Chicago Sky head coach James Wade was voted the WNBA's 2019 Coach of the Year, the league announced on Wednesday.
Wade received 27 votes from the 43-voter panel of media members. Washington Mystics' Mike Thibault finished second with 12 votes.
In his first year as head coach, Wade shepherded the team to a 20-14 record, a stark turnaround from last year's 13-21 showing.
A major catalyst to Chicago's improvement was the emergence of a potent three-guard backcourt featuring veterans Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot along with second-year pro Diamond DeShields. All three were selected to the All-Star Game this season.
Wade and the Sky will look to keep the good times rolling as they prepare to host the Phoenix Mercury in a Round 1 single-elimination playoff game Wednesday. The Sky won all three regular-season games against the Mercury this season.
