Skylar Diggins enjoying 'honeymoon phase' with the Sky
Coach Tyler Marsh doesn't have the words for it, exactly. He just knows how it feels the moment Skylar Diggins walks into the gym.
“There's an accountability and a level of focus that she demands,” Marsh said at Sky’s media day. "It's contagious to the rest of the group. That's what we wanted when we brought her in."
Coming off a 10-34 season, Marsh and general manager Jeff Pagliocca knew they needed to raise the talent level on the roster. They also wanted to get tougher.
Diggins could help with both. She’s known for being an elite passer, a pesky defender and according to teammate Rachel Banham, a constant source of classic quotes in practice. But the thing that has defined her 12-year career more than anything else is that she runs a tight ship.
"There's gonna be nights when she's gonna be tough on us, and that's important," Banham said. "We need that. That's what's going to get us over the hump and into that playoff push."
Diggins grew up in South Bend, Indiana, raised by a mother who didn't let much slide. Straight A's were expected. A college scholarship was too. Strong standards, Diggins came to believe, demand respect.
So far in training camp, she's shown more than told. Diggins says the team is in the honeymoon phase — vibes are high, and the vision feels within reach. But even the honeymoon has had its buzzkills.
Three of the Sky's major free-agent additions — Azura Stevens, DiJonai Carrington and Courtney Vandersloot — are currently out with injuries, which means preseason lineups haven't yet reflected what the Sky are building toward. The Sky’s young and largely new core of Kamilla Cardoso, Rickea Jackson, and Jacy Sheldon are figuring out how to jell on the fly.
Everyone is taking cues from Diggins.
"I'm excited to still be somewhere where my opinion feels cherished," Diggins said. "But I also understand that a lot of young people are looking up to me, so I'm trying to be a good girl."
At 35, Diggins has a clear sense of what the game means to her and what she wants to pass along.
"When you've been in the game so long, when you peel off all the layers, that's really what I play for now," Diggins said. "Not for the attention, just the joy that I feel on the floor, the release that I feel on the floor and how it's like a safe haven to me. I still cherish the game and keep it very pure.
“Being in the game so long, you see what you get out is what you put in. It's like an ATM machine. That's what I try to teach the younger players. Just show them how I show up and why I've been here so long."
Diggins' decision to take a leap of faith on the Sky had layers to it. As is often the case in free agency, she relied first on the word on the street. She played with Banham at Unrivaled, who spoke highly of Marsh and his vision.
She was also drawn to the fact that two members of the 2021 championship core — Vandersloot and Stevens — wanted to return.
"I've been on the other side in 2021 playing against that championship team," Diggins said. "Seeing the arena light up. Seeing Chicago basketball at its peak. I've been here as a fan since before I was in the league. When Ticha Penicheiro signed, I came to her first game. I've always been submerged in the culture of Chicago Sky. I know what it is."
More than anything, the decision came back to her Midwestern roots.
"A lot of it didn't need to be sold because I was so close to family," Diggins said. "But also from a basketball operations side, just the moves that they were making — really putting their money where their mouth was and wanting to make some good change toward getting back competitive, in the playoffs."
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