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'We're Not Going to Feel Sorry for Ourselves': Chicago Sky Coach Addresses Absences of Angel Reese and Ariel Atkins

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated Sep 8, 2025 7:48 PM ET

The Chicago Sky lost to the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday and dropped to a 10-32 record, the second-worst win-loss tally in the WNBA, only ahead of the 9-34 Dallas Wings.

The Sky were without Ariel Atkins in the game due to a back issue. Meanwhile, Angel Reese was supposed to just sit out the first half as punishment for her controversial comments about the team, but she ended up not playing because of a back injury.

Five players scored in double figures for the Sky, but no one made more than 20 points. Michaela Onyenwere and Rachel Banham led the team in scoring with 12 points each.

For the Aces, A'ja Wilson tallied 31 points, while Jackie Young added 20 in Las Vegas' dominant 80-66 victory.

After the game, Sky coach Tyler Marsh acknowledged that their 14 turnovers really hurt them, adding that they were partly a result of the team being out of sync and rhythm. When asked if the absences of Angel Reese and Ariel Atkins caused that, Marsh felt it did.

"I think that, you know, it feels like that's kind of been the tale of this year is when we feel like we've had a rhythm and somewhat consistency and chemistry, you know, there's been another change to the lineup," Marsh shared in his postgame presser.

The Sky tactician, however, emphasized that every team deals with the same issue to "some degree," so "we're not going to feel sorry for ourselves."

He added, "But yeah it certainly has an effect. It's one reason why we wanted to get Sev [Sevgi Uzun] in the starting lineup today and add another ball-handler out there and get Rachel [Banham] off the ball a little bit more. I thought Sev did a decent job tonight. To answer your question, I think it did impact a little bit."

It remains to be seen if Atkins and Reese will be able to suit up for the Sky in their final two games, but considering that Chicago has nothing left to play for, it won't be a surprise if they decide to shut them down instead of risking their health.

The regular season ends on September 11.

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

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