Chicago Sky hires Amber Stocks as head coach and general manager
The Chicago Sky named Amber Stocks as team’s new head coach and general manager, a month and a half after the franchise fired Pokey Chatman. Stocks has been an assistant with the Los Angeles Sparks since 2015, the year the franchise hired Brian Agler as its head coach.
“I am extremely honored to join the Chicago Sky family,” said Stocks in a release. “This is a special opportunity. As a native of the Midwest, I feel fortunate to return to the region with my family. I look forward to sharing my passion for basketball with this talented team of true professionals. Together, with the franchise leadership and our energized fans, I am excited to build on the recent momentum and grow our team’s success.”
The Sky said that the hire came after an “extensive six-week process.” The Indiana Fever hired Chatman to be the team’s head coach in mid-November to replace Stephanie White who is now at the helm of Vanderbilt University’s women’s basketball program.
“We are extremely excited to hand over the leadership of the team to Amber. Amber brings a youthful, positive energy along with a wealth of basketball knowledge. Her passion for the game and for teaching and developing players, along with her work ethic, communication skills, intellect and curiosity, separated her from the other candidates,” said Sky owner Michael Alter. “She brings essential experience from assisting the evolution of the Los Angeles Sparks from contenders to champions.”
Stocks’ stint in Los Angeles was her first WNBA job. She was a men’s and women’s basketball analyst for ESPN3 and the Big East Digital Network in the year before taking the Sparks job. She served as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Xavier University from 2002-2009. Stocks also spent two seasons as a director of basketball operations at Tennessee and oversaw strength and conditioning at Notre Dame during 1999-2000.
Stocks was a student-athlete at Cincinnati and helped lead the Bearcats to a Conference USA Championship. She graduated in 1999.
