"Angel Reese is skilled" - Courtney Vandersloot on Sky's future star, All-Star longevity and Unrivaled’s success (Exclusive)

At some point, the Chicago Sky eagerly expect that Courtney Vandersloot will elevate the team with All-Star caliber performances.

Despite laboring through a 0-4 start, however, the Sky have still valued her presence as they manage various forms of adversity.

“Courtney’s leadership is something that you can’t put a price on,” Sky coach Tyler Marsh said. “It’s something that we lean on to manage these ebbs and flows of the season.”

After winning a WNBA championship with the New York Liberty last season, Vandersloot signed with the Sky as a free agent for reasons beyond wanting to return to Chicago after playing there during her first 12 WNBA seasons. Amid reduced playing time with the Liberty, Vandersloot joined the Sky amid Marsh’s positive feedback that she would have a heightened role. After appearing in five WNBA All-Star games, Vandersloot joined a Sky team filled with young talent (Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso) that hoped to become a viable playoff team.

“It’s a short season so far, but her impact in the locker room and on the court is an extension of our staff,” Marsh said. “It’s full of experience, wisdom and knowledge for our young players. But it’s good to have the steadiness that she provides.”

Vandersloot spoke to Sportskeeda about that leadership role, how Reese and Cardoso take their next step, the keys to her All-Star longevity and more.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.

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Courtney Vandersloot Exclusive

How have you dealt with the whirlwind of your past year, leaving New York and joining the Sky for the second time in your career?

Vandersloot: “Obviously, it’s been a lot. But I’m really happy to be back where it all started. We have a new addition to the family. I’m back where all my in-laws are. Being back is very familiar. It’s very family-oriented. It’s been a good place.”

What have the emotions been like?

Vandersloot: “Highs and lows. Of course, the season hasn’t started as well as we wanted to, so there are some emotions there. But then I get to come home to such a blessing. We’re staying positive and things are good.”

What stuck with you during your reunion game against New York?

Vandersloot: “It’s all about the relationships that I built there. I’m very big on that. When you go through life, it’s all about the relationships that you build along the way. My time there was very special. I built a lot of great relationships with a lot of great people. I got to play against some of the best players in the world. I got to play for a franchise that is one of the best. It was a warm feeling for me to see everybody again and just be embraced by all of them.”

Given your track record as both an All-Star and a leader, what have you been doing to try to help this young team?

Vandersloot: “I think the biggest thing, especially right now after we dropped a couple of games early, is continuing to stay positive, know what we’re building and not lose track of the work that we put in. It’s not easy to win in this league. I just want to be a positive influence for them in the locker room and on the court. There is always a balance between keeping things really positive, but we also have to take care of business. So we’re trying to balance that.”

Where do you think Angel and Kamilla are in the young stages of their career?

Vandersloot: “I think that they obviously want to be great. Both of them want to be great in this league. It’s not easy. It takes people a lot of time. They have kind of gotten thrown into it very early in their career. A lot of young rookies get the chance to play behind some vets that they can learn from. But right from the beginning, they’ve been put in a starting role and we expect a lot from them. That’s not easy to do in this league.

So there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs for them. But that’s part of our job. That’s keeping them high and knowing that’s going to come and not let the lows get too low.”

What does their next level look like?

Vandersloot: “I think you can see glimpses how great they can be in this league. They each have a skillset that they can dominate that not everybody can. Angel is skilled and has an all-around game that she really hasn’t tapped into. She can be a distributor, a scorer and obviously a rebounder. Kamilla can dominate the paint. Not a lot of people can. We got to be able to find ways to let her do that. But I think with time and when she figures out her niche down there, she’s going to be really tough to guard.”

What has your guidance been to Angel with dealing with the expectations and the unfortunate incident in Indiana with the fans?

Vandersloot: “I think the biggest thing with Angel is that I don’t think a lot of people can relate-- I definitely can’t -- to the weight she carries on the day-to-day and the pressure that she deals with from the outside noise and the expectations with herself and how good and great she wants to be. So for me, I just want her to know that I always have her back. It doesn’t have to be perfect. I’m always going to ride for her and let her know, ‘We need you. We need you to be great. But we also don’t want to put too much on you. You should be enjoying this because you get to play basketball for a living.”

What’s your secret sauce to your sustained success and longevity?

Vandersloot: “(laughs). I would say it’s a little bit of luck. Obviously, I’ve been really blessed with injuries and lack thereof. But a lot of it has been sacrificing, commitment and putting everything that I have into this. I spent a lot of time on my body and the work that I put in to make sure that I’m at my best. It’s a full day of things. If it’s not recovery, then I’m prepping my body. I wake up in the morning and the first thing that I’m doing is getting ready for either a game or a practice. Then I spend my evenings between feedings trying to recover and get my body right.”

Even with having a lot of All-Star seasons, you’ve talked about how Coach Marsh sees you as ‘the best version of myself.’ How so?

Vandersloot: “I think he sees my ability to lead a team and have the ball in my hands. I think that’s when I’m at my best. So just having a role where I can lead a younger group and continue to playmake for everyone. I think that is something that interests feel. I still feel like I have a lot to give to this game and I have a lot left in me. So that part was intriguing to me. I love the trust that he has in me.”

What were your takeaways with Unrivaled as far as your expectations, what you got out of it and what you think of it moving forward?

Vandersloot: “I think for a first season, it was an incredible thing for all of us, especially me. Just having that access to play against some of the best players in the league in an offseason. That was everything you needed in one spot. I loved that part of it. Obviously, it was a success. People enjoyed it. Everybody I hear enjoyed watching it and enjoyed seeing us compete. I’m looking forward toward seeing where the league goes. And I’m definitely planning on being a part of it.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.