‘It’s surreal’: Gonzaga great Courtney Vandersloot returns to Chicago after joining New York Liberty in free agency
Courtney Vandersloot, true to form, shied somewhat from the spotlight that accompanied her Chicago homecoming last Friday.
But in the minutes leading up to her first game in the Windy City in a New York Liberty jersey, Vandersloot embraced the warm welcome from her former fan base, pausing her warmups to watch a tribute video and applaud the fans in attendance.
Jerseys bearing the No. 22 dotted the stands as Sky fans welcomed Vandersloot back. That same number undoubtedly will hang in the rafters of Wintrust Arena whenever Vandersloot brings her vaunted career to a close. For the moment, Sky supporters showed their appreciation in nostalgic style: the booming chant of “Slooooot.”
“It’s really hard to put into words,” said Vandersloot, the former Gonzaga standout who was drafted by Chicago in the first round of the 2011 draft. “It’s surreal. I spent so much time here, had so many memories here, so to come in here in different colors – it’s a different feeling.”
For 12 years, the sight of Vandersloot with the ball in her hands at the top of the key was a standard for the Sky. Over those years, the Sky were indelibly defined by their point guard – and Vandersloot, in turn, was shaped by her first and only team.
Vandersloot etched herself into the WNBA history book, rising to rank third in all-time assists (2,421), trailing retired stars Ticha Penicheiro and Sue Bird. She passed Penicheiro for the single-game assists record (15) in 2020, then went on to claim the all-time league records for assists in a season (300), highest assists per game in a season (9.1) and highest career assists per game (6.2) in a Sky uniform.
When it came to scouting Vandersloot as an opponent, the Sky knew exactly what to expect. Chicago coach James Wade described his former player as a “triple threat” who can pass, shoot and attack off the dribble from any position on the court. In her time in Chicago, Vandersloot often was described by her teammates as the “head of the snake,” the tone-setting catalyst who factored into nearly every scoring play for the Sky.
Despite citing some growing pains in her first month with the Liberty, Vandersloot is leading the league with 8.8 assists per game. She finished with eight assists and eight points in the Liberty’s 77-76 victory against the Sky on Friday. She followed that with 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in Sunday’s 86-82 home loss to Chicago.
“She’s a great point guard,” Wade said prior to the back-to-back games against New York. “She’s done some special things here. I haven’t thought about what her legacy is going to be – I’m just thinking about how to stop her.”