Chicago Sky re-sign Jamierra Faulkner

The Chicago Sky have re-signed Jamierra Faulkner. Though the Sky have a big hole to fill at the power forward position following Jessica Breland’s departure for Atlanta, Faulkner adds depth to the Chicago backcourt behind Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley.

Faulkner suffered a torn ACL in her left knee playing overseas in Poland just one month prior to the start of the 2017 WNBA regular season. The Sky declared in a release announcing the move that Faulkner has since made a full recovery.

Faulker was selected by the Sky with the 34th overall pick in the third round of the 2014 WNBA Draft out of Southern Mississippi. She logged 16.5 minutes per game in 101 career regular season contests. Faulker started 18 regular season games in 2014 for the Sky as a rookie and remained in the rotation during the team’s run to the WNBA Finals.

Sky head coach and general manager Amber Stocks said the following in a team release:

"Jamierra is looking to bounce back from her injury and prove herself to the world and we are going to provide her the stage to do that. She is healthy again and her training is going great. Jamierra was with us everyday last season, in the midst of all that we were doing, so she knows the system. She and I are going to continue with the strong relationship and chemistry we’ve already built with one another, and that’s very important as a point guard. I completely trust her and believe in her abilities."

Faulkner’s shooting percentage has increased year over year (36.2% in 2014, 41.4% in 2015, 42.5% in 2016). She has played three seasons with the team, drawing 32 starts and coming off the bench. Stocks noted above that Faulkner was with the team on a daily basis last season. Though the point guard has yet to play a game for Stocks, she’ll have a higher degree of familiarity with the coach and system than a brand new player.

Faulkner said the following in regard to re-upping with Chicago:

"Signing back with the Sky is truly a blessing. Being wanted after such an intense injury shows that the staff really believes in me and loves my game. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity and ready to get to work. I can’t wait to be back on the court with my old teammates to see the new talent we’ll bring in as well as being back on the court with my old teammates."

The Sky have re-signed All-Star restricted free agent Stefanie Dolson and All-Star designated core player Allie Quigley. The team has also signed Adut Bulgak and Astou Ndour.

Cappie Pondexter, who started 15 games and was the team’s backup point guard in 2017, signed with the Los Angeles Sparks last week. Pondexter’s departure opens the door for Faulkner to grab a more prominent role, though the Sky could add even more talent to their backcourt in the 2018 WNBA Draft.

Related Story: Chicago Sky sign Alex Montgomery

The Sky hold the No. 3 and No. 4 overall picks in the upcoming draft. In his latest mock draft, The Summitt’s Howard Megdal has the Sky selecting Diamond DeShields and Gabby Williams.