"Star on the rise": Angel Reese's coach Tyler Marsh wastes no time making feelings known on Rena Wakama's arrival

Tyler Marsh is getting all the help he needs ahead of his first season as the Chicago Sky's coach. On Tuesday, Chicago announced former Nigerian Women's National Team coach Rena Wakama as an assistant coach.

Marsh tweeted his enthusiasm for Wakama's addition to his coaching staff shortly after the announcement, welcoming her aboard:

"If you watched how her teams competed at the Olympics & listen to how she inspires her players, you’d know that Rena is a star on the rise. I couldn’t be happier adding such a great coach to our staff & believing in the vision for #Skytown."

Rena Wakama will team up with assistants Courtney Paris and Tanisha Wright.

She brings a lot of experience, as she led the Nigerian Women's National Team to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics. She also made history as the first female coach to win the Women's AfroBasket title in August 2023.

Wakama expressed her gratitude and excitement about joining the Chicago Sky:

“I am honored and thankful for Jeff and Tyler for granting me the opportunity to join the Chicago Sky family. Tyler has one of the best basketball minds in the industry and I’m excited to help him bring his vision to life. I look forward to serving this organization and working alongside the other brilliant minds on staff to create a brand of basketball that is not only competitive but also fun to watch! Let’s get to work!”

The Sky will tip off their 2025 regular season on May 17 against the Indiana Fever. They will also play three preseason games: two against Minnesota and one against the Brazilian National Team.

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Tyler Marsh tabs Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso as cornerstones of Sky franchise

Tyler Marsh, during his introductory news conference, had high praise for the team's young stars, Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. He referred to the 2024 rookies as the "cornerstones" of the franchise.

"It’s not just player development," Marsh said. "It’s time in the film room. We want Kamilla and Angel to be good at what they do already, but we also want them to score easily.”

Reese averaged 13.6 points and a WNBA-best 13.1 rebounds per game. Cardoso contributed 9.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg and 1.7 assists per game.