Emre Vatansever steps in as Sky interim head coach and general manager
CHICAGO (CBS) -- When James Wade stepped down as Sky head coach and general manager to become an assistant with the Toronto Raptors earlier this month, it left open a dream opportunity for assistant Emre Vatansever: a head coaching stint in the WNBA.
Now Sky interim head coach and general manager Emre Vatansever is letting the new role soak in.
"First and foremost, my goal and my target is enjoying and learning and try something that I've wanted to try," said Vatansever.
So this has been a dream opportunity?
"Oh yeah it is, of course. There's only 12 teams, and you are the head coach of one of them right now at the moment even though it's interim it doesn't matter," he said.
Vatansever has been a member of the Sky coaching staff since 2018 and says the transition, although sudden, has been smooth.
"This group, they're so hungry, they're so supportive. It makes it much more easier for me. And we have some established offense and defense with coach James Wade. It's been 5 to 6 years, so it wasn't hard for me to take over."
Vatansever earned his first head coaching job in his home country of Turkey in 2022 and has always led with a bigger purpose.
"I'm here to serve the players," he said. "I believe in servitude a lot. It's been my mentality. This is players' journey, which I have two daughters. If they played basketball, that's what I would like to see their coach doing it for them."
The Sky have been no strangers to change this season, after entering the season with a number of new faces and dealing with several injuries. Still, the focus remains on making a fifth straight playoff appearance.
"We want them to play the same way because something has not changed in basketball. You have to play hard you have to pay attention to details," he said. "Those things are still the same even though you change little things, so my goal is force them to do those moments even more."
Vatansever added balancing being both interim head coach and the team's general manager can be tough and is excited about the teams new part-owner Dwyane Wade.
"Oh it's big. I saw his tweet and that's the most takeaway I have, he is literally taking initials. He wants to, not just tweeting not just talking about it is now part of ownership group. Now is literally taking initial, that is big time because now everybody will follow his footsteps," he said.
Vatansever's WNBA career began in 2015 as an intern with the Seattle Storm. He got a ring six years later as an assistant on the Sky's 2021 championship team.