Former North Texas forward Megan Nestor will make her WNBA debut Saturday when the Chicago Sky open their preseason schedule against the Phoenix Mercury. The game tips at 3 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Nestor, who is 6-foot-3, signed with the Sky as an undrafted free agent after a senior season that turned her into one of the nation’s most productive rebounders. She led the country with 14.1 rebounds per game, averaged 12.8 points and posted 21 double-doubles as North Texas finished 19-14.
North Texas’ season ended with a loss to Rice in the semifinals of the American Conference tournament, but Nestor’s production gave her a path to Chicago. She transferred to North Texas ahead of her senior year hoping to show she could make the jump to the WNBA, and the preseason opener gives her the first chance to compete for playing time and a roster spot.
The Sky’s frontcourt picture is crowded enough to make that opportunity immediate and unforgiving. Chicago has two other rookie front court players on its preseason roster, including Latasha Lattimore, the former Ole Miss standout whom the team selected in the second round of the WNBA Draft.
Saturday’s game is the first test for that group, and for Nestor it is the kind of moment that can set the tone for everything that follows. If she is going to stay on the floor in a roster battle, it starts in Sioux Falls, not later, and not quietly.