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Chicago Sky Coach Names Angel Reese's 'Perfect' Role Model

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 9:01 PM ET

Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky are back in action on Thursday night as they battle the Phoenix Mercury in a road matchup at PHX Arena.

The Sky are looking to end their current two-game losing streak and potentially improve on their 9-28 record, which currently stands as the second-worst in the WNBA.

The Mercury, on the other hand, are coming off back-to-back wins. They are fourth in the league with a 23-14 record and are closing in on a playoff berth.

Chicago Sky Coach Tyler Marsh Compares Angel Reese to WNBA Star

Sky head coach Tyler Marsh spoke to reporters before Thursday’s showdown about the upcoming matchup.

Mercury star Alyssa Thomas, who is coming off a record-setting seventh triple-double this season in Phoenix’s last game, was one of the topics of conversation. According to Marsh, he sees many similarities between Thomas’ game and Reese's.

"There's only one A'ja (Wilson), there's only one [Napheesa Collier] and there's only one [Alyssa Thomas]," Marsh said. "I think that Angel is on her way to — there's only one Angel in a lot of respects. I think that there's so many different aspects of her game that kind of resemble and reflect what [Thomas] is able to do from kind of a point forward-esque type of game."

Marsh went on to say that he believes Reese would benefit greatly from modelling her game after Thomas.

"Also, from a competitive standpoint, it's what separates those types of players as well," Marsh continued. "Angel loves to compete. She loves to win. She has a history of winning over the course of her career.

"I think that [Thomas] is a perfect kind of role model for Angel in terms of what her game is now and what it can continue to be moving forward."

Coach Marsh on the similarities between Angel Reese & Alyssa Thomas #Skytown pic.twitter.com/mbfAzca6ER
— Chicago State of Mind Sports (@ChiStateOfMind_) August 29, 2025

Angel Reese’s Improved Versatility

Reese isn’t exactly a bona fide point forward at this point in her career, especially when compared to Thomas. However, there’s no denying that the 23-year-old has shown significant improvements in this facet of her game in her second season in the WNBA.

Reese is still leading the league in rebounds with 12.4 per contest. She’s also seen a slight increase in her scoring. From 13.6 points per game as a rookie, the former LSU star is now at 14.3 per contest.

Arguably, the most significant improvement she’s had this season, however, is getting her teammates in the best position to score. She’s no playmaking whiz, but Reese’s 3.7 assists per game this season is a considerable jump from 1.9 last year.

As Marsh implied in his statement above, Reese still has so much untapped potential. She’s become a more versatile player as a sophomore, and she could very well continue trekking this path in the coming years.

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

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