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Angel Reese Issues Statement After Chicago Sky's Troubling News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Jun 10, 2025 11:07 PM ET

The Chicago Sky played their first game on Tuesday without their floor general, Courtney Vandersloot. The five-time All-Star was diagnosed with an ACL tear after suffering a non-contact injury in Chicago's 72-59 blowout loss to the Indiana Fever on Saturday and has since been ruled out for the remainder of the season.

It was a tough matchup for the Sky on Tuesday as they took on the defending champions, the New York Liberty, in a road game at Barclays Center. It was an even more daunting task for Chicago without Vandersloot on the floor.

At this point, the Sky have no other choice but to take a committee approach in trying to fill the Vandersloot void. Simply put, they don't have anyone on the roster who can serve as a 1-for-1 replacement for the five-time All-WNBA guard.

Angel Reese addressed the issue during Tuesday's game, and the All-Star forward has made it clear that the team remains confident in being able to get through this major hurdle.

"Yeah, obviously [Vandersloot] is a big down for us, but we knew that was gonna happen," Reese said. "Hailey (Van Lith) and Rachel (Banham) they've worked hard in training camp and throughout the year, so I know we've prepared for this moment. And also, I can help out, too."

Angel Reese with the assists on and off the court pic.twitter.com/1iUBOtmOZh
— ESPN (@espn) June 11, 2025

Reese pointed to rookie Hailey Van Lith and veteran Rachel Banham as the players who will be taking over point guard duties with Vandersloot out. They will have some big shoes to fill, but as Reese indicated, both players have been putting in the work and are prepared to step up to the plate.

Unfortunately for the Sky, things did not work out at all for them on Tuesday night. They ended up suffering a blowout loss to a powerhouse Liberty side, 85-66.

Reese did all she could for Chicago, posting a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double, with three assists, two steals and one triple. It was far from enough.

The Sky's two Vandersloot replacements, however, struggled mightily in this one. Banham, who got the start, and Van Lith combined for just eight points on 2-of-11 shooting.

To be fair, virtually the entire Chicago squad played poorly in this one, and this was a tough matchup against the champs. Banham, Van Lith and the rest of the team will be looking to bounce back on Friday when they return to action against the Atlanta Dream.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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