The Chicago Sky made back-to-back selections in the first round, selecting Slovenian small forward Ajsa Sivka and TCU point guard Hailey Van Lith at No. 10 and 11 overall picks.
The day before the 2025 WNBA Draft took place, general manager Jeff Pagliocca executed a trade with the Minnesota Lynx to acquire the 11th overall pick in the first round, which was used to select Van Lith.
Former LSU Tigers Reunite
When Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese found out the Sky drafted Van Lith, she took her excitement to X, formerly known as Twitter, posting, “Yes. Yes. Yes.”
We ain’t do it right the first time. Let’s run it backkkkk🫣 https://t.co/8PXLsHkUyN
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) April 15, 2025
Reese and Van Lith played on the LSU Tigers for only one season, advancing to the Elite Eight. From their playing days in college to draft day, their relationship is positive as they kept in touch with one another.
Now, Reese and Van Lith are elated to reunite as teammates, this time in Chicago as members of the Sky.
“Angel has maintained contact with me this whole past year since she’s been in the league and I transferred,” Van Lith said Monday. “I really appreciate her. We have a very mature relationship, a very — a mutual respect relationship where we both have respect for each other’s game and also the character and the person we are off the court.”
Hailey Van Lith is elated to reunite with Angel Reese as teammates again.
“Mostly I’m just excited to get to be around her again,” said Van Lith of reuniting with Angel Reese. ” I think we have a lot of similarities about how we carry ourselves and our mindset on what’s important to us. She’s a dog, man. She turns up the intensity of everybody around her. I’m excited to be in that environment with her again where she can pull more out of me than I think I have.”
Hailey Van Lith Bet On Herself With TCU Transfer
Van Lith is coming off a historic season with the TCU Horned Frogs, where they won a program-record 34 games and advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history. She became one of the most prolific scorers on the team and won the Big 12 Player and Newcomer of the Year awards.
As a potential backup point guard, Van Lith looks to contribute to the Sky roster and learn from Courtney Vandersloot, who returned to Chicago in free agency.
“First and foremost, I’m wanting to bring a toughness, a resilience,” Van Lith said. “Whatever my role is, whatever my opportunities are, I think I just want to contribute to the culture of tough, selfless, hardworking players that I think that they’re looking to join to the program. That’s what I am looking to bring. It’s more of an attitude, a mindset than anything, and I think I’m more than capable of doing that.”
Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray live posted during draft night, “Don’t sleep on an 11th pick,” moments after the Sky selected Van Lith. Gray was also selected 11th overall in the 2014 WNBA Draft out of Duke and is known for making flashy plays at the point guard position.
Don’t sleep on an 11th pick 😉
— Chelsea Gray (@cgray209) April 15, 2025
Throughout her collegiate career, Van Lith played for Louisville, LSU, and TCU, each year achieving success and bringing intensity As she transitions to the WNBA, the team is optimistic how well Van Lith’s play style will evolve.
“[Van Lith] has a winning mindset. She’s got a toughness about her,” first-year Chicago Sky head coach Tyler Marsh said. “There’s a lot to like about where she is now as a player and a whole lot to love about where she can be moving forward.”
The Sky will feature a young core of Kamilla Cardoso, Reese, and Van Lith, while Chicago is expected to have potential sold-out games due to the attraction of these well-known names from their college women’s basketball careers.
Sivka Is Excited To Join The Chicago Sky Organization
Sivka spent the early years of her professional career playing overseas for Famila Schio in Italy and Tarpes Gespe Bigorre in France. She also represented Slovenia in last year’s Nike Hoop Summit, where she helped lead the team to its first-ever gold medal.
Throughout the tournament, Sivka made significant contributions, averaging 15.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game, and was named the Tournament MVP. She is ready to adapt to new changes in the United States for the first time as a member of the Chicago Sky.
“The experience that I have playing in Europe,” Sivka said. “In college, you really play against people your age or maybe with two, three years of difference. But there, I have so many players that are maybe 16 years older than me. So, I think these experiences can really make the transition easier for me.”
Sivka has some familiarity with former players from the Sky, such as Marina Mabrey, who played alongside her on Famila Schio in Italy.
“So, I played with Marina [Mabrey] in Schio, and I know she was going to the Sky that year,” Sivka said. “So, she also gave me a shirt. I have one already. I’m just really excited to play with all these great players like Angel Reese, of course. Yeah, I can’t wait to start.”
As Sivka joins the Sky organization, she will gain valuable experience by learning from Reese, Cardoso, and veteran forward-center Elizabeth Williams about how she can stretching the floor and impact the team.
“Forwards who can stretch the floor will always hold high value in this game, and that’s exactly what Ajša Sivka provides,” Chicago Sky General Manager Jeff Pagliocca said in a press release. “We’re excited to land someone who is not only skilled, but has been playing at a high level professionally for years.”
Chicago Drafts Maddy Westbeld In The Second Round
After the first round, the Chicago Sky drafted Notre Dame forward Maddy Westbeld No. 16 overall in the second round.
Westbeld played her entire five-year collegiate career with the Fighting Irish, averaging 12.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field
“Getting the chance to land a player as skilled as Maddy Westbeld in the second round is truly exciting,” Pagliocca said. “She can stretch the floor, put pressure on opponents defensively and made an impact on a great Notre Dame team with many talented players.”
Marsh joins Chicago as the first-year head coach. Prior to the hire, he spent the past three seasons on Becky Hammons’ coaching staff with the Las Vegas Aces, where he helped win back-to-back WNBA championship. He also has experience as an assistant and player development coach with various NBA teams, as highlighted in his resume.
With training camp approaching, the Chicago Sky are optimistic about returning to the postseason after missing out last year. The team will feature Vandersloot and the new additions of Ariel Atkins, Kia Nurse, and Rebecca Allen, who will provide veteran experience for the rookies.
“There’s so many players in the league that are great,” Van Lith said on what to expect from her first training camp. “The WNBA is so unique with how powerful the talent is because it is so small. So, I would be crazy to sit up here and pick one. I’m excited to just see how I stack up against this level of play. I think it’s a competition that I’m ready to embrace, that I’m excited to embrace. I think it’s too hard to pick one. I’m just excited for every day in training camp.“
