The Sky’s bench depth took another hit this week.
Forward Katie Lou Samuelson is out indefinitely with a hand injury, the Sky announced Monday. She’s expected to undergo further testing in the coming days and will miss Tuesday’s game against the Mercury at Wintrust Arena.
Samuelson, the Sky’s fourth overall pick in this year’s draft, injured her hand while taking a charge in the first half of Sunday’s win over the Storm.
Coach James Wade said it’s an unfortunate setback for Samuelson, who had her best performance of the season in the seven minutes she played Sunday.
“The thing is, we felt like she was turning the corner,” said Wade, who doesn’t know when Samuelson will return. “But when she gets back, she’ll be ready to contribute.”
Samuelson — who has battled several injuries throughout her career, including two foot injuries during her time at Connecticut — has been honest about her struggles in the first four games of the season. She said she’s still working on find her role within the Sky.
“There are going to be ups and downs throughout the season,” said Samuelson, who’s averaging 2.3 points this season. “I’m trying to not take everything to heart or bring you down if you have a bad game or you don’t play a game, stuff like that.
“Wade is definitely challenging me. ... I’m trying to figure out myself, how to incorporate my game into that because I’m not necessarily a duck-in post player, so being able to play my game while being at the four.”
The Sky, who are also without guard Jamierra Faulkner (knee) and center Astou Ndour (overseas commitments), will continue to keep their option to add another player open.
“We’re probably in that faze looking at people we can potentially bring in,” he said. “That said, we feel good with the team we have. It’s time for the other bench players to step up.”
