Friday, March 14, 2008

Sky Coach Resigns Amid Harassment Allegations

The head coaching job with the WNBA’s Chicago Sky is beginning to resemble the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position at Hogwarts, the famed magic school in the Harry Potter series. No DADA teacher ever stayed at Hogwarts for more than one year.

The Sky will enter its third season with its third head coach and general manager after Bo Overton suddenly resigned Thursday for reasons that team president Margaret Stender declined to talk about, according to the Chicago Tribune.

However, a series of allegations of sexual harassment by Overton against some of the Sky players appeared on the team’s Internet message board earlier this week. That prompted Stender to post her own message asking for anyone with knowledge of the situation to contact her directly, and she provided her e-mail address and office phone number. Stender said the online allegations did not directly lead to Overton’s resignation, but she is taking them seriously.

The Sky went 14-20 in 2007 under Overton, a big improvement over its inaugural season in 2006 when the team went 5-29 under coach-GM Dave Cowens, who resigned and returned to the NBA at the end of that first year. Steve Key, an assistant with the Sky for the past two seasons, will take over as head coach and general manager for the 2008 season.

For a new franchise heading into its third season, stability in the head coaching job will be crucial to its future success, especially as the Sky will have the second overall pick in the 2008 draft and may be a candidate in the Candace Parker sweepstakes. That stability can be the difference between a perennial loser and a team destined for greater things.

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