DePaul University Athletics
Quigley Savors WNBA All-Star Weekend Experience
8/5/2019 10:50:00 AM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Former Blue Demon shines as Las Vegas puts on a spectacular show
CHICAGO – When it comes to bright lights, electric excitement and dreams of a life-changing jackpot, it's hard to top a glitzy weekend in Las Vegas.
"The Entertainment Capital of the World" put on quite a show at the recent AT&T WNBA All-Star Game experience that included the All-Star Three-Point Contest and All-Star Skills Challenge televised by ESPN.
And Allie Quigley enjoyed being swept up in all the festivities and good times.
The former DePaul standout who led coach Doug Bruno's program to four consecutive NCAA tournaments including a berth in the Sweet 16 (2006) represented the Chicago Sky at the 16th annual celebration of the best in women's basketball.
The audience at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in late July was enthralled by singer, actress and Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth's spectacular rendition of the National Anthem.
Cirque du Soleil performed as the backdrop during the pre-game introductions in which Quigley made her first All-Star Game start shown nationally on ABC-TV.
Singer, actress, dancer and choreographer Teyana Taylor performed at halftime with her husband and NBA free agent Iman Shumpert handling the DJ duties. Blue Man Group interacted with the crowd throughout the game.
"It was a lot of fun, and Las Vegas put on a great show," Quigley said. "There was a lot of energy, and it was cool to be in the All-Star Game for the third-straight year.
"I knew more of what to expect with the whole weekend and how things go. I wasn't as nervous this time and could enjoy the whole experience a little bit more."
Las Vegas Aces coach and president Bill Laimbeer made arrangements for each All-Star to stay in a hotel suite for the weekend.
What would a Vegas event be without celebrities, and sure enough Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and USA women's soccer gold medalist Megan Rapinoe were on hand.
"It was awesome for them to be there," Quigley said. "The national anthem, halftime show, Cirque du Soleil made it such an enjoyable experience.
"It was so cool to see Kobe, Chris Paul and Megan Rapinoe come out and support our All-Star Game."
Did Quigley have a chance to meet a celebrity?
"I had a moment but chickened out," she said with a laugh. "It was almost halftime and Kobe came right by us. I said to Courtney (Sky teammate and fellow All-Star Courtney Vandersloot): 'Let's go.' She said no, so we let it pass."
Quigley was told that she and her other WNBA All-Stars are famous in their own right.
"Yeah, but Kobe is way up there," she replied. "He's up there with Michael Jordan."
The star-gazing aside, Quigley did not allow the histrionics to affect her on the court. The Sky sharpshooter scored 14 points in 18 minutes, knocking down 4-of-8 from three-point range and was the second-leading scorer on Team Wilson (named after captain and Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson).
Her deep perimeter accuracy helped Team Wilson knock down a record-breaking 21 from behind the arc. Team Wilson's 129-126 victory over Team Delle Donne (Washington Mystics' Elena Delle Donne) racked up a combined 255 points---the most in All-Star Game history.
Most Valuable Player Erica Wheeler (Indiana Fever) led Team Wilson with a game-high 25 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Her seven three-pointers tied an All-Star Game record.
"We all came out looking to be aggressive and have fun," Quigley said. "It was all about getting shots up, and I was fortunate to knock a lot of mine down. Erica got off to a great start, hitting her first six 3-pointers.
"Using a 20-second shot clock instead of 24 seconds made it more of a transition game even though everyone is looking to shoot quickly in an All-Star Game anyway. If it was ever used in the regular season, it would change the game. Teams wouldn't have much time to execute their half-court sets."
Could this be a possibility in the WNBA's future?
"It's something that could bring more excitement," Quigley said. "I believe the Golden State Warriors often put up a shot within 15 seconds."
The lead-up to the July 27 game was the AT&T WNBA All-Star Friday Night event 24 hours earlier featuring the Three-Point Contest and Skills Challenge.
As the two-time defending champion in the Three-Point Contest, Quigley said she felt some pressure to three-peat. She scored 19 points in the first round but did not advance to the finals where the Connecticut Suns' Shekinna Stricklen prevailed 23-22 over Kayla McBride of the Aces.
"Yes, I felt nervous," Quigley said. "It didn't go my way this year. In something like this, it all depends on how someone is shooting on that day. Shekinna was the one who had it going."
Quigley's Sky backcourt mate Diamond DeShields prevailed over Connecticut center Jonquel Jones in the All-Star Skills Challenge.
Upon resuming the WNBA regular season, Quigley did not miss a beat. In her first game back, she scored a team-high 24 points in last Tuesday's 100-94 loss at Connecticut.
"I was pretty focused on getting our team off to a good start," she said as the Sky (12-9) is currently in the No. 5 playoff spot of the eight postseason qualifiers. "I felt pretty confident and wanted to play like an All-Star."
The Sky has 13 games remaining beginning with Wednesday's matchup against the New York Liberty at Wintrust Arena. The regular-season finale is Sept. 8 at Washington.
Quigley stays sharp by playing overseas during the WNBA offseason and competed in Italy this year. Next year she is headed to Russia. In previous years, she has played in Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.
Even though playing overseas prevents her from attending DePaul games, she still follows the program closely.
"I'm lucky to be playing my pro career in Chicago," Quigley said. "Not many of us play in the same city where we went to college. It's awesome to be so close.
"Doug Bruno comes to a lot of my Sky games and I talk to him all the time. I'm always overseas when the Blue Demons are playing, but it's great to see they went to their 17th straight NCAA tournament. Doug and his staff do such a great job with the program."
"The Entertainment Capital of the World" put on quite a show at the recent AT&T WNBA All-Star Game experience that included the All-Star Three-Point Contest and All-Star Skills Challenge televised by ESPN.
And Allie Quigley enjoyed being swept up in all the festivities and good times.
The former DePaul standout who led coach Doug Bruno's program to four consecutive NCAA tournaments including a berth in the Sweet 16 (2006) represented the Chicago Sky at the 16th annual celebration of the best in women's basketball.
The audience at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in late July was enthralled by singer, actress and Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth's spectacular rendition of the National Anthem.
Cirque du Soleil performed as the backdrop during the pre-game introductions in which Quigley made her first All-Star Game start shown nationally on ABC-TV.
Singer, actress, dancer and choreographer Teyana Taylor performed at halftime with her husband and NBA free agent Iman Shumpert handling the DJ duties. Blue Man Group interacted with the crowd throughout the game.
"It was a lot of fun, and Las Vegas put on a great show," Quigley said. "There was a lot of energy, and it was cool to be in the All-Star Game for the third-straight year.
"I knew more of what to expect with the whole weekend and how things go. I wasn't as nervous this time and could enjoy the whole experience a little bit more."
Las Vegas Aces coach and president Bill Laimbeer made arrangements for each All-Star to stay in a hotel suite for the weekend.
What would a Vegas event be without celebrities, and sure enough Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and USA women's soccer gold medalist Megan Rapinoe were on hand.
"It was awesome for them to be there," Quigley said. "The national anthem, halftime show, Cirque du Soleil made it such an enjoyable experience.
"It was so cool to see Kobe, Chris Paul and Megan Rapinoe come out and support our All-Star Game."
Did Quigley have a chance to meet a celebrity?
"I had a moment but chickened out," she said with a laugh. "It was almost halftime and Kobe came right by us. I said to Courtney (Sky teammate and fellow All-Star Courtney Vandersloot): 'Let's go.' She said no, so we let it pass."
Quigley was told that she and her other WNBA All-Stars are famous in their own right.
"Yeah, but Kobe is way up there," she replied. "He's up there with Michael Jordan."
The star-gazing aside, Quigley did not allow the histrionics to affect her on the court. The Sky sharpshooter scored 14 points in 18 minutes, knocking down 4-of-8 from three-point range and was the second-leading scorer on Team Wilson (named after captain and Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson).
Her deep perimeter accuracy helped Team Wilson knock down a record-breaking 21 from behind the arc. Team Wilson's 129-126 victory over Team Delle Donne (Washington Mystics' Elena Delle Donne) racked up a combined 255 points---the most in All-Star Game history.
Most Valuable Player Erica Wheeler (Indiana Fever) led Team Wilson with a game-high 25 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Her seven three-pointers tied an All-Star Game record.
"We all came out looking to be aggressive and have fun," Quigley said. "It was all about getting shots up, and I was fortunate to knock a lot of mine down. Erica got off to a great start, hitting her first six 3-pointers.
"Using a 20-second shot clock instead of 24 seconds made it more of a transition game even though everyone is looking to shoot quickly in an All-Star Game anyway. If it was ever used in the regular season, it would change the game. Teams wouldn't have much time to execute their half-court sets."
Could this be a possibility in the WNBA's future?
"It's something that could bring more excitement," Quigley said. "I believe the Golden State Warriors often put up a shot within 15 seconds."
The lead-up to the July 27 game was the AT&T WNBA All-Star Friday Night event 24 hours earlier featuring the Three-Point Contest and Skills Challenge.
As the two-time defending champion in the Three-Point Contest, Quigley said she felt some pressure to three-peat. She scored 19 points in the first round but did not advance to the finals where the Connecticut Suns' Shekinna Stricklen prevailed 23-22 over Kayla McBride of the Aces.
"Yes, I felt nervous," Quigley said. "It didn't go my way this year. In something like this, it all depends on how someone is shooting on that day. Shekinna was the one who had it going."
Quigley's Sky backcourt mate Diamond DeShields prevailed over Connecticut center Jonquel Jones in the All-Star Skills Challenge.
Upon resuming the WNBA regular season, Quigley did not miss a beat. In her first game back, she scored a team-high 24 points in last Tuesday's 100-94 loss at Connecticut.
"I was pretty focused on getting our team off to a good start," she said as the Sky (12-9) is currently in the No. 5 playoff spot of the eight postseason qualifiers. "I felt pretty confident and wanted to play like an All-Star."
The Sky has 13 games remaining beginning with Wednesday's matchup against the New York Liberty at Wintrust Arena. The regular-season finale is Sept. 8 at Washington.
Quigley stays sharp by playing overseas during the WNBA offseason and competed in Italy this year. Next year she is headed to Russia. In previous years, she has played in Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.
Even though playing overseas prevents her from attending DePaul games, she still follows the program closely.
"I'm lucky to be playing my pro career in Chicago," Quigley said. "Not many of us play in the same city where we went to college. It's awesome to be so close.
"Doug Bruno comes to a lot of my Sky games and I talk to him all the time. I'm always overseas when the Blue Demons are playing, but it's great to see they went to their 17th straight NCAA tournament. Doug and his staff do such a great job with the program."
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