CHICAGO (April 27, 2024) — The Chicago Sky have finalized the coaching and support staff ahead of the 2024 season, the team announced today. The coaching staff will be joined by Director of Player Development Ashley Frazier along with Player Development Coach David Simon returning to the Sky. Chantal Hart and Matt Repa will join the support staff as Athletic Trainers and Can Ozbalkan returns as Video Coordinator.
“We are thrilled to announce the rest of our coaching and support staff and warmly welcome them to the Sky,” Head Coach Teresa Weatherspoon said. “We are adding great expertise and experience to complement a talented coaching staff that will prepare and inspire the team to perform at the highest level.”
Ashley Frazier joins the Sky with over a decade of player development experience. She played collegiately at the University of Arizona from 2008-10. Frazier is currently the founder, owner and director of player development for SYA Hoops Academy based in Dallas. SYA Hoops was founded in May 2020 and aims to holistically equip an athlete on and off the court.
David Simon rejoins the Sky staff from last season as a player development coach. With over 10 years as a professional player, Simon brings a high level of expertise back to the organization. He entered the NBA draft in 2006 after playing four seasons at Purdue Fort Wayne from 2001-05. He ranks first in Mastodon history in blocked shots with 141, second in blocked shots per game with 1.7 and fourth in total rebounds with 623. The Vernon Hills, Illinois native was the first player in program history to participate in an NBA Summer League and was inducted into the IPFW Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016. He averaged 14.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 over four seasons. Simon then excelled professionally overseas in South Korea, Japan, Kazakhstan, France, Serbia, Bulgaria, Russia and the Philippines.
Chantal Hart is a licensed acupuncturist and practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine and an athletic trainer. Over the last few years, she has been building a private practice bridging Traditional Chinese and Sports Medicine. Prior to that, she served as the head athletic trainer for the New York Liberty in 2018 and assistant athletic trainer for the Los Angeles Sparks in 2016-17. She graduated magna cum laude from Emperors College of Traditional Oriental Medicine in 2023 with a Master of Traditional Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturists & Practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Hart previously graduated from California State University Fullerton in 2016 with a B.S. in Athletic Training.
Matt Repa is a Chicago native in his first season with the Sky. He graduated from Coe College with a B.S. in Athletic Training and Physical Education, where he was also a member of the men’s basketball and baseball teams. Repa then received his master’s degree in science of healthcare administration on from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. Up until his role with the Sky, he practiced orthopedics with Illinois Bone and Joint Institute from 2007, working with athletes across collegiate athletics, MLB, USA Rugby, NHL and various other sports.
Can (Jon) Ozbalkan returns for his third season with the Sky. He started out as an assistant video coordinator and has held the role of video coordinator since 2023. Ozbalkan spent the past two WNBA offseasons as a women’s basketball assistant coach at Purdue Northwest from 2022-24. He previously graduated from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay in 2018 with a B.A. in Communications.