UNCASVILLE During the 20 years Connecticut Sun has called Mohegan Sun home they have only reached the WNBA Finals once.
In 2005 and again for 2019.
The Sun have been eliminated from the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. Last summer, Connecticut was No. The No. 1 seed in the playoffs, Connecticut had a franchise record 26 wins and lost to eventual champion Chicago in semifinals.
Connecticut seeks to be back on the league’s biggest stage this year.
It will be able to welcome back Alyssa Thomas, who spent most of last season in recovery from an Achilles tear, and its core players, Jasmine Thomas (DeWanna Bonner), Brionna Jones, and 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones. The Sun are looking to get to the next level by focusing more on pace and adding familiar faces, such as Courtney Williams, a former Sun player.
The team began a competitive training camp on Easter Sunday to find the final pieces of its already impressive roster.
Curt Miller, Sun coach, said that we intentionally brought in some outstanding athletes who thrive in the uptempo to see if they could do well as they compete for one of the remaining roster spots. Like most teams in this league it is difficult to create a team. It is a brutal league.
We have a healthy competition, but it is fun and it creates a fun environment for everyone to compete for the very few spots.
Williams, who played with the Sun from 2016 through 2020, returns to Connecticut. With her ability create her own shots, and her aggressive defense, Williams, a 5-foot-8 guard and 2021 All Star, will add depth to the team’s backcourt.
Jonquel Jones stated that (Shes) was the missing piece. We missed someone who could score the ball at a high rate, independently, without needing help. Courtney is a great example of someone who can go down the court and shoot pull-up jumpers. If you look at the series against Chicago, it is obvious that we missed that. We missed the person who could just go one-on-one and get us a bucket when it was really needed.
The Sun also introduced three more faces to the franchise. They drafted Nia Clouden from Michigan State (No. 12 overall), Jordan Lewis, Baylor (No. 12 overall), Jordan Lewis (No. 24) and Kiara Kiki from Florida (No. 36). 36). Smith will miss this season because of a knee injury she sustained in March. However, Lewis and Clouden have impressed Miller during training camp.
Miller said that Nia Clouden is exactly as she claims. I like that she hasn’t been sped-up and that she can play at a pace where she can find success early on camp. That is something that is very rare. She is calm and composed, and she doesn’t speed up. …
Jordan, Jordan does what she does. He said that she was the leader of that Baylor team. She played at a fast pace, was successful, helped space the floor, and was a problem defensively. She is a physical defender and she wants to take on the pro game like she did in college. We were very pleased with our draft picks. They’ve been great teammates and sponges.
However, there are very slim chances that Lewis and Clouden will make it onto the roster.
The Sun only has two spots available on its 12-person roster because the core of its veterans is protected. If it chooses to sign all its returning players from last year, it will have the same number of spots. Clouden and Lewis cannot be signed because of the salary cap. The team must also cut one of its more expensive and unprotected returning players.
On Easter Sunday, the team had 20 players on its roster. This included a few who were late because they were playing overseas. Due to the late arrivals, three players were already cut (Alexus Dye and Delicia Washington), and Jasmine Thomas, Beatrice Mompremier, started camp later than expected due to the league’s limit of 15 players.
Each team in the league will have until May 5 to reduce its roster down to 12 or 11 players.
Right now, baptism by fire Miller said this is the fun part. Unintended consequence of having many veterans still overseas or not, is that you get the chance to throw these guys baptismal by fire, they’re right in doing it. We don’t hide our situation. The media is too smart right now to understand the salary cap.
Alyssa Jones and Brionna Thomas have yet to return from overseas, but the Sun has been improving its speed in practice. The team will need to find a pace that is both controlled and upbeat. The team was last among the league’s pace-wise and had had 484 turnovers last season, which was second to New York’s 542 total turnovers.
Jasmine Thomas stated, “It’s up to us to make smart moves, play fast, but not being rushed, and still make great decisions.” We have had a lot success slowing down and playing through paint. We were all-stars there so that is something we want to continue doing, while still gaining more possessions. We’ve had success with this too in the past, getting more possessions, playing well defense, turning over people, so we are trying to combine both.
The Sun will play their first game-like preseason dress rehearsal on May 1. It will be played at Mohegan Sun Arena in Atlanta at 1 p.m. CT will travel to New York on the 27th for a preseason scrimmage.
Connecticut will open its regular season on May 7, at 6 p.m. in New York, before opening its home opener against Los Angeles on May 14, at 7 p.m.
