\u201cYou had to pressure her because you didn\u2019t want her to see the floor and find her teammates,\u201d she said. \u201cBut when you pressure her, she could put it on the floor and go by you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parker keeps flexing her basketball IQ as an analyst in retirement, now calling WNBA games for Prime Video.<\/p>\n
So it was notable that, when asked about the Sky on Friday, she saw reason for optimism in the 12th-place team. She pointed out that they have already surpassed last year\u2019s win total with 10 games remaining and that their young core has potential.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way they started the season 3-1 \u2014 it showed,\u201d she said. \u201cRickea [Jackson] is that type of player that you can build a franchise around. I think [Kamilla] Cardoso is doing a great job of being dominant in the paint. I think she\u2019s playing better too now that [Courtney] Vandersloot\u2019s back and able to run the show again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though the season has generally been a disappointment \u2014 the Sky will not meet their goal<\/a> of making the playoffs \u2014 Parker has a point. More than either of the previous two seasons, this one has offered flashes of a model that could work.<\/p>\n There is an argument for giving coach Tyler Marsh, who has spent the season on the hot seat, a chance to run it back with a healthier group.<\/p>\n The thing about asking Parker to analyze the Sky, though, is that the brain is so deeply connected to the heart.<\/p>\n She will always have a soft spot for the franchise. She\u2019s a Chicago-area kid who came home and led the Sky to their first championship in 2021.<\/p>\n She also has a soft spot for Marsh.<\/p>\n During her time with the Aces, Parker got to know a talented young player-development coach \u2014 and universally agreed-upon \u201cgreat guy\u201d \u2014 in Marsh. When Marsh later got the call to become the Sky\u2019s head coach, Parker helped him look over the contract and nudged him to take it.<\/p>\n So it\u2019s no surprise Parker empathizes with the tough hand he\u2019s been dealt.<\/p>\n \u201cThings happen you don\u2019t have any control over,\u201d Parker said. \u201cYou come in, you have to make a big trade. And then now this season, losing [Jackson to an ACL injury].\u201d<\/p>\n By \u201cbig trade,\u201d Parker was of course referring to the deal that sent three-time All-Star Angel Reese to the Dream right after Marsh had unlocked her as a playmaker.<\/p>\n The Sky will have a decision to make about Marsh at the end of the season. But their recurring question is bigger than coaching. It is whether the franchise has built the infrastructure needed to cultivate young stars \u2014 and keep them.<\/p>\n Will they be able to develop and retain Jackson? Or will they, as has happened so often, eventually \u201chave to make a big trade\u201d?<\/p>\n Fortunately for Parker, those questions are not hers to solve.<\/p>\n She\u2019s accomplished just about all that women\u2019s basketball has to offer: three WNBA championships, two MVPs and two Olympic gold medals. Now, on the eve of her Hall of Fame induction, she gets to look back on it all with a little disbelief.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think anybody picks up a ball like, \u2018I\u2019m gonna be a Hall of Famer,\u2019 I\u2019ll be honest,\u201d she said. \u201cBut as you start winning and you see that your heroes all have that orange jacket. To be able to get the call and be in this group, it\u2019s cool.\u201d<\/p>\n Parker said her next project is another heady one: brainwashing her young sons into loving the game enough to chase orange jackets of their own.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Marsh said he sympathized with White over the online circus. Rachel Banham, who played for White in Connecticut, also came to her defense.<\/p>\n [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone] read<\/p>\n![\"APTOPIX](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/6e912ae\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/5382x3588+0+0\/resize\/840x560!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F5a%2F5e%2F1b83d37448d9a4a43406bf351ca6%2Faptopix-liberty-fever-basketball.jpg\")
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\n \u00a0\n <\/p>\n
![\"Indiana](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/e16065e\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/3877x2585+0+0\/resize\/840x560!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F79%2F57%2F18f1d32c4e49a60b6b94822f7c43%2Fap26214709165117.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/6fd71e6\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/4774x3076+0+0\/resize\/840x541!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fbb%2F4b%2F8a0894ee4561826566d4c4b31b6f%2F2285587333.jpg\")
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