Chicago Sky star rookies Kamilla Cardoso, Angel Reese prep for WNBA preseason debut
CHICAGO (CBS) – Star rookies Kamilla Cardoso, Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky are preparing for their first preseason WNBA game on Friday on the road against Minnesota.
Along with the young new stars, the Sky also has a new coach in Hall of Famer Teresa Weatherspoon. It's a new situation for everyone involved, including their two top-10 picks who have lofty expectations.
"Just being the best player I can be on and off the court and winning," Cardoso said of her goals. "I came from a program that has a winning history. I don't like to lose. My goal is to come here and help these girls and help this team however I can to win games because I don't like to lose."
Both star rookies are coming off a quick turnaround after the NCAA Tournament in March and then being drafted two weeks ago to starting their professional careers.
Reese said her approach is "just being able to come in here and not make any excuses because everybody here is just fighting to be on the team and just fighting for greatness. So coming in here, I didn't have the mindset to just be tired. I had the mindset to go into work every single day and figuring everything else out later. So I'm just happy to be here in this moment."
Both former longtime rivals said it helps that they now have each other as teammates.
"It's great," Reese said. "I mean, we're still new to each other ... So we're still feeling each other out. Playing with each other is great because it's two shot blockers, two great defenders, but also offensively, we're two different players who are threats offensively too. It's a dynamic duo. I think over time, out chemistry will continue to build."
The Sky starts the season on May 15 with their first three games on the road. Their home opener is May 25 against the Connecticut Sun.
Candace Parker's legacy
It was just three years ago that the Sky celebrated a title after Naperville Central alum Candace Parker's homecoming paid off with the first and only championship in franchise history. Parker would eventually become the first player to win three titles with three different WNBA teams.
Parker recently called it a career after 16 years.
Her career was not lost on today's Sky players. Sky guard Dana Evans said she's been "looking up to" her former teammate since Parker was in college at Tennessee. "She's just been a great role model. She left the game better than it was."
"We thank her for everything that she brought to the game to grow it," Weatherspoon said. "To give our younger women an opportunity to live a dream that they wanted to live because we understood the magnitude of the game, the magnitude of the position that you hold and she understood that very well."