Allie Quigley Ascends to New Heights

CHICAGO – All the young girls throughout Chicagoland and in various locales across the nation who went dancing in their living rooms last April after the Chicago Sky's Allie Quigley eliminated legendary Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul in the NBA H-O-R-S-E Challenge can break out those moves once again.

Their three-time WNBA All-Star and former Blue Demon All-American is now the all-time leading scorer in Sky history with more than 3,000 career points.

The milestone was reached in last week's 86-83 loss to the Minnesota Lynx during Quigley's 23-point performance. She surpassed former teammate Sylvia Fowles' previous mark of 2,927 points at the WNBA bubble in Bradenton, Fla.

Did she remember the exact play when history was made?

"I didn't think about it when it happened, but I read on Twitter that it was on a stagger," Quigley said. "I took one dribble and made it. Courtney (point guard and spouse Courtney Vandersloot) hit me with the pass, and it was like that connection was meant to be.

"It was hard to celebrate that accomplishment afterwards since we lost the game. It was a tough outcome, and we needed it for the playoff seeding."

After the Sky's regular-season finale Friday against the Dallas Wings, the WNBA postseason tips off Tuesday with the Sky locked into the No. 6 seed vs. No. 7 matchup with the Connecticut Sun in the one-game opening round. The second round is also single elimination with the semifinals and finals a best three-of-five.

"A one-game playoff is really intense and stressful," Quigley said. "You work so hard the whole season for it to come down to one game. We're all in the same situation except for the top two seeds with byes into the semifinals and the No. 3 and 4 seeds byes into the second round.

"I always take a positive view---we've only got to win two games to make the semifinals."

That positive nature has been her rock during some difficult days after DePaul.

All those little girls need to know their heroine and role model isn't some Cinderella fairy tale come to life. Far from being an overnight sensation, this product of Joliet Catholic Academy had to endure heartache and disappointment before reaching the heights.

After graduating DePaul in 2008 as one of only four women's basketball players to score 2,000 career points, Quigley was drafted by the Seattle Storm with the 22nd overall pick.

She was released before the 2008 season, beginning a journey of playing with four teams in five years unable to find her place in the pros.

The low point came three years after being drafted. Most of us with less resolve might have hung up our Nikes and taken our basketball home.

That's nowhere to be found in the Allie Quigley DNA.

"I'll never forget being in the Seattle Storm camp in 2011 thinking I was doing okay," Quigley said. "I told my coach I was thinking about getting a passport to play in Hungary, and he said: 'You'd better get that passport.' It was his way of saying they didn't need me.

"It was pretty hard, but I'm a positive person and it was presenting me with another opportunity. I would focus on working really hard and improving my game in Hungary.

"I landed with a good team and played well against other top players in the league. I was really focused and kept thinking I'd be ready for when the next opportunity arrived."

Then-Sky coach Pokey Chatman noticed that Quigley's level of determination kept rising to match the odds stacked against her.

"It all started coming together after I signed with the Sky in 2013," Quigley said. "I got better with all my experience playing overseas and brought that with me to the WNBA. I developed a better understanding of pro personnel, and Pokey Chatman made sure to put me in situations where I could be successful and at my best."

Quigley seized the day beginning in 2014 helping the Sky reach the WNBA Finals for the first time and being voted the league's Sixth Woman of the Year Award which she won again the following season. She was a WNBA All-Star in 2017, 2018 and 2019 while also winning the Three-Point Shootout on All-Star Weekend in 2017 and 2018.

DePaul coach Doug Bruno knows exactly what makes Allie Quigley stand out.

"Allie Quigley was born a scorer," Bruno said. "She scored and drove in runs playing baseball against the boys growing up. She scored playing volleyball as an All-American outside hitter at Joliet Catholic. She scored the ball playing hoops against boys in grammar school. She scored the ball playing hoops here at DePaul.

"It does not surprise me that Allie would become the Chicago Sky's all-time leading scorer. Earning her way into the WNBA after getting cut multiple times and becoming a three-time WNBA All-Star is Allie Quigley's biggest score of all."

It is just beginning to settle in what Quigley has accomplished.

"Becoming the Sky's all-time leading scorer is really cool and something I never expected," she said. "I never had that goal, but here I am, one of 12 WNBA players who lead their teams all-time in scoring. It's pretty special.

"Playing in a bubble with one game coming up after another, there isn't much time to reflect on how far I've come. But I do thank my lucky stars and I am grateful every day that I overcame some difficult challenges early in my pro career."

Her latest challenge is navigating her way around a coronavirus pandemic and exerting her leadership in helping keep the WNBA season intact.

"Life in a bubble is quite different and tough at times," Quigley said. "You're not traveling with your teammates and there's no feeling of escape. There's no getting together with family and friends after games, going out to your favorite restaurant or simply just returning to the comforts of your own home."

And yet, so true to her nature, Quigley finds the bright side of a self-imposed quarantine.

"You spend a lot more time with your teammates and getting to know everyone so much better," she said. "That's the cool part of this experience.

"We have a real good team chemistry that has only gotten better in the bubble. When we encounter adversity or a tough situation, we know we have each other. Let's stay positive and pick each other up.

"Cheyenne Parker and Sydney Colson are comediennes. They're always dancing around and making jokes. They keep everyone laughing, which is really good for serious people like myself."

What has also been her go-to during the most uncertain time our world has ever known is an old-fashioned mantra from an empathetic old-school coach.

"I still remember what coach Bruno used to tell us all the time," Quigley said "'Wake up in the morning with a smile on your face and show the world how beautiful you are.' He said it every day for years.

"Wake up and be positive. Be grateful for your God-given gifts and control the outcome of your day with your positive attitude."

In a lot of ways, that sums up the life story of one Allie Quigley.

Related Videos