PHILADELPHIA — Chicago Sky guard Kahleah Copper didn’t have much time to process the 72-63 loss against the Connecticut Sun in Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals on Sept. 8.
Instead, she had to figure out a plan with USA Basketball on how she was getting to Sydney, Australia, to play in the FIBA World Cup.
Following the Sky’s season-ending defeat, Copper quickly packed up her belongings and flew from Chicago to her hometown in Philly in less than 24 hours before getting on a flight to Australia.
“It was important for me to be able to be mature,” Copper said. “Also, just have the opportunity to play more basketball, I think, is special. This is a big-time opportunity for me, so I think it felt hard at the moment. But, you know, now that I’m here, I’ve never been to Australia, and playing with the best of the best.”
Copper has experience competing with Team USA — the first time coming in 2019. While she missed training camp in Las Vegas this year because the Sky were in playoffs, Copper feels like a leader with this group and is vocal with her teammates.
Women’s national team head coach Cheryl Reeve, who also is the Minnesota Lynx coach and general manager, was concerned at first about Copper’s headspace. But the 6-foot-1 guard came in ready to go and has had some time to find her footing before the first game, which is Sept. 22 against Belgium.
“[She] has been a really good leader,” Reeve, a Gloucester County native and La Salle alumna, said. “Really improved as a basketball player in terms of things that we want to be able to do. When you’re playing with someone like Candace Parker, you’ve got to be able to move and cut, and that’s clearly something you’ve seen them do. … The way that she’s approaching it with confidence and with leadership is exactly what we needed.”
Copper, who won the WNBA Finals MVP last year after Chicago clinched the championship, reflected on her 2019 experience with USA basketball. She said that experience felt like the year she established herself as a pro, when she played all 34 games, averaging 6.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in 2017 for the Sky off the bench.
She also believes one of the biggest differences about this year’s group is that she’s playing with former Rutgers teammate Betnijah Laney, now a guard for the New York Liberty. Copper said Laney and her have been attached at the hip since she arrived in Sydney.
“We were like salt and pepper in college,” Copper said. “To be able to experience this is something that’s so special. … We talk about college, our experiences, and how much better we’ve gotten then when we started.
“We peaked together — in the bubble season and just like how our careers basically took off and became All-Stars together.”
Before graduating, Laney played three seasons with Copper. They had successful college careers and were coached by the legendary C. Vivian Stringer. Upon leaving Rutgers, Copper ranked third on the Scarlet Knights all-time scoring list with 1,872 points, and Laney ranked 10th nationally in double-doubles.
The two both had slow starts in their professional careers. Laney produced 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game during her rookie season with the Sky in 2015. She was waived in 2017 after suffering a torn left ACL in 2016.
She bounced back in 2020 with the Atlanta Dream. Laney was named the WNBA Most Improved Player and to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team after averaging 17.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.0 assists.
Copper also had a career year in 2020, averaging 14.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.
“I think [Betnijah] just challenges me,” Copper said. “She’s a super competitor. She was somebody that I looked up to in college because she was so good. … I think that she’s just still that same person, still super vocal, still pulling out the best things out of me.”
Copper, who averaged 15.7 points and 5.7 rebounds, isn’t satisfied with her production this season. However her focus is with Team USA, and the ultimate goal is winning.
“Every time I step on the floor, I’m going to compete,” Copper said. “I’m going to be me, so it’s not a thing where I’m still thinking about it. I love the game. Like I said, I love to compete. ... I’m just out there trying to be the best version of myself and do whatever it is I can do to help my team win.”
