Chicago Sky select Sivka, Van Lith in 2025 WNBA Draft

Four names will be added to the Chicago Sky's 2025 roster after general manager Jeff Pagliocca made a final hours trade to acquire the No. 11 overall pick from the Minnesota Lynx.

This gave the Sky back-to-back first round picks at No. 10 and No. 11 as well as their two second round picks at No. 16 and No. 22. The Lynx in return received the full rights to the Sky's 2026 first round draft pick.

The Sky drafted Ajša Sivka at No. 10, Hailey Van Lith at No. 11, Maddy Westbeld at No. 16 and Aicha Coulibaly at No. 22.

No. 10 - Ajša Sivka, F (Slovenia)

The international forward has been on the top 10 draft boards since the end of the 2024 season. She stands at 6-foot-4 and provides scoring on all three levels. More importantly, she adds crucial depth to the forward group behind Rebecca Allen and Michaela Onyenwere.

Sivka being an international player does bring a bit of worry in how quickly she can make it to training camp and whether or not she will want to play over in the WNBA. With the new prioritization rule that went into full effect in 2024, international players need to choose if playing for their national team is more important that playing in the WNBA.

"She's an outlier at her size who can move like she can move, shoot as fast as she can shoot, extended range, lot of length," Pagliocca said after the draft. "As far as her coming to the W, there will be ongoing conversations, but we drafted her because we want her to play here. She's got a chance to be special."

She recently played for Tabes in French LFB where she averaged 8.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 35.6% from the floor over 29 games. In the 2023 FIBA U18 Championship, she averaged 15.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.4 steals to lead Slovenia to win its first-ever gold medal while also earning MVP.

No. 11 - Hailey Van Lith, G (TCU)

The Sky acquired this pick in a last minute trade with Minnesota the day before the draft, and it pays off in drafting the superstar in Hailey Van Lith. This pick also adds depth to the guard position while also giving Van Lith to learn behind veteran Courtney Vandersloot.

"It's three different schools and three different offensive systems that she had to be accustomed to," Marsh said after the draft. "Her ability to adjust gives me confidence that adjusting to that on the W level is something that she'll be able to do, and she's going to give us 110 percent in doing so.

"She has a winning mindset. She's got a toughness about her. There's no complacency there in terms of what her improvement and potential can be. That's part of the culture we want to build here in Chicago. There's a lot to like about where she is now as a player and a whole lot to love about where she can be moving forward."

Van Lith played a vital role in TCU's first-ever Elite Eight appearance and already has chemistry with current Sky forward Angel Reese. Across her NCAA tenure at Louisville, LSU and TCU, Van Lith averaged 15.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 42.2% from the floor. She also earned a bronze medal with the 2024 US 3x3 Olympic team and is a 7-time medalist with FIBA.

No. 16 - Maddy Westbeld, F (Notre Dame)

The Sky continued to add depth at the forward position in the second round with the selection of forward Maddy Westbeld out of Notre Dame. Westbeld's defensive game is something that will translate beautifully to the WNBA.

"She's another one that can stretch the floor at her position, and there's not a lot of people with her size that can do that," Marsh said. "She's a really headstrong player. She's got a great basketball mind, great IQ and the way she was able to bounce back from her injury this past year at Notre Dame and do whatever it takes for that team to be successful was something that jumped off the screen to us.

"This is someone we've taken a look at for a while respectively when I was in Las Vegas and Jeff here in Chicago. She's somebody we saw eye-to-eye on."

Westbeld averaged 12.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals while shooting 46.5% from the floor and 34.9% from the arc over her 5 years at Notre Dame. Her offensive efficiency and her defensive prowess with her height make her a key depth piece at the forward position.

No. 22 - Aicha Coulibaly, SG (Texas A&M)

The Sky wrapped up their 2025 WNBA Draft with the selection of shooting guard Aicha Coulibaly out of Texas A&M. She suffered a knee injury in January of 2025 so what her availability will be for the 2025 WNBA season is still to be determined.

"She's got great athletic, physical gifts," Marsh said. "We're looking at how we can implement her moving forward as well. Another strong body on the wings that we can utilize and be versatile with."

"We want her to get healthy," Pagliocca said. "We'll figure out a rehab plan for her, but she's got a lot of weapons. When she's healthy, she's dominant."

In her five collegiate seasons, she averaged 13.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals over her time at both Auburn and Texas A&M. In her final collegiate season, she averaged 12.8 points and 5.0 rebounds over 19 games before the injury.