It was a worst case scenario for Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot on Sunday as additional imaging confirmed that she tore her right ACL in her team’s 79-52 loss to the Indiana Fever. As a result, the veteran will miss the remainder of the 2025 WNBA season.
“She’s our engine,” Chicago coach Tyler Marsh said immediately following the game. “She’s our captain and our leader out there, so obviously, it’s a huge blow. But hopefully, it’s not as serious as we may think. We’re hoping she is able to bounce back, but for the time being, we all got to pick her up. We all got to lift her up; we all got to lift each other up.”
Rookie guard Hailey Van Lith echoed those sentiments on Saturday saying “It’s heartbreaking to watch anybody [suffer an injury], but especially one of your teammates and someone that means as much as Sloot does to our team and this organization…Right now, we’re giving her a lot of energy, praying for her. Whatever is in store in the future for this team, I trust that we will find a way to make this moment mean something in the end. We’re very concerned, and our hearts go out to Sloot.”
With Vandersloot out, Van Lith figures to see extended minutes for the time being. Point guard Moriah Jefferson is also likely to see increased usage, though she has yet to make her season debut for Chicago due to an injury of her own.
It’s a tough blow for a Chicago team that was leaning on Vandersloot’s leadership to help guide their young roster this season. The 5’8″ point guard was averaging 10.6pts/3.1reb/5.3ast per game prior to suffering the ACL tear.
Currently 2-5 on the year, the Sky’s only wins have come against the Dallas Wings who sport a 1-9 record and sit dead last in the league. Up next for Chicago is a date with the defending WNBA champions, the New York Liberty on Tuesday night.
Photo: Lorie Shaull. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.