By Diamond Stacker
On April 10, Baylor University point guard Chloe Jackson was selected by the Chicago Sky with the No. 15 overall pick of the 2019 WNBA Draft. Just three days earlier, Jackson led Baylor to an NCAA championship victory in which she posted season-highs in points scored, minutes played, field goal attempts, and made field goals. Jackson also sunk the game-winning shot for the Lady Bears and was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player.
“We said, ‘Okay, the other players are ranked higher than she is, but she’s the motor for that team,’” Sky General Manager and Head Coach James Wade said. “And the championship game confirmed that for us. She’s a player, she’s a winner, she’s tough – so we made the call.”
The road to the championship, though, was not easy. Jackson transferred from North Carolina State and Louisiana State University before ultimately landing at Baylor. Her last season at LSU, she was named All-SEC Second team, led the team in scoring, and started all 29 games for the Lady Tigers. Both of her seasons at LSU, though, ended in a loss in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Jackson chose to play her last year of eligibility with the Baylor Lady Bears. With that transition came the challenge of switching positions from shooting guard to point guard. She started in all 37 games played this season and averaged 31.6 minutes, 11.4 points, and 5.4 assists per game. Throughout the season Jackson proved to be a championship-caliber point guard, directing her team to a 37-1 season that landed them an overall No.1 seed in the NCAA tournament that ended in a championship win.
“With Chloe, she’s someone you saw as a steady point guard,” Wade said. “We knew that she was changing positions and that was something she had to adjust in early in the season, but you really saw her grow throughout the season.”
Earlier in the night, Chicago acquired Katie Lou Samuelson out of the University of Connecticut with the No. 4 overall selection in the first round of the draft. With the team’s final and third-round select, the Sky picked up Maria Conde from Spain with the 27th pick.
“I can’t wait to get out there and get to work,” Jackson said in a message to Chicago Sky fans after being drafted. “It’s going to be an exciting season.”
Wade and his coaching staff will open training camp on Sunday, May 5.
Heading into the 2019 season, Wade says, “We’re going to focus on spacing the floor and moving the ball, playing with rhythm, playing with pace, and we’re going to make you have to guard us. We’re going to make you have to guard us farther because we’ll be able to shoot the ball from multiple positions, so we’re going to be attacking closeouts. That’s what we want to be known as, an offensive team that you have to guard someone at every position.”
The Sky will kick off the season in Minnesota against the Lynx on May 25. The team’s home opener is Saturday, June 1 at Wintrust Arena. Tickets for all home games at are available now on Ticketmaster, at sky.wnba.com/tickets, or by calling (866) SKY-WNBA.