“I love being here. I enjoyed the season. It was fun. It was special,” Chennedy Carter said last year, and we could see it. The guard was sitting among the league’s top scorers, filling the offensive gaps on a rather bleak-looking roster, and the future looked every bit bright. But contrary to what a breakout season is supposed to be followed with, Carter still hasn’t had the opportunity to put pen to the paper in W. She is ready to adorn new colors in a different country instead. But can the guard find her way back?

Well, a former W star is confident– or maybe only if Carter follows one simple advice.

“First, I want to say Chennedy, be patient,” Angel McCoughtry started on the Good Follow podcast. After having seen no interest from any W franchise, the guard went on to sign with  Adelitas de Chihuahua. Carter may remain hopeful or not, but McCoughtry is, and she is pushing for the Sky star to be so, too. 

“It is coming; you’re going to get back in the WNBA. Going to Mexico is fine, but I hope you put in your contract that, ‘If I get a WNBA contract, I can leave whenever I want.’ Be patient, keep working out, keep training, keep a positive attitude, keep letting people know that you’re maturing as a player and you’re going to be fine. You had a great season last year in Chicago, you’re going to be fine.” But holding out hopes won’t be the only ask from the former Atlanta Dream star. 

From coming off the bench to thriving on the court with a consistent average of 20.1 points per game, Chennedy Carter had a successful run in the Chicago Sky last season. She’d even rank second in the League for fast-break points, and finish her season averaging 17.5 points and 3.5 rebounds. However, none of that could save her a spot in this year’s roster. Chicago was expected to come calling for all the times she pulled the team out of the trenches, but here we are. 

Citing locker room dynamics and on-court troubles, the Chicago Sky dusted off Carter’s seat from their list. Plus, they didn’t even consider calling her for training camp. Having been in the W for quite some time now, an undeterred Carter is used to such treatment and is widely known for her head-turner tactics! And this season is no different. So while the Texas native joins the Mexican team, McCoughtry shares a word of caution.

“Show in Mexico that you’re not a problem child- that you can do what you need to do,” she emphasizes. While Chennedy has a clean heart and a strong game, why are the pros avoiding her? 

According to beat reporter Annie Costabile, it was her behavior that caused locker-room tensions and likely threatened the dynamics within the roster. It wasn’t the first case of such a citation, either. She was let go from her very first franchise, the Atlanta Dream, for a very similar reason. Then 2023, the LA Sparks too would suggest ‘poor conduct’ when they waived her off. So all that McCoughtry advises is to remain calm headed.

She suggested that facets of her personality are curable and should not pose a threat to other teams or jeopardise her career in any way. McCoughtry feels that once Carter works on these points, not just on-court  but also implementing them in personal and professional life, she can win the trust of teammates and coaches and land herself a pro team.

With the guard currently out of Chicago’s roster into another international team, the Sky team is making headlines for landing gem of rookies this season. While we will have to wait for the camp’s closure to see who made it to this season’s roster, how are the existing Sky players adjusting in their first interaction at the ongoing training camp?

Tyler Marsh gives a glimpse of Chicago Sky’s strategy

Opening about adapting into newer role in the wake of new coach, Tyler Marsh‘s focus on generating more offensive balance on the front court, Reese hinted at the fact that she would have to fill in as a stretch-four. This position will showcase the guard at her fullest potential, where she would now need to increase her ball-cuts and relocations to balance the floor and navigate the arc.

To meet the latest requirements surrounding space issues at the camp, we can see Reese in a reprised role of pulling out defences towards the perimeter. Talking about space issues on the court, Marsh said, “A huge point of emphasis for us has been how to maintain and create space, whether that’s for the perimeter players or for the post players.”

Stacked with perimeter shooting and facilitators, Kamila Cardoso is poised to be a key to the team’s offense. The two bigs have made it clear that they aren’t going to make it easy for the opponents to rebound, and Ariel Atkins has got it covered down at the shooting. Carter may be a miss for a last season’s roster, but the Sky has ensured to fill all the gaps now.