Coach Tyler Marsh described it as a mutual decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were in regular communication with her and her family and her representatives [about] what she wanted this year to look like,\u201d Marsh said. \u201cIt was mutual that she wanted the college experience, from a basketball standpoint and from a lifestyle standpoint. We all felt like this was the best decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sivka\u2019s strengths are her size (6-foot-4) and shooting, but her season with Spanish club showed she still has work to do. She averaged only 8.4 points per game on 33% shooting from 3-point range. She struggled from deep with her Slovenian national team, shooting 15% from 3 in the most recent EuroBasket Qualifiers. The Sky want her to keep expanding her game too \u2014 her ability to create off the dribble and get to the paint remains underdeveloped.<\/a><\/p>\n At Kentucky she\u2019ll play for accomplished coach Kenny Brooks, who led the Wildcats to 22 wins in his first season with the program. Kentucky sent four players to the 2026 draft: Tonie Morgan, Teonni Key, Amelia Hassett and Jordan Obi. Morgan was drafted in the third round by the Sky and later waived.<\/p>\n \u201cPart of the communication with [Sivka] was making sure that she went to a system that was conducive for translating into the W,\u201d Marsh said. \u201cWe weren\u2019t totally involved [with] what that school was, but we wanted … to make sure she picked the one where she feels like she can be the best version of herself.\u201d<\/p>\n Another perk of delaying Sivka\u2019s professional debut: there\u2019s no guarantee she would have cracked this roster. The Sky cut every one of their 2025 and 2026 draft picks except Gabriela Jaquez, a lottery pick. Clearly they\u2019re prioritizing making the playoffs over developing young players.<\/p>\n After being drafted in 2025, Sivka stayed overseas to finish high school and play for her Slovenian national team. She averaged 7.7 points per game on 50% shooting from three in the FIBA Women\u2019s EuroBasket tournament.<\/p>\n Sivka is part of an emerging trend of players committing to college after already being drafted in the WNBA. Nastja Claessens, drafted by the Mystics in the third round in 2024, later signed with Kansas State. Adja Kane, a French prospect selected by the Liberty in the third round in 2025 and then scooped by the Tempo in the expansion draft, committed to SMU in April. Sivka, though, is the first first-round pick to make the move.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not clear whether she plans to play a full four years at Kentucky, but the Sky will retain her rights and continue to view her as part of their long-term plan.<\/p>\n On her way <\/p>\n Point guard Natasha Cloud had not yet arrived in Chicago as of Wednesday but will be \u201cen route shortly,\u201d according to Marsh. Marsh hopes she will be available for Saturday\u2019s regular season opener against the Fire.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n An undrafted guard from a mid-major program is now one of the Sky\u2019s final 12. <\/p>\n [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone] read<\/p>\n![\"SKY_260502-62.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/8bcbd56\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/7008x4672+0+0\/resize\/840x560!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fea%2F5c%2Fc646389e48259f18de3628958d3f%2Ftaylor-looking.jpg\")
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