August 20, 2022

Daily Briefing — Aug. 20, 2022: Chippy in Chicago, starring James Wade and Reporter

It’s like Sleepless in Seattle, but more Barclays Center, less Empire State Building

Chicago Sky head coach James Wade and his assistant coaches sit on the bench and look out towards the court, with Wade looking disgusted by what he's seeing

Chicago Sky head coach James Wade and his coaching staff look on during a game against the Washington Mystics at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C., on June 8, 2022. (Photo credit: Domenic Allegra | The Next)

Happy Saturday! Welcome to The Next’s Daily Briefing, featuring the W and NCAA Roundups. Day 3 of the WNBA postseason is here, following a day in which Chicago got an injury scare in the form of Kahleah Copper’s ankle. Our James Kay reported that the superstar wing went down grabbing her ankle during practice and had to be helped off the floor; thankfully, she walked back from the training room under her own power, albeit “gingerly.” Sky head coach James Wade did not take kindly to the topic in a subsequent media session:

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James Wade on Kahleah Copper's injury @TheNextHoops pic.twitter.com/5w3pLUk5Lu
— James Kay (@James_M_Kay) August 19, 2022

For the record, teams are required to publicly report injuries a full day in advance of a game, so Wade gained about four hours’ worth of a competitive advantage by being testy with Reporter.

Four hours later, Chicago released its injury report, with Copper not listed. (That’s a good thing.) It could always add Copper belatedly, though a league with a strong sense of rule enforcement might have some questions about such a development.

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But first, read:

Our aforementioned James Kay looked at the Sky’s alternatives tomorrow if Copper is ruled out
Our Jenn Hatfield broke down everything that Elena Delle Donne went through to get to Game 1 of the playoffs this past Thursday with the Washington Mystics
Our Dave Yapkowitz reviewed former Los Angeles Sparks interim head coach Fred Williams’ tenure as he departs for Auburn
SLAM‘s Thomas Aiello chronicled Han Xu’s development from youth ball to her 2022 breakout with the New York Liberty
The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Sam Gordon wrote about the high-octane arena atmosphere for the Aces’ Game 1 win over the Phoenix Mercury
Our Jenn Hatfield and Her Hoop Stats’ Calvin Wetzel chronicled the rise in international players in the W for FiveThirtyEight

W Roundup

Phoenix: Combo guard Shey Peddy’s injury from Wednesday night was confirmed to be a ruptured Achilles tendon. She will miss the rest of the playoffs and likely the entire 2023 season, though she’s keeping in good spirits.

Watch List, Saturday, Aug. 20

(All times in Eastern)

New York @ Chicago, Game 2, noon, ESPN — New York leads the series 1-0

Phoenix @ Las Vegas, Game 2, 9 p.m., ESPN2 — Las Vegas leads the series 1-0

NCAA Roundup

The U.S. 3×3 U-23 team won the Americas conference, securing a bid to the Nations League Final (the global tournament for conference champions) next month. The roster includes Villanova combo forward Maddy Siegrist, North Carolina big wing Alyssa Ustby, Notre Dame big Maddy Westbeld, Duke combo guard Celeste Taylor, Texas center Aaliyah Moore and former Texas A&M wing Kayla Wells.

Written by Emily Adler

Emily Adler (she/her) covers the WNBA at large and college basketball for The Next, with a focus on player development and the game behind the game.