Sky locker room not fracturing despite mounting defeats

Entering training camp, the Sky had expectations of a playoff run with a roster constructed to win now.

But there was also a vibe. And joy was at the center of it.

Rookie Maddy Westbeld said at media day that she hadn’t felt this kind of joy in the game for a long time. The veterans around her echoed the sentiment.

Then the losses started mounting — 10 of them in the Sky’s first 13 games. Lopsided margins against contenders. Winnable games that slipped away. And the blow that changed everything: a season-ending injury to veteran point guard Courtney Vandersloot.

It wasn’t just a torn ACL; it was a ruptured vision.

Vandersloot was supposed to bring things all together by organizing the offense and elevating the young bigs.

So how does a team stay connected when the structure collapses?

‘‘Can’t be sad,’’ guard Ariel Atkins told the Sun-Times. ‘‘Ain’t nobody got time for that.’’

Instead, the Sky have leaned on something else: accountability.

After a tight loss Sunday to the Dream, Atkins and center Elizabeth Williams acknowledged the Sky’s effort had been lacking in the previous two games. They responded with what head coach Tyler Marsh called their most complete game of the season.

You see the accountability up and down the roster. It’s not just the stars holding the line.

‘‘Everybody is willing to say, ‘My bad,’ ’’ Westbeld told the Sun-Times. ‘‘To have vets come up to a rookie and say, ‘My bad,’ I think that shows a lot of character.’’

Accountability is often the key building block of winning cultures, which is the very thing the Sky front office most wanted to build this season.

Do the Sky have a rare breed on their hands with a winning culture without the victories?

‘‘That’s how it feels,’’ guard Rachel Banham told the Sun-Times. ‘‘We have the right people, the right leadership. It’s just the winning piece we’re trying to figure out.’’

Until they do, can the joy survive?

For Westbeld, who still is trying to break into the rotation, joy isn’t a byproduct of success; it’s the fuel.

‘‘I can’t perform my best unless I’m moving with joy,’’ she said.

Nonetheless, the veterans acknowledge that losing takes its toll.

‘‘Some days, I don’t feel super joyful,’’ Banham said.

And the shadow of Vandersloot’s injury still lingers, unprocessed.

‘‘You don’t have a chance to really feel it,’’ Banham said. ‘‘You have to just sadly move on.’’

Regardless of the circumstances, Banham still is finding ways to bring light into the locker room. Atkins has made it a priority, too — even now — to keep reaching for joy.

‘‘I’m not running around smiling, but I do love this game,’’ she said.

That mix of realism and commitment is where Sky players find themselves. They’re not pretending things are fine, but they’re not fracturing.

Last week, Vandersloot was back at practice. She hasn’t had surgery yet, but she already was directing traffic, looking like an extra member of Marsh’s coaching staff.

‘‘Her presence alone is big,’’ Banham said.

Players are staying committed. Now it’s the organization’s turn to be accountable.

How should the Sky measure success this season now that their original plan is gone?