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Chicago Sky hire Australian national team assistant coach Olaf Lange

By Nicholas Niendorf

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - APRIL 17: A head coach Olaf Lange (2nd R) and players of UMMC Ekaterinburg celebrate after winning the FIBA EuroLeague Women 2016 Final Four final match between Nazdezhda and UMMC Ekaterinburg at Ulker Sports Arena in Istanbul, Turkey on April 17, 2016. (Photo by Elif Ozturk/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
ISTANBUL, TURKEY - APRIL 17: A head coach Olaf Lange (2nd R) and players of UMMC Ekaterinburg celebrate after winning the FIBA EuroLeague Women 2016 Final Four final match between Nazdezhda and UMMC Ekaterinburg at Ulker Sports Arena in Istanbul, Turkey on April 17, 2016. (Photo by Elif Ozturk/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) /
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Sky bring in an experienced coach with a track record of success to raise their ceiling

The Chicago Sky announced that Olaf Lange is joinging head coach Jame Wade’s staff as an assistant.

Lange is currently an assistant coach for the Australian women’s national team, who are ranked second in the world by FIBA following Olympic pre-qualifying tournaments. He will replace former Sky assistant Carla Morrow’s spot on the bench, after Morrow joined Ohio State’s staff in September.

“He is a players’ coach who brings immeasurable value to every team that he coaches,” Wade said. “We’re not satisfied with the season that we had last year, and I’m confident the addition of Olaf will help bring us one step closer to our ultimate goal, so I am extremely pleased to be able to welcome him to our coaching staff.”

The Sky finished 20-14 last season after hitting their stride midway through the summer in Wade’s first year. With many of the league’s injured superstars returning for the 2020 season, Chicago will look for any edge it can find.

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Lange will provide that edge through a wealth of experience. He has coached around the world, including at basketball dynasty UMMC Ekaterinburg, where he led the team to five straight Russian Premier League championships and two FIBA EuroLeague titles.

The Berlin native also collected a FIBA Europe Cup championship as an assistant for Germany’s Mitteldeutscher Basketball Club in 2005, and went on to win a Spanish Super Cup title as head coach of Ros Casares Valencia the same year.

He also brings a WNBA background with him to the team. He served as an assistant for the then-San Antonio Stars during their lone franchise finals run, and has consulted for the Phoenix Mercury and Los Angeles Sparks in the past.

Assistant coach Bridget Pettis and player development coach Emre Vatansever will return to the staff next summer as well.

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