No Ordinary Rookie: Lacan’s Rise in ConnecticutBy Anthony Price  Sun rookie Leila Lacan dribbles. Photo: Brian Davey  The Connecticut Sun’s Leila Lacan has one job on her mind: play hard and keep improving. It’s the mindset of a rookie—though Lacan hardly fits the mold, having already spent years competing as a pro in Europe. Lacan is part of the new-look Sun—one of five rookies on the team. Since the French guard arrived midseason in the U.S., she has energized the Sun with her defensive steadfastness, playmaking abilities, and persistent energy. For Lacan, the work is not done on an 11-31 team with only two games left. The vets, Tina Charles and Marina Mabrey, are impressed. Selected 10th in the 2024 draft, Lacan is averaging 10 points, 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game (a total of 55 for the season). French national basketball team member Gabby Williams, who leads the league with 98 steals, is averaging the same 2.3 per game over 43 games played for the Seattle Storm. Lacan is shooting 47.7% from the field (104 of 218) and 85.7% (36-42) from the free-throw line. She has made 22.4% (15 of 67) from the 3-point line. Not bad for a rookie. This team wants to finish well and leave a good feeling about this team. Pregame Fresh off winning an Olympic silver medal in Paris, Lacan doesn’t linger on past achievements. She wants to be better and is not easily impressed. After finishing her pregame routine, Lacan talked to this reporter courtside. Her expression was blank, but her words revealed focus. She sees the end of the season, but it’s not time to limp to the finish line. “This team wants to finish well and leave a good feeling about this team,” Lacan said. Her approach hasn’t wavered since arriving in the WNBA. “I just try to read the situation, to defend, to bring energy. That’s what I tried to do since the beginning, and what I’m still trying to do.” More playing time has made her feel confident. “I’m getting more comfortable because I know more about the league,” she said. “It gives [me] maybe more confidence because I know what to expect. It’s still the same job that has to be done.” Lacan’s passion for the game shows in the little moments. When officials make a call against her, her eyes flash wide, and she gestures with her hands—more pantomime than argument. She is aghast that her integrity has been called into question. This can’t be, she seems to be saying. She explains. “When you want to win, when you try your best, when you give energy to something, your emotions get linked to it,” she said. “I just like what I do, and I want things to go well.”  Leila Lacan looks at teammate Haley Peters. Photo: Brian Davey.  The Mercury Heats Up With the Sun eliminated from the playoff race early for the first time in years, Saturday’s game against the playoff-bound Phoenix Mercury at Mohegan Sun Arena was less about standings and more about measuring progress. It also highlighted Lacan’s value, which doesn’t always show up in the box score. She prides herself on defense by making life miserable for her opponent (there is no stat for heart), fighting through screens, and frustrating good offensive players. For her, defense is personal. With the game tied at 81 and 35 seconds remaining, Lacan had the ball on the left side of the court, roughly ten feet from the three-point line. When you want to win, when you try your best, when you give energy to something, your emotions get linked to it.  Leila Lacan shoots a jump shot. Photo: Brian Davey. She dribbled toward the basket and went through two screens, first from Charles and then Mabrey, which created a clear path to the basket. She closed in on the basket and made a right-hand layup, putting the Sun up, 83-81, with 27 seconds. The crowd roared! In the next few plays, she was fouled and made four free throws to put the team up 87-84. She didn’t blink. The game wasn’t over. The Mercury had one last chance. They got the ball to Kahleah Copper, a gold medalist at the Paris Olympics on the USA basketball team.  Marina Mabrey shoots. Photo: Brian Davey. Lacan blanketed Copper and put her hands up, careful not to foul. Copper launched a desperate three-pointer. It sailed high in the air and clanged off the backboard. Sun win! They halted the Mercury’s six-game winning streak. For the Mercury, it was a frustrating afternoon, Alyssa Thomas, The physical point-forward who played 10 seasons for the Sun, tried to keep her team in the game, with 14 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds, plus an early trash-talking match with Charles. Thomas’ teammate, DeWanna Bonner, another former Sun player, slipped quetly to the visiting locker room after scoring just 9 points. This time, the spotlight belonged to Lacan.  Alyssa Thomas drives to the basket. Photo: Brian Davey. Postgame Lacan logged only 3 minutes and 40 seconds in the fourth quarter, but they were decisive. She scored 6 points in crunch time, went a perfect 4 of 4 from the free-throw line, and played solid defense. Overall, she scored 14 points in 25 minutes. When asked by a reporter how she was able to be effective while battling foul trouble, she responded, “I was not really effective. I just try to keep playing. I can’t control everything. I can just control what I put into the game.” Mabrey couldn’t wait to speak, clutching the microphone in her hand. “Well, I think she [Lacan] was really effective still,” Mabrey said. “Sometimes, it is hard to get fouls and come to the bench and still come in and hit clutch free throws, get big rebounds, get deflections, make other players on the other team mad. So, I think, you were very effective,” Mabrey stated, as she looked at Lacan. Respect like that doesn’t come easily in the WNBA. But in just a few weeks, Lucan has earned it—from her teammates, her vets, and her opponents. Even Charles, with the usual ice on her shoulder, looked on with approval. The rookie isn’t just surviving. She’s arriving. ### Anthony Price is an entrepreneur, author and publisher of CT Hoops Magazine. Around the Sun is a weekly column about the Connecticut Sun.
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