn\u2019t back down from Thomas, limiting her to one field goal attempt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew her game a little bit,\u201d Coulibaly said of Thomas. \u201cI knew \u2026 I had to take the physicality and be strong. But I know I\u2019m strong too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coulibaly, 24, has pursued this moment relentlessly. She moved from Mali to the U.S at age 15 to play at IMG Academy in Florida. She finished her five-year college career at Texas A&M, where associate head coach Chelsea Newton called her one of the best defenders she\u2019s ever coached.<\/p>\n

The Sky drafted Coulibaly No. 22 in the 2025 draft, but an ACL injury earlier that year kept her from joining the team. She spent 14 months rehabbing at Texas A&M, finally able to return to live play this past December.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew I had to get ready for the moment,\u201d Coulibaly said. \u201cI knew the intensity and physicality and effort that I bring to the team would bring a spark.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sky stayed invested throughout Coulibaly\u2019s recovery. She heard from Marsh consistently, and inhaled film of every game the team played.<\/p>\n

Still, Marsh admitted he didn\u2019t know exactly what they\u2019d get once she returned.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor someone that\u2019s coming off an injury and just got her first W action the other day, for what she\u2019s been able to show us in camp, she\u2019s jumped off the page for all of us,\u201d Marsh said.<\/p>\n

Now the question is: Is Coulibaly a feel-good training camp story, or can she actually make the team?<\/p>\n

Ten roster spots are already locked in for the Sky. That leaves Coulibaly and eight other training camp players fighting for the final two spots.<\/p>\n

To make the team, Coulibaly would likely have to beat out a second-year player \u2014 either Hailey Van Lith<\/a> or Maddy Westbeld.<\/p>\n

And she\u2019s not the only rookie making a splash. Latasha Lattimore, the Sky\u2019s No. 18 pick in the 2026 draft, had a strong first preseason game. Sydney Taylor, an athletic 3-point shooter, also has Marsh\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

There is, however, more roster flexibility than in years past. In addition to the standard 12 spots, the new CBA created two development player slots.<\/p>\n

These players will be eligible to play in up to 12 games, and receive a weekly stipend plus a pro-rated salary for games played.<\/p>\n

Around the league, coaches and players have pushed for development spots as a way to keep young players in the system \u2014 players who can develop behind the scenes and be ready when injuries hit.<\/p>\n

That setup doesn\u2019t sound so bad to Coulibaly, either.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny opportunity is good for me,\u201d Coulibaly said. \u201cThis is what I\u2019ve been working for a long time. Just being here today \u2014 I\u2019m grateful for it. It\u2019s a crazy experience, a kid coming from Mali not knowing nobody, coming to the U.S. This is a big opportunity for me. No matter what I get, I\u2019m grateful for it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Aicha Coulibaly knew she\u2019d earned it. She\u2019d turned heads in her WNBA training camp debut with her defense…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":611624,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-611623","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\/611623","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=611623"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611623\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/611624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=611623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=611623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=611623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}