Former WNBA veteran Courtney Paris is the first assistant coach hired by the Sky to join new coach Tyler Marsh's staff, the team announced Wednesday morning.
Paris joins the Sky after serving two seasons on former Wings coach Latricia Trammell's bench.
“We are extremely excited to have Courtney join our staff here in Chicago,” Marsh said in a statement. “She brings a decade of WNBA experience as a player and as a coach that will surely benefit our players."
Following her prolific career at Oklahoma — where Paris set the NCAA record for consecutive double-doubles at 112 and became the first player ever, regardless of gender, to accumulate 2,500 career points and 2,000 career rebounds — she was drafted by the Sacramento Monarchs with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 WNBA draft. She played 10 seasons in the league for five different franchises. Paris won a WNBA title with the Storm in 2018. Her professional career also included nine seasons overseas in Turkey, Spain and Israel.
“I am deeply honored and grateful to [GM Jeff Pagliocca] and Tyler for the opportunity to join the Chicago Sky organization,” Paris said. “Through this process, I’ve had the chance to get to know Tyler, and I am truly inspired by his vision and leadership. I’m eager to support him and the entire coaching staff as we work together to elevate this team."
Paris' involvement in the development of Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso stands to be where she will have the most significant impact.
In her rookie campaign, Reese led the league in rebounds per game, averaging 13.1, and set a WNBA record with 15 consecutive double-doubles. She finished the season with 24 double-doubles, a rookie record. After battling through a shoulder injury to start her rookie season, Cardoso stepped up in the absence of WNBA veteran Elizabeth Williams. Despite an offense that was not built for her to succeed, Cardoso averaged 9.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in 2024.
Both players' development will benefit greatly from Paris' guidance, specifically when it comes to the scoring in the low post and the footwork required to move around some of the league's most dominant bigs.
"She's great," Williams said. "Not only a really skilled and smart player but a really great person. We're going to continue to bring in people that elevate us on and off the floor. I'm excited to have her. It's always great to have a post coach."
Before she was hired by Trammell in Dallas, Paris was part of her alma mater's coaching staff from 2020-2021. The Sky are in the process of solidifying two more hires to round out Marsh's bench.
“Through this process, I’ve had the chance to get to know Tyler, and I am truly inspired by his vision and leadership," Paris said in a statement. "I’m eager to support him and the entire coaching staff as we work together to elevate this team."
