‘D’ must improve for Sky

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The defense has to be better.

That was the consensus from the Sky as it prepares for its home opener

against the Connecticut Sun tonight at Allstate Arena.

Even though Chicago (0-1) allowed only 65 points in its season-opening 65-57

loss to Indiana, Sky coach Pokey Chatman said there’s plenty of room to

improve on the defensive end.

“We looked at the clips and we were probably a ‘4’ on a scale from 1 to 10,”

said the first-year coach. “We fouled too much, we weren’t really

disciplined. I thought they were more physical than we were, and the tape

showed that.”

The Sky’s defense will be tested even more against Connecticut. The Sun

(1-0), which scored 89 points in its win against Washington, features last

year’s top pick Tina Charles.

Charles averaged 15.5 points and 11.7 rebounds and was named rookie of the

year in 2010. She is one of five former Connecticut Huskies currently on the

Sun’s roster.

Guard Kara Lawson and forward Asjha Jones are also difficult defensive

matchups.

“They’re a difficult team because they execute,” Chatman said. “They aren’t

going to play outside of themselves. They make you stay disciplined and make

adjustments.”

The Sky players know they must also play better offensively to beat teams

like Indiana and Connecticut. Chicago shot just 35 percent and had 17

turnovers against the Fever.

Much of that had to do with Sylvia Fowles’ lack of production. Indiana threw

double teams at Fowles and dared the Sky’s other players to hit shots.

Fowles had only 10 points on five shot attempts.

“A lot of teams are going to do that,” said rookie point guard Courtney

Vandersloot. “Having a player like Sylvia, she’s going to get a lot of

attention. We have to get her touches and get her good looks. We really have

to work at that because a lot of teams are going to try to take her away.”

The opponent may be a tough one, but that doesn’t take any of the excitement

away from the rookies’ first game in front of their home crowd.

Vandersloot and Angie Bjorklund admitted they will probably have butterflies

when they step out on the court, but their rookie coach might be the most

fired up. Chatman is so excited, she hasn’t slept much in days.

“I’m excited like a kid the day before Christmas,” she said. “I’m ecstatic.

We have to make sure that we take some of that extra energy and excitement

and transfer that to our play and execution to get our first win.