The Chicago Sky have hired former NBA player and Chicago native Awvee Storey as an assistant coach, the team announced Thursday.

Storey, 40, joins head coach Amber Stocks’ coaching staff after spending seven years as a player personnel manager for the WNBA’s Washington Mystics. Storey’s position with the Sky allows him the rare opportunity to begin a new chapter of his coaching career in the same city where his basketball career took off more than two decades prior.

“I was born and raised here, so to have this opportunity with the Chicago Sky and be able to come back home, be with family, and do what I love to do is something that is hard to put into words,” Storey said.

Growing up on Chicago’s West Side, Storey was a Provisio West High School standout before he was recruited by the University of Illinois, where he played his freshman year until transferring to Arizona State University.

“The love of basketball and the fanbase here, there’s nothing like it,” Storey said. “So to be at the new Wintrust Arena this season, in the heart of the city, and to know the level of talent that is already on this team while heading into the WNBA Draft with third and fourth picks, I couldn’t be more confident and just can’t wait to get started.”

Storey spent three seasons in the NBA with the New Jersey Nets (2004-5), Washington Wizards (2005-6), and Milwaukee Bucks (2007-8). He also played in the NBA Developmental League with the Dakota Wizards (2006-7), and overseas in New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, Germany and China before ending his professional playing career in 2010. Storey then joined the Washington Wizards as a video coordinator, before moving to the WNBA with the Mystics in 2011, where he assisted with scouting, workouts, and player development.

“Not only is Awvee an experienced professional athlete and skilled teacher, but he has a vibrant energy and an innate ability to coach players in a way that produces visible results,” said Chicago Sky head coach Amber Stocks. “He also has Chicago roots and a passion for the city that was imperative for someone filling such a vital role within the team.”

The addition of Storey will round out Stocks’ coaching staff for the 2018 season, which begins in May. He joins assistant coach Carla D. Morrow and strength and conditioning coach Ann Crosby.

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