SEATTLE — More often than not, Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon is the last person to leave the court.
Toward the end of practices as players begin shooting free throws before their last huddle, Weatherspoon is observing, trying to decipher which of her players needs some extra time with her. Early in the season, that player often was Diamond DeShields as she worked her way back from nagging injuries. Recently, it has been Isabelle Harrison.
On this occasion, as the practice clock ticked closer to zero at the Storm’s new state-of-the-art practice facility and players trickled off to the side to do strength work, Weatherspoon went to work with Marina Mabrey.
“You’re gonna feel me!” Weatherspoon yelled to Mabrey, guarding her as she caught an entry pass near the low block from assistant coach Crystal Robinson.
Weatherspoon’s defensive declaration speaks to who she is as a coach. Her entire team is going to feel her presence, whether that’s with extra time together on the court or in support off of it.
Eight weeks into her first season as a WNBA head coach, Weatherspoon already is defining it as a success. It’s a curious take, considering the Sky are below .500 and narrowly clinging to a playoff spot with the Fever nipping at their heels.
But for Weatherspoon, the early mark of success is what’s being developed.
“Success is how we’re trying to build,” Weatherspoon said. ‘‘It’s how we’re growing every day, the work we’re putting in every day with excitement and fun, with love for one another.”
The fact that the Sky are trying to make their sixth consecutive playoff appearance — the second-longest active postseason streak in the WNBA — is not lost on Weatherspoon. She knows that’s the standard.
But to get there, Weatherspoon believes she has to focus on taking care of what’s right in front of her. On Thursday, that was putting in some extra work on Mabrey’s midrange game and three-point shooting.
On Friday, it was the Sky’s game against the Storm, an 88-84 victory. The Sky nearly gave up a nine-point lead with under two minutes to play. Back-to-back trips to the free-throw line for Angel Reese iced the game. Chennedy Carter led the Sky with a season-high 33 points.
Despite foul trouble, Reese had her 12th consecutive double-double, tying Candace Parker for most consecutive double-doubles in WNBA history.
“We are thinking as champions,” Weatherspoon said. “That says it all. We recognize that this team has been in the postseason. We’re right there right now. We just have to make sure we take care of ourselves.”
The reality for Weatherspoon’s Sky is that they’re far from a championship team. They’re young, with two rookies who are expected to be key pieces to future title hopes.
Regardless, Weatherspoon doesn’t believe in taking a rebuild approach. It’s a term she adamantly disapproved of after free agency in February and still does.
“I don’t believe in stepping in and talking about a two- or three-year plan,” Weatherspoon said. “Because guess how they’re going to practice and play. They will play inside a two- to three-year plan instead of the now.”
Last week, Weatherspoon’s former Liberty teammate and current Aces coach Becky Hammon was in Chicago for the teams’ first meeting of the year. At one point, Weatherspoon was asked if Hammon was the standard she hoped to emulate.
As Weatherspoon answered with a resounding yes, Hammon interjected: “If you think she signed up for this job for anything less than a championship, you don’t know her.’’