After an injury plagued 2014 season, Courtney Vandersloot responded in 2015 with her best WNBA season. Vandersloot averaged career bests with 11.4 points per game, 5.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game while starting in all 34 games, which was a first in her five-year career.

Along with her scoring average nearly doubling from 2014, Vandersloot’s increased leadership was notable.

“Courtney is the coach on the floor,” said Head Coach and General Manager Pokey Chatman. “She has done a great job at running her team — and the thing is, it is her team.”

“Sloot” scored her 1,000th career point on June 19 then recorded her first double-double of the season 11 days later with 14 points and 10 assists. Vandersloot recorded a season-high 21 points on August 14 against Seattle and tied her season high in the Sky’s big win against New York on September 3.

In the postseason, Vandersloot’s offensive performance was even better. In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Indiana Fever, “Sloot” scored 17 points and dished out five assists. The following game, she shot 8-for-11 from the field and finished with a playoff-career high of 19 points, along with six rebounds and six assists. In Game 3 she had a playoff-career high of 14 assists. Vandersloot averaged 13.7 points and 8.3 assists in the postseason.

Vandersloot’s heightened production on the floor earned her league recognition. She was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the first time in her career during the week of August 31 for her game-high performance against New York on September 3 (21 points and 5 assists).
She also received the WNBA Peak Performer Award after leading the league in assists at the conclusion of the regular season. To cap off a great year, Vandersloot was named to the All-WNBA Second Team for the first time in her pro career.

Vandersloot and the Sky will open the WNBA’s 20th season on May 14 against the Connecticut Sun at Allstate Arena.