Welcome to the South Side Sports Roundup! Check back every month for the latest news and updates on everything South Side sports fans need to know.
Sky trade Angel Reese to Atlanta, move towards full franchise reset
In a shocking deal announced Monday morning, the Chicago Sky unexpectedly parted ways with their only superstar, trading forward Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for first round picks in the 2027 and 2028 WNBA drafts.
WNBA business has only just resumed after a five-month, season-threatening labor standoff was resolved with a new collective bargaining agreement between league owners and the players’ union. Thanks to the extended nature of the standoff, what ordinarily would have been a months-long offseason schedule is being compressed into just over a month. The action started with last Friday’s WNBA expansion draft, which saw the Sky make minor trades with the newly-formed Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire to ensure no Sky players would be taken from their roster.
While Reese’s dissatisfaction with the Sky organization was well-vocalized following last year’s disaster of a season, the possibility of a trade was not considered imminent. Reese has been an All-Star in both of her first two seasons in the WNBA, leading the league in rebounds per game in each. As a rookie, she set a league record by recording 15 consecutive double-doubles.
Now without any true impact players, the Sky will look to rebuild their franchise around center Kamilla Cardoso, who was second to Reese on the team with 13.6 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. With numerous superstars available and the league’s salary cap set to increase by over 350%, the Sky will have plenty of flexibility. They also own the fifth overall pick in this Friday’s WNBA draft. Still, with the 2027 draft projected to have an unusually deep talent pool, all signs point to another year of futility for the Sky in an attempt to reset via high draft picks in 2027 and 2028.
The Sky are set to play a pair of preseason games on April 25 and 29 before beginning their regular season on the road against Portland on May 9.
Bears make offseason moves
The dust has settled on the exciting part of the NFL’s offseason, with open coaching slots filled and most free agents signed. The Bears will see more continuity than most teams heading into next year, but they did make a few splashes. Most notably, star receiver and fan favorite D.J. Moore was dealt to the Buffalo Bills for a second-round pick in the draft later this month.
Moore caught 244 passes for 3012 yards in his three years in Chicago after being acquired from the Carolina Panthers in the same trade that landed them Caleb Williams the following year. He led the team with 20 receiving touchdowns in his three seasons, including a pair of dramatic game-winners against the Green Bay Packers last season that will forever endear him to Bears fans everywhere.
In other moves, the team opted to move on from two of their three leading tacklers on defense last season, releasing linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and seeing veteran safety Kevin Byard sign with the New England Patriots. They’ll be replaced by former Browns linebacker Devin Bush and Seahawks safety Coby Bryant, both of whom signed three-year deals with the Bears.
Fans were also taken by surprise last month when center Drew Dalman, the anchor of the team’s resurgent offensive line in 2025, abruptly retired at age 27. Bears General Manager Ryan Poles filled in the gap by trading for 30-year-old Garrett Bradbury, who spent six years as Minnesota’s starting center before taking on the same role in New England last year.
The next major offseason milestone comes later this month, with the NFL Draft set to take place April 23-25. The Bears own the 25th overall selection this year, as well at nos. 57 and 60 in the second round.
Illinois back in Final Four for first time in decades
Though the University of Illinois men’s basketball team’s magical run to the Final Four ended in a heartbreaking loss to Connecticut, the Illini still gave local college fans their biggest thrill ride in decades. Entering March Madness as a regional #3 seed, the Illini defeated the University of Pennsylvania in the opening round, followed by Virginia Commonwealth, a shocking Sweet 16 upset over #2 seed Houston, and a rousing defeat of Iowa in the Elite Eight. It was the sixth Final Four in the history of the program and first since 2005, when they fell to North Carolina in the National Championship.
It was the culmination of a long road back to the top for the Illini, who are playing in their sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament under coach Brad Underwood, who took over the program in 2017 after former coach John Groce failed to make the Tournament in four of five seasons. The program re-emerged with a bang in 2021, finishing the regular season ranked second in the nation before being upset in the Tournament’s second round by Chicago’s own Loyola University.
This year’s quasi-Cinderella squad was led by freshman sensation Keaton Wagler, who was named a consensus second-team All-American and is widely projected to be a top pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, as well as junior transfer Andrej Stojakovic, son of three-time NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic. Their roster included one Chicagoan in senior guard A.J. Redd, who played four years for the Illini after graduating from Saint Ignatius College Prep in Little Italy. Still, the Illini’s long-awaited breakthrough had plenty of meaning for the city’s numerous fans and graduates. With several key players likely to return and two top-100 ranked recruits entering the fold next fall, they certainly hope this won’t be the last chance at glory for a decorated program back on the upswing.
First pitch for high school baseball
Baseball season is underway for Chicago Public Schools, and all the usual championship contenders of the South Side are vying for the chance to play for this year’s title. The championship has bounced between South and North in recent years; Kenwood Academy captured their first two plaques in 2023 and 2025, alternating with triumphs from Lane Tech in 2022 and 2024. The South Side had been on a roll prior to then, with five of eight titles between 2014 and 2021 being shared by Morgan Park High School (2014, ‘21) and Simeon Career Academy (2015, ‘17, ‘19).
On the private school side, high school ranking site MaxPreps has Mount Carmel currently placed among Illinois’ top five high school squads, a space usually reserved for suburban and downstate powerhouses. They’ll try to be the first Chicago school to take home a state championship since 2013, when the Caravan won the IHSA 4A title.
Malachi Hayes is a Bridgeport-based writer and South Side native.