For the second consecutive year, the Sky won’t have a pick in the first round of the WNBA Draft, which airs at 6 p.m. Thursday on ESPN.
Favoring experience over the expectations of draft prospects, Sky coach/general manager James Wade dealt his first-round picks in the 2023 and 2024 drafts to the Dallas Wings in a four-team trade for guard Marina Mabrey.
That leaves the Sky with the 11th pick in the second (23rd overall) and third rounds (35th) of this draft.
While much has been said about the uphill battle it is to make a WNBA roster, with most teams carrying 11 players because of salary-cap restrictions, the Sky have drafted and developed stars outside of the first round.
Below are six notable players from the Sky’s past and present who have left their mark on the WNBA despite being drafted after the first round.
Allie Quigley
2008 second round, 22nd overall pick, Seattle Storm
There’s no greater example in Sky history of the sometimes off-road track a player takes to find her home in the WNBA than Quigley. Adding to her lore is the fact that she grew up in Joliet before playing collegiately for Doug Bruno at DePaul. After being drafted by the Storm, Quigley signed with the Mercury and played with Indiana, San Antonio and Seattle, too. Pokey Chatman signed Quigley in 2013, and from there, she worked herself into the league’s best three-point shooter, winning four three-point-contest titles, the most of any player in the WNBA or NBA. Her Game 4 performance in the 2021 WNBA Finals helped the Sky secure their first championship. Quigley has opted to sit out this season, marking the first time in 10 seasons the sharpshooter won’t suit up for the Sky.
Dominique Canty
1999 third round, 29th overall pick, Detroit Shock
Canty finished second in rookie-of-the-year voting to Olympic Gold medalist Chamique Holdsclaw. She averaged 9.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists. After four seasons with the Shock followed by four with the Houston Comets, Canty signed with the Sky in 2007. She was a veteran presence for the young franchise, helping lead it into what eventually would become the Courtney Vandersloot era. Canty’s 14-year WNBA career ended with the Washington Mystics in 2012.
Jamierra Faulkner
2014 third round, 34th overall pick, Sky
Faulkner played just five seasons for the Sky but was one of the most impactful role players in franchise history. Despite suffering multiple injury setbacks, Faulkner was an energy player in practice and games. She averaged 6.2 points and 3.1 assists with the Sky and played a key role in the franchise’s first trip to the WNBA Finals in 2014.
Emma Meesseman
2013 second round, 19th overall pick, Washington Mystics
Meesseman’s time with the Sky was short-lived but significant. Her signing ahead of the 2022 season was part of a free-agent class that helped win Wade executive of the year. Meesseman filled a huge hole left by center Stefanie Dolson and helped to sustain the Sky’s pick-and-roll game and maintain the fast-paced, free-flowing offense the team had become known for under Wade. She earned her second All-Star nod with the Sky to go with her 2019 WNBA Finals MVP honor. The addition of Meesseman helped the Sky earn their best regular-season record in franchise history.
Betnijah Laney
2015 second round, 17th overall pick, Sky
Laney played just two seasons with the Sky before being waived in 2017. She earned most improved player in 2020 after being waived by the Indiana Fever and picked up by the Atlanta Dream ahead of the league’s bubble season in Bradenton, Florida. She tripled her scoring average from 2019 to 2020, putting up 17.2 points to go with 4.9 rebounds and four assists. She followed up her breakout season with her first All-Star nod in 2021, averaging 16.8 points, 5.2 assists and 4.1 rebounds in her first season with the New York Liberty.
Dana Evans
2021 second round, 13th overall pick, Dallas Wings
Despite the minimal playing time Evans has received in her short time with the Sky, a direct result of playing behind Vandersloot for her first two seasons, the young guard from Gary, Indiana, has all the potential to be a franchise player. On top of her defensive acumen, Evans has shown flashes of offensive prowess that has brought Wintrust Arena to its feet. She scored a career-high 24 points in the Sky’s season opener last year.
