MINNEAPOLIS — The previous three days have been a whirlwind for 20-year-old Sika Koné.
After two preseason games with the Liberty, one of which she scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds, Koné was waived on Tuesday. By Thursday evening, Sky coach/GM James Wade had picked her up off of waivers. The news that she’d be meeting her new team in Minnesota less than 24 hours later took a minute to reach her — she was having a root canal when it happened.
Now that she’s with the Sky, Koné is ready to get to work.
“When I came, my teammates were so nice,” Koné told the Sun-Times during shootaround. “They welcomed me. I’m not trying to put pressure on myself. I’m just thinking about what I can do to help the team. It’s my first game and I’m excited to have fun.”
Wade’s known Koné since she was about 15 because she played for the same basketball organization — Gran Canaria — as Sky champion, Astou Ndour.
Koné studied former Sky star and two-time WNBA champion Candace Parker growing up and brings a similar quality of play. It’s a prerequisite for bigs in the WNBA now to be able to shoot from anywhere on the floor, handle the ball and attack the paint. Koné certainly possesses those characteristics but at just 20, she has developing to do and Wade is looking forward to that process.
“We approach [Koné’s development] like we have a draft pick,” Wade said. “We’re going to try and put her in situations where she can play and grow her game. Her being in Europe a lot will give me a chance to keep my eye on her [in the WNBA offseason].”
The move to acquire Koné came at the cost of waiving swing player Anneli Maley. Over the last week, Wade opted to cut all of the guards he brought in on training camp contracts, along with 23rd overall pick Kayana Traylor. The decision, he said, came down to what he felt was a greater need in the frontcourt, given the injuries his team is dealing with to start the season.
“I think the fact that Ruthy [Hebard] is still recovering and [Isabelle Harrison] is out, we needed some insurance in the frontcourt,” Wade said. “To get a player like Sika off waivers I felt like it’s going to prove to be a good piece for us in the not-so-distant future.”
Koné will dress for the Sky’s season opener against the Lynx but Wade wasn’t sure if she’d see the floor. She has had minimal time with the Sky’s playbook, so there isn’t a huge sense of urgency to get her minutes yet.
INJURY NEWS
Wade provided an update on Harrison’s previously undisclosed injury, telling the Sun-Times that the forward had successful surgery to repair a tear in her left meniscus Friday morning.
He doesn’t have a timeline for her return but meniscus repair surgery can have a player sidelined anywhere from weeks to several months. Wade’s update came after previously declining to comment on what specifically had kept his new forward away from the team for over a week.
“I wanted her to get through surgery [before commenting,]” Wade said. “Now that she’s through surgery, I can say I talked to her this morning and she’s doing well.”
Hebard is working hard to make her return after giving birth. She is traveling with the team but was not running drills during the period of shootaround that was open to media. She did remain after to get some one on one work in. Her timeline for a return is still uncertain.
