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The Sun have a very different looking team without all five of their starters from last season and with a brand-new coaching staff, but they still have big goals and are ready to put in the work this season.
Connecticut is coming off a 28-12 record season and finished second in the WNBA Eastern Conference thanks to Stephanie White and five starters who are no longer with the franchise. The Sun are now led by head coach Rachid Meziane, who has the challenge of entering a new era for the organization.
Meziane is hoping to lead the Sun back to the playoffs despite the challenges they may face or the doubts and pressures from outside forces.
“Our main goal is to rebuild a culture first,” Mezian told The Next during training camp last week. “We are not expected to dominate early and to win all of our games. … But right now we are starting a new cycle, so I don’t think that we will talk about winning all our games, so it’s a good thing for us. It would put too much pressure on us. As everybody knows, a lot of players left the team. So we are rebuilding. So just to be patient and build a new culture.”
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To build this culture, Meziene has emphasized the importance of working as a team to his players. He considers their team-centered mentality to be a key factor in their success.
“[It will be important] to have a team first mentality, because we don’t have a superstar on our team,” Meziane said. “We have good players. We are not like the other teams, who have a lot of stars. I think that playing as a team, playing together, sharing the ball, share the scoring responsibility, is the best thing. I think it will be one of the big keys to create success, to share the scoring responsibility instead of only one player who could score 30 points [in one game].”
Marina Mabrey’s heightened role
Last season, Marina Mabrey mostly came off the bench for the Sun, as they were led by veterans Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner. Mabrey is even more crucial to the Sun’s roster this season, and being one of the only returning players, she can help carry the winning legacy of the Sun into the franchise’s next chapter.
Mabrey has had to make leadership adjustments despite the challenges a larger role may bring.
“I obviously had a big role last year,” Mabrey told The Next after practice Tuesday. “But [I have] a bigger role in a sense of my voice and my accountability, being able to hold people accountable, but also form relationships, just so that they know I’m coming from a good place, but also sometimes it’s heated. This is basketball. We gotta bring it every day, and sometimes you gotta help people bring it. So that’s gonna be a challenge for me, for sure.”
Mabrey also said their team goal was to make the playoffs and try to win as many games as possible. She is dedicated and willing to do everything she possibly can to help the team get there.
Sun guard Diamond DeShields played with Mabrey in Chicago before Mabrey was traded to Connecticut during the Olympic break last season.
“[I am looking forward to] continue to see [Mabrey] grow as a premier player in the league,” DeShields told The Next. “Marina has always been incredibly talented, so [I’m] looking forward to seeing her take another leap in her career and her journey, both on the court and as a leader in the locker room as well.”
What Olivia Nelson-Ododa can learn from Tina Charles’ veteran leadership
Connecticut 6’4 center Tina Charles and 6’5 center Olivia Nelson-Ododa know a bit about winning as former UConn Huskies. This season, Nelson-Ododa will get the chance to learn from Charles’ expertise in the game.
“Just [Charles’] experience alone is so valuable, offensively, defensively, for the post play especially,” Nelson-Ododa told The Next during training camp Wednesday. “It’s her position on both ends of the floor, different moves that you can do. I think today she was talking about having patience. Patience was a big thing today, especially when you’re working on one-on-one drills or just post stuff. And even watching her now, seeing how she plays with patience, and seeing how she feels out the floor before she makes moves, I think is huge. And she was even talking to me about that today.”
Nelson-Ododa is entering her fourth year in the WNBA and spent her offseason playing in China in the WCBA for the Shanxi Xing Rui Flame. She has an added level of confidence to her game compared to last season after putting in work during the offseason, where she elevated her game to a new level while playing overseas.
“I think [it helps] being more comfortable on the offensive end, doing the moves that I’ve been working on, being comfortable doing that and finding out how to do that in the sets that we have and the sets that we’re learning from coach,” Nelson-Ododa said. “So just trying to figure out my spot, figuring out where I can fit in, where I can continue to contribute and be that addition to the team.”
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With younger players like Nelson-Ododa looking to her, Charles knows her veteran leadership will be important, especially with a head coach who is new to the WNBA. Charles emphasized the importance of her good relationship with Meziane.
“Just leadership, trying to be a channel from him to me,” Charles told reporters. “He communicates really well. I want to say we have a great rapport, Rachid and I, so just trying to help my teammates out and just making sure [I’m] holding everyone accountable, starting with myself, to be in the right positions and to execute the plays and communicate well on defense, just all the little things.”
Although Meziane is a first-time WNBA head coach, he isn’t new to coaching professionally and has served as the head coach for the Belgian Women’s National team since November 2022. Meziane is joined by assistant coach Roneeka Hodges, a former WNBA player and a former New York Liberty assistant coach from 2022-2024.
“Him having Roneeka Hodges here, someone who’s very seasoned and played and experienced, and he has former WNBA players that are now in his coaching staff, will definitely help him along the way,” Charles said. “Because it’s definitely going to be a learning curve, but I think he’s going to do great, and I foresee him in the future of the WNBA as well.”
Rookies and young talent
The newly added rookie talent will not only be important for the team this year but also for the success of the franchise in the future.
The Sun drafted forward Aneesah Morrow with the No. 7 overall pick and guard Saniya Rivers with the No. 8 overall pick. Both Morrow and Rivers are a step toward building a new foundation in Connecticut.
The Sun also drafted Rayah Marshall with the 25th pick, and if she is to make the roster, she can bring her game to a whole new level. Marshall has shown some nerves during training camp, as any rookie does, but she also has had moments where she shines and has been able to showcase her potential to grow.
The passion from the rookies has stood out to Charles in training camp so far, and she noticed something special about them.
“For the younger players, for the rookies, [what I have noticed is] their will to want to get it right,” Charles said. “They’re going to stumble, it gets foggy, they forget, or they think when they’re going hard, they can’t go another level. So I want to say, just them being responsive, I think a lot of times you can be very reactive, but just being responsive, just their energy, very positive, and just wanting to learn, wanting to make the team, like every rookie.”
There is not only an adjustment in the game of basketball for rookies, but also their lifestyle and being in a new environment. Morrow has had to do some adjusting herself after being drafted to Connecticut.
“I’m used to being in the city,” Morrow told the next. “This is really nothing like the city, honestly. And then being a rookie, coming in and just learning from your vets, that’s the most important thing, and going throughout that transition and just trusting the people that you have around you.”
Morrow is looking forward to her rookie season, even if challenges get in her way. She is ready to take it all in and continue to showcase her talents.
“I would say what excites me most is just to be able to go up against some of the best players in the world, being able to have that challenge,” Morrow said. “And I feel like one thing that I might struggle with is just the speed of the game. The tempo is completely different going to the next level, and the screens are a lot more physical as well.”
Team strengths and roles
Connecticut added international experience and other young talent during free agency. 5’7 Sun guard Yvonne Anderson played 11 games with the Sun in 2022 before spending the last few years playing internationally.
Anderson is a speedy guard who is pesky on the defensive end and a strong ball-handler who is a skilled pick-and-roll playmaker. Her talent has been fitting in well with Rachid’s system so far in preseason play.
6’4 center Kariata Diaby and 6’2 forward Amy Okonkwo both have a loaded amount of international experience and have played for Tango Bourges Basket together overseas.
Diaby has strong lateral mobility, which will assist Charles, providing another offensive threat in the paint. Okonkwo put up an impressive 50-40-90 stat line (50% 2-point shooter, 40% 3-point shooter and 90% free-throw shooter) in the Euroleague, drawing attention from WNBA teams with her efficiency.
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Sun guards Jacy Sheldon and Lindsay Allen were also added to the squad during free agency and are expected to have a large impact on the team’s success this season.
Sheldon was selected fifth overall from Ohio State by the Dallas Wings and even slid into the starting lineup midway through the 2024 season. Sheldon adds to the Sun’s perimeter shooting, making the backcourt duo of her and Mabrey potentially dangerous.
Allen is entering her eighth year in the WNBA out of Notre Dame. Her ability to handle the ball and facilitate is often overlooked, but she is a true floor general. Allen, along with DeShields, reunites with former Sky teammate Mabrey this season.
Allen knows how to push the pace but also knows when to pause on offense as a veteran player. Her leadership as a point guard will be crucial this season.
“We have some veteran leadership with Tina and Diamond, Lindsay,” Mabrey said. “We have a big-time scorer in the lane, and we have some role players that know how to play and have been around for a few years. So hopefully we’ll be able to mesh roles well and hopefully be [able to] out-team people and out-execute people, and then also be a great defensive team.”
Injury watch
One thing to keep an eye on this season is injuries. The Sun don’t necessarily have a deep bench compared to other teams, so if injuries become frequent, then it may pose challenges.
DeShields has a right ankle injury that has caused her to miss training camp. She appeared to be on crutches this past week and sat down slowly and cautiously before chatting with The Next.
“Well, it should only be a couple of weeks,” DeShields said. “So hopefully, hopefully by the first game, but we’ll see. I gotta get back in shape.”
Morrow also has been out with a right knee injury but should return to normal activity soon. Emily Adams of the Hartford Courant reported on Twitter that Meziane was hopeful that Morrow’s return would be sooner rather than later, as they are just taking extra precautionary measures right now.
Eyes on the playoffs
The Sun are beginning the season with high hopes as they look to continue the organization’s winning culture by making it to a ninth consecutive postseason appearance. With the veteran leadership and young talent they have, their goal is reachable.
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Charles cares less about accolades and is more than ready to help her team succeed.
“My one goal, just being in my 14th season, is just to be a great teammate,” Charles said. “I’m not really thinking about stats. I’m not thinking about accolades. I had my time. It’s just to be a great teammate, great friend, great leader, just someone they can depend on and just help them along the way. That’s really my goal. This is probably the first year I haven’t come in with like, ‘Oh, I want to do this. … I’ll start all this. …’ It’s just really about knowing that the Connecticut Sun is in a new chapter. So, how can I leave it better than I found it? I think that’s really important.”
Meziane and his team are up for the challenge as the new era for the Connecticut Sun begins now.
“[I want] to keep this winning culture [going], because the Connecticut Sun has a big and a great history. I think that five or six [of the] last [few] years they [have] reached the semifinals or the finals. We know that it will be very hard. But I think if we can qualify the team for the playoffs, it will be very great, and for my first season, it will be a good performance,” Meziane said.
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