Sky forward Ruthy Hebard’s return from maternity leave is fast approaching. General manager and coach James Wade didn’t give an exact date but told the Sun-Times on Friday that he expects Hebard back soon after Sunday’s game against the Fever.
“She’s been chomping at the bit to get back on the floor,” Wade said. “We like seeing her in her practice gear, but it’s time to see her in a uniform.”
Since Hebard’s son, Xzavier, was born April 11, Hebard, 25, has been steadfast in her efforts to return. Her workouts with Sky strength and conditioning coach Ann Crosby started less than a week after giving birth.
“I told her, ‘You’re going to have big leaps in certain aspects and not-so-big leaps in certain aspects,’ ” Crosby said. “That’s just how the body works. I can only go off of certain markers. That’s why I had this thing where I said, ‘We have to have the honesty policy.’ ”
Their work progressed from walks immediately after Xzavier’s birth to yoga, pool workouts and eventually weight-lifting.
Drafted with the eighth overall pick in 2020, Hebard spent her first three seasons playing behind veterans Cheyenne Parker, Stephanie Dolson, Emma Meesseman and Candace Parker, averaging 4.7 points and 3.4 rebounds in 13.9 minutes. When she returns, it will mark her first real opportunity to insert herself in the rotation in a more rounded way.
“I’ve changed a lot,” she said. “It’s been hard being on the bench a lot, but it’s also been fun to learn from Candace, Emma and all of those great forwards. I’m just excited to go out and try to be the best Ruthy but also take little bits of Candace’s demeanor, leadership, and just be able to be helpful in more than one aspect on the court.”
Working Hebard back into the system should be relatively seamless, considering her style is similar to that of frontcourt pieces such as Elizabeth Williams and Alanna Smith. She’s another low-post presence who can finish at the rim, having shot 79.8% there even in her limited role in three seasons.
“We’re anxious to see how she can help us,” Wade said. “We’ll see, as time goes on, [that] she’s getting stronger and stronger. She’s had some great individual workouts with [player-development coach] Chaz [Franklin], and he’s been impressed. The stuff we’ve seen her do live, it seems like she’s taking steps in the right direction.”
LET’S PLAY TWO
Friday was the Sky’s second consecutive game against the Sparks, the result of the WNBA’s efforts to limit long road trips for teams as they continue to travel commercially. Having consecutive games against the same opponent leads to almost postseason-like preparation. Wade said there are both pros and cons.
“You have great minds on the other sideline that try to adapt to what you guys are doing, so that makes it difficult,” he said. “The easier part is you know what they do. You get to look at some of their habits and the things you didn’t execute well. It’s like a playoff series.”
