Las Vegas Aces assistant coach Tyler Marsh has agreed to become the next head coach of the Chicago Sky, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN and Callie Fin of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Marsh comes to Chicago after three seasons with Las Vegas, during which he helped the franchise win back-to-back WNBA championships. In addition to assistant coach, his titles included head of player development, and he is widely credited with helping the likes of A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young advance their games.
Before the Aces, Marsh worked for the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors, plus four different G League teams.
His appointment continues an eventful offseason for the Aces leadership. Another assistant coach, Natalie Nakase, was hired to become the inaugural head coach of the Golden State Valkyries expansion team, while general manager Natalie Williams was fired as part of a front office restructuring.
Can The Sky’s Tyler Marsh make a playoff team again?
In Chicago, Marsh will inherit a franchise that has seen significant turbulence since winning the 2021 championship. The team fell short of a repeat performance in 2022, before head coach and general manager James Wade resigned after a 7-9 start in 2023. Assistant coach Emre Vatansever took over as interim head coach and GM and went 11-13, but was fired after the season.
Teresa Weatherspoon was hired in hopes she could quickly turn the team back into a contender, but quiet free agency led to franchise star Kahleah Copper asking for a trade, which was granted. The Sky embraced a complete rebuild, drafting Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso in the 2024 WNBA Draft, allowing Courtney Williams to enter free agency and trading Marina Mabrey.
The Sky ultimately finished 13-27 and missed the playoffs for the first time in six years. Weatherspoon was surprisingly fired, part of a brutal offseason for the WNBA coaching ranks and much to the dismay of Reese, who is now central to Chicago’s future plans.
In any case, Reese gave her approval to Marsh’s hire on Saturday.
Under Marsh, Heaven could still have some rebuilding to do. The team has a lottery pick for 2025, but a pick swap with the Dallas Wings is looming as part of the trade that brought Mabrey to Chicago.
