MINNEAPOLIS — It's one thing to talk about a "next man up" mentality, which Sky coach Tyler Marsh does often. It's another to watch your best player go down screaming, grabbing her knee, and then play through it anyway — which his team did Sunday night in an 86-79 victory over the Lynx.
Rickea Jackson looked to be the up-and-coming face of the franchise for the Sky through their first three games, averaging 22 points, 6 rebounds and 2.7 assists. She was the go-to option helping carry a brand new roster while key players recovered from longer-term injuries. She started Sunday with her signatures — attacking off the bounce, hitting a slick turnaround, throwing down an emphatic block.
Then, with 5:25 left in the second quarter, driving left, Jackson crumbled to the floor.
There was no official diagnosis given. Marsh said after the game that the Sky’s medical team was still evaluating. But when a player goes down grabbing her knee and has to be helped off the court, it's usually serious.
Veteran point guard Natasha Cloud was issued a technical foul after Jackson went down.
“I told the three refs….that their ultimate job is to control and protect the players in this game, and I think that this group today failed to do so," Cloud said. "They failed to protect Rickea. They failed to control the game.
“Immediately right before that, I told the refs ‘the game’s getting a little out of control. ‘‘We need to control it.’ And the next possession we have hands all over Rickea, a push all over her back. We don’t know what's going on, but truthfully, I think it’s bulls–.”
The injury was reason enough for the Sky to fold. Instead, the Sky decided they’d get a win for Jackson.
They built a 10-point lead in the third quarter and got contributions up and down the roster. Center Kamilla Cardoso snapped out of a mini-slump w
