AP

Tuesday evening Quigley took the court ahead of DePaul’s season opener with the Sky’s championship trophy in hand. She was welcomed onto the court by DePaul coach Dough Bruno, Sky coach/general manager James Wade and Texas Southern coach, Cynthia Cooper.

Allie Quigley ran past a photo of herself ahead of every Sky home game during the 2021 season.

The Sky moved into DePaul’s home locker room this season, and the hallway they would emerge from at Wintrust Arena was adorned with photos of Blue Demons who made it to the league. Quigley’s image served as a consistent reminder to the 14-year veteran of all the work she put into making her WNBA dream a reality.

Tuesday night ahead of DePaul women’s basketball’s 114-71 season-opening win over Texas Southern University, Quigley was honored.

“Allie Quigley is the classic Chicago story of grit and determination,” DePaul coach Doug Bruno said. “Every time you get knocked down, get right back up and keep fighting. Allie has a passion for the game and just loves to play.

When it wasn’t working out originally with the WNBA, it looked like she would become a European lifer, and that would be her fate.”

Quigley and the Sky are just three weeks removed from winning their first WNBA title. The championship journey was riddled with adversity for Quigley.

Before signing with the Sky in 2013, Quigley had been cut four times by three different WNBA teams. Between 2013 and 2014, her offensive production more than doubled. She averaged 3.8 points per game during her first season with the Sky and 11.2 in her second.

She started every game she played for the Sky in 2017 and averaged a career-high 16.4 points per game, earning her first All-Star nod.

Quigley started the 2021 season off the Sky bench before moving back into the starting five after the Olympic break. In the Finals, Quigley led the Sky averaging 18 points a game.

Her 11-points in the fourth quarter of Game 4 propelled the Sky past the Mercury to their first title. WNBA Finals MVP Kahleah Copper said she knew the Sky would be champions the day before Game 4 when she saw Quigley getting shots up alone at the team’s practice facility.

“I hope now with us bringing a championship to Chicago, little girls and boys will want to be like me, Candace our legend, Courtney, our amazing point guard — be like Kahleah our MVP,” Quigley said. “I hope this can inspire so many young kids to dream about a championship one day.”

Quigley’s 2,078 career points for DePaul has her third on the school’s all-time leading scorer list.

Tuesday evening, she took the court with the Sky’s championship trophy in hand. Bruno, Sky coach/general manager James Wade and Texas Southern coach Cynthia Cooper welcomed her.

Less than 30 days before, she ran past her photo onto the same court and was welcomed by a sold-out crowd of 10,378. She dropped 26-points, and the Sky were crowned champs.

“My WNBA dream started at DePaul back in 2004,” Quigley said. “Now, 17 years later, to be able to win a championship on DePaul’s floor is a storybook ending.”

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Anjanette Young was a victim of a botched raid by the Chicago Police Department in 2019. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times file

Sgt. Alex Wolinski is accused of violating a police rule that forbids “disrespect to or maltreatment of any person.”

Chicago Police Supt. David Brown wants to fire the sergeant who oversaw a raid on the wrong home that resulted in social worker Anganette Young being handcuffed while she was naked.

According to documents filed by Brown Tuesday with the Chicago Police Board, Sgt. Alex Wolinski allowed Young to remain in handcuffs while naked for an extended period of time, even after it had been established officers were at the wrong home during the 2019 raid.

One specific rule Wolinski is accused of violating is one that forbids “disrespect to or maltreatment of any person.”

Wolinski is scheduled to appear at a Dec. 3 virtual hearing before the police board, which will ultimately decide his fate.

Young was left handcuffed and naked for 40 minutes in a room full of male police officers.

To bolster his position that Wolinski should be terminated, Brown also pointed out that Wolinski didn’t adhere to the police department’s knock-and-announce rule before entering Young’s Near West Side home, failed to intervene in the disrespectful treatment of Young and failed to promptly present a search warrant, a task that took 15 minutes.

Wolinski also ignored requests from an officer at the scene to remove Young’s handcuffs and broke with department policy by failing to notify a SWAT supervisor before entering the home, according to the documents.

A sobbing Young can be seen on the bodycam video telling officers more than 40 times that they had the wrong house; eventually, one officer finally gave her a blanket to cover up.

Young was undressed and getting ready for bed at the time as the ordeal unfolded.

An unnamed informant gave police Young’s address, saying a man was illegally possessing a gun there. But when officers arrived, they found only Young, who repeatedly told the officers that she lives alone.

The head of the police union that represents sergeants couldn’t immediately be reached Wednesday for comment.

John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents rank-and-file officers, called Brown’s decision a “disgusting display of ‘leadership” on a Facebook post that was created Wednesday.

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Fall is for happy hours, hearty takeouts, and pop-ups! And as we know, Recess in West Loop is never short of good deals and yummy food. The only thing missing is… Wait, what!? Did you just say Recess is running month-long pop-up programming this November? No way!

Well, way. Because Recess is officially transforming Chicago’s largest outdoor patio into a Fall Y’all pop-up with special events. On Nov. 13th, Recess is partnering with Big City Readers for a one-day-only storytime in the West Loop atop a partially enclosed patio with heaters and fire pits. And on Black Wednesday, Recess invites those of you who are stuffed with Thanksgiving food to dance the night away in PJs and burn some calories!

Fall Y’all

WHEN: Nov. 11 thru Nov. 28, regular business hours.

The patio at Recess will be transformed into gorgeous fall landscapes for the Fall Y’all pop-up starting Nov. 11 through Nov. 28 in Chicago’s West Loop. Recess will serve seasonally themed food and drink specials throughout the heated patio, as well as offer up multiple perfect Instagram-friendly backgrounds for pumpkin-spiced photoshoots.

Visitors will also be able to play games throughout the patio like frozen turkey bowling, pumpkin tic-tac-toe, and more. Each adult ticket for $20 includes one specialty cocktail and one fall sweet treat, and children’s tickets for $10 include one hot chocolate and one fall sweet treat. Fire pits will be placed throughout the patio, as well as an overhead covering across the space will be used to beat back the cold.

Tickets are available now via Eventbrite through Nov. 28.

Big City Readers

WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 13 starting at 10:00 am.

Families in Chicago will love this exclusive event with Big City Readers. Bring your little ones for seasonal stories and songs, which will incorporate both math and literacy skills throughout storytime. Seasonal food and drink options will be available after the story, as well as kids’ crafts, games, and photo opportunities with the Fall Y’all pop-up.

Each adult ticket for $20 includes the storytime class, one fall-themed cocktail, one fall treat bag, and entry into Fall Y’all popup post-class. Children’s tickets include the storytime class, one hot chocolate, one fall treat bag, craft materials, and entry into the Fall Y’all popup post-class.

Tickets are available now via Eventbrite.

Black Wednesday PJ & DJ Party

WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 24

Everyone knows Thanksgiving hangovers are easier when wearing pajamas. Black Wednesday party-goers should bring their favorite pajamas to spend their night with friends playing Twister, video games, board games, and more at Recess’ Black Wednesday PJ and DJ Party.

Attendees get to eat breakfast for dinner, sip on specialty cocktails from the Fall Y’all pop-up and be more than ready for a rough morning ahead by dressing in Thanksgiving PJs while they dance the night away. Recess will have a DJ spinning music throughout the night, so start thinking of requests now. More details to come soon.

Following Fall Y’all, Recess will host a new special Holiday pop-up through December into January on the heated patio. More details to come soon.

Featured Image: Recess

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Hull Gate, the stone entrance that leads into the heart of the University of Chicago campus in Hyde Park. | Victor Hilitski / Sun-Times

The man, 24, was shot to death near the campus, hours after a nearby block was shot up.

University of Chicago officials say they are working with City Hall on new “public safety strategies” for Hyde Park after a recent graduate was gunned down during an armed robbery near the campus, hours after a block nearby was shot up.

“We have been in close contact with Mayor Lightfoot, Chicago Police Department Superintendent Brown and other members of the Mayor’s team, along with local aldermen, and are speaking again tomorrow,” the school’s president and provost said in a statement late Tuesday.

Neither President Paul Alivisatos nor Provost Ka Yee C. Lee included any details, except to say they would be “short and longer-term.”

The statement was released hours after a 24-year-old man was shot and killed during an attempted robbery in Hyde Park, a few blocks north of the school campus.

Police say he was on the sidewalk in the 900 block of East 54th Street when a dark-colored car pulled up and a gunman got out shortly before 2 p.m. Witnesses told officers the man struggled with the robber and a shot went off, according to preliminary information from the scene.

The man was hit in the chest and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center down the street, where he was pronounced dead. Police said the robber got back in the car, which fled west on 54th Place.

The man was a recent graduate of the university, according to the school, which said campus police were increasing patrols in the area. His name has not been released yet by the university or the Cook County medical examiner.

About two hours earlier, just blocks away, businesses and cars were damaged by gunfire. The shots were fired from a Hyundai Sonata about 12:10 p.m. at 53rd Street and South Harper Avenue, according to a security alert from the University of Chicago.

No injuries were reported, but several cars and two businesses were damaged by gunfire, the alert said. The Sonata had been reported stolen Monday, according to the alert.

Both incidents occurred in the Wentworth police district, which has seen a sharp rise in violent crime this year.

Murders are up 84% from this time last year, from 19 to 35, according to police statistics. Shootings are up 44%, from 91 to 131, and sexual assaults are up 24%, from 63 to 78.

In their statement, Alivisatos and Lee they are “committed to doing more as a university and as an anchor institution on the South Side. This includes developing comprehensive efforts to reduce violence, and supporting Chicago’s communities in securing a safer future.”

They said the stepped-up efforts will include “mobilizing the academic and policy expertise of the UChicago community to engage with other national experts and officials in efforts to strengthen our cities and reduce the human toll of gun violence.”

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A man was shot Nov. 9, 2021, in Hyde Park. | Sun-Times file

The man, 24, was shot to death near the campus, hours after a nearby block was shot up.

University of Chicago officials say they are working with City Hall on new “public safety strategies” for Hyde Park after a recent graduate was gunned down during an armed robbery near the campus, hours after a block nearby was shot up.

“We have been in close contact with Mayor Lightfoot, Chicago Police Department Superintendent Brown and other members of the Mayor’s team, along with local aldermen, and are speaking again tomorrow,” the school’s president and provost said in a statement late Tuesday.

Neither President Paul Alivisatos nor Provost Ka Yee C. Lee included any details, except to say they would be “short and longer-term.”

The statement was released hours after a 24-year-old man was shot and killed during an attempted robbery in Hyde Park, a few blocks north of the school campus.

Police say he was on the sidewalk in the 900 block of East 54th Street when a dark-colored car pulled up and a gunman got out shortly before 2 p.m. Witnesses told officers the man struggled with the robber and a shot went off, according to preliminary information from the scene.

The man was hit in the chest and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center down the street, where he was pronounced dead. Police said the robber got back in the car, which fled west on 54th Place.

The man was a recent graduate of the university, according to the school, which said campus police were increasing patrols in the area. His name has not been released yet by the university or the Cook County medical examiner.

About two hours earlier, just blocks away, businesses and cars were damaged by gunfire. The shots were fired from a Hyundai Sonata about 12:10 p.m. at 53rd Street and South Harper Avenue, according to a security alert from the University of Chicago.

No injuries were reported, but several cars and two businesses were damaged by gunfire, the alert said. The Sonata had been reported stolen Monday, according to the alert.

Both incidents occurred in the Wentworth police district, which has seen a sharp rise in violent crime this year.

Murders are up 84% from this time last year, from 19 to 35, according to police statistics. Shootings are up 44%, from 91 to 131, and sexual assaults are up 24%, from 63 to 78.

In their statement, Alivisatos and Lee they are “committed to doing more as a university and as an anchor institution on the South Side. This includes developing comprehensive efforts to reduce violence, and supporting Chicago’s communities in securing a safer future.”

They said the stepped-up efforts will include “mobilizing the academic and policy expertise of the UChicago community to engage with other national experts and officials in efforts to strengthen our cities and reduce the human toll of gun violence.”

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Derek King coached his second game as Blackhawks interim coach on Tuesday. | AP Photos

The presence of King — a longtime NHL player himself — has allowed the struggling Blackhawks to loosen up.

Only three days into his interim-coaching tenure, Derek King has demonstrated a rare and refreshing humility.

“I’m not going to sit here and lie and say I know all the answers,” King said Tuesday. “But I’m learning from [assistant coach Marc Crawford], and I’m going to learn from the players. And we’re just going to get better together.”

If King seems like just another one of the guys, it’s because — for a long time — he was.

His NHL playing career spanned 830 games over 14 seasons with four teams. It was highlighted by a successful run with the Islanders: He scored 40 goals in 1991-92, 38 in 1992-93 and 30 in 1993-94.

As late as 1998-99, King was a valuable veteran scorer on a Maple Leafs team that went to the Eastern Conference finals. Along the way, he learned from legendary coaches such as Al Arbour and Pat Quinn, whom he named as major influences on his career today.

“I drove these coaches nuts; now it’s time for guys to drive me nuts,” he joked.

His legacy as a player even impressed Patrick Kane.

“He had 612 points in 830 career games, so he obviously was an effective player,” Kane said. “When you see that and know that he played in the NHL for a long time, that respect comes right away.”

“[Kane] probably looked me up, saw my points total and just swiped right,” King said. “I [told him], ‘After 1,000 points, you lose count.’ When you have the least amount of points like I have, you remember every point.”

King’s message to the Blackhawks has been to simply act like players again.

“It’s [about] just being relaxed,” he said. “[It’s about] not stressing over mistakes or coming back to the bench feeling just burnt out because we’re hemmed in our end again or we’re down 3-0 or whatever the situation is.”

“I told them, ‘Just take a deep breath and go out there and play hockey.’ They’ve been doing it their whole life. The game hasn’t changed. . . . The nets haven’t moved. Just go have fun.”

That spirit has resonated. The Hawks certainly needed the lift. The cumulative weight of the sexual-assault scandal, their awful record and ex-coach Jeremy Colliton’s frustrations had taken a toll. Already, the team’s mood seems happier.

“It all comes down to the mental side,” Connor Murphy said. “When things are going tough, you’re overthinking usually. And the first thing [King] told us is to ease off of our mind and don’t think so much. . . . Once you can work hard and be free, good things start to happen.”

If King also seems to coach with a minor-league style, that’s because — until this past weekend — that’s what he did.

As Rockford IceHogs coach, the best players he worked with daily were prospects such as Lukas Reichel and Alex Nylander. Winning was important but secondary to maturation and improvement. King would “yap at” his players after miscues but promptly send them back out to redeem themselves.

And after 12-plus seasons of AHL coaching, King felt content doing that forever.

“I should say, ‘Yeah, it’s been my dream since I was 5 [to be an NHL coach],’ ” King said. “But, no, it wasn’t. . . . If it came to me, I wasn’t going to say no. But I wasn’t going to go search for it.”

Interim general manager Kyle Davidson’s call Saturday, however, changed his plans.

And although King’s playing and minor-league coaching experiences do shape his approach, he’s fully capable of being an NHL coach — of handling the fun parts, which come naturally, and the hard parts.

“The biggest thing for me is accountability,” he said. “[If players] work hard, play the game right and don’t cheat it, we’ll be fine. If you don’t do that, then the accountability is going to kick in. You’re going to hear from me.”

King already adjusted the team’s practice tempo. Under Colliton, the Hawks typically stayed on the ice for an hour or more, but many drills involved only a handful of players while others waited their turns. King’s first practice Monday lasted only 30 minutes but kept everyone in constant motion.

King and Crawford changed the lines, as well. The team’s top offensive players have been concentrated in the top two lines — “That’s common sense,” King said — instead of spread out like under Colliton. King is particularly emphatic about Kane and Alex DeBrincat playing together.

After a “hectic” first few days in Chicago, King returned to Rockford on Monday night to decompress at a dinner with his family.

His 13-year-old twins showed him Instagram memes comparing him to “Ted Lasso” and Walter White in “Breaking Bad.” But King, as always, had no problem laughing it off.

“I’ve [heard the] ‘Breaking Bad’ thing before — I might have to try to grow my hair back to change that image,” he said, chuckling. “But the ‘Ted Lasso’ thing was pretty good.”

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