Around the Sun

Sun’s Rebuild Is Off To A Bumpy Start

By Anthony Price 

Marina Mabrey at Mohegan Sun Arena. Photo: Anthony Price

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The Connecticut Sun knew this season would be a reset. President Jennifer Rizzotti and first-time general manager Morgan Tuck tempered their expectations to fit the team’s talent, with Marina Mabrey and Olivia Nelson-Ododa the only returning Sun players.

​The Sun’s rebuild began after the franchise’s championship hopes were dashed in an 88-77 loss to the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 of last October’s semifinals. In the offseason, the front office let most of the roster walk, making way for a new core. 
 
The Sun’s first move came in the April WNBA Draft, where they picked up Aneesah Morrow, Saniya Rivers and Rayah Marshall. French guard Leila Lacan, drafted in 2024, joins them in forming the first building blocks—young, talented, and untested. Like assembling a Lego set, the pieces are there. But it may take some time to click into place.

Young Team 
 
So far, the early results of the rebuild have been rough. 
 
Management couldn’t feign surprise when the Sun lost the season opener to the Washington Mystics 90-85 after getting outscored 30 to 20 in a shaky fourth quarter. The 7,834 fans at Mohegan Sun Arena didn’t get the finish they hoped for.
 
Two days later, the Las Vegas Aces, 0-1, continued the Sun’s early-season pain. Focused and fired up, the Aces cruised past the Sun 87-62, with last year’s MVP A’ja Wilson posting a double-double: 22 points and 10 rebounds.

A'ja Wilson, Interview at Mohegan Sun Arena. Photo: Anthony Price

Two days later, the Las Vegas Aces, 0-1, continued the Sun’s early-season pain.

​The last time the Sun started the season 0-2 was in 2020, during the pandemic-shortened season, when the league played all games at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. That year, they started 0-5 before rallying to finish 10-12. 
 
On Friday in Minneapolis, the Sun held a 56-49 lead over the Minnesota Lynx in the third quarter, only to watch it slip away. The Lynx outscored the Sun 27-14 in the final quarter to win the game 76-70. 
 
The season isn’t getting any easier. On Sunday, the Sun faced a hungry Atlanta Dream in Georgia—and lost 79-55.
 
With 10 new players, four of them new to the WNBA, the Sun lack experience. Leila Lacan,  just 20 years old, will be the fifth when she returns from competing in Europe—the team could use her playmaking skills now.  

Veteran guard Marina Mabrey, in her seventh season, has emerged as a steady presence amid the chaos. She’s averaging 13.3 points a game and played up to her talent level against the Lynx, with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. If the Sun hope to turn things around, Mabrey needs more games like Friday’s. 
 
Bigger Than Basketball  
 
After the loss to Las Vegas, the postgame press conference took on a tone far more somber than the box score could explain. Tina Charles, Rayah Marshall and Saniya Rivers walked onto the stage wearing black sleeveless Nike shirts. The atmosphere was heavy with more than just defeat.
 
Charles, now in her 14th WNBA season, placed a bag of ice on her left shoulder—and the microphone picked up the soft, steady rumbling of ice shifting—an oddly poignant soundtrack to what followed. 
 
For rookies Rivers and Marshall, it was their first game getting playing time in a Sun uniform. Rivers logged nearly 25 minutes and scored 11 points. Marshall grabbed 5 rebounds and played solid defense in her 10-minute stint. But the stats didn’t matter much that night.

When asked what the team meant to her, Rivers fought to hold it together. “I’ve been trying not to cry all day,” she said, and then paused. An agonizing silence stretched across the room. “They’ve done so much for me, on and off the court,” she added, her voice cracking. 
 
Marshall gently placed a comforting hand on Rivers’ back. Charles wiped away tears. The emotion could be felt throughout; even reporters were visibly moved. 

Saniya Rivers, press conference, Mohegan Sun Arena. Photo: Anthony Price

They’ve done so much for me, on and off the court.

Rivers had recently returned to the team after losing her mother several weeks earlier. “Tina checked on me every day,” she said. “She played like a big sister role. It just really motivated me.” 
 
Then came the words that silenced the room: “Losing my mom has been the toughest thing I have ever faced in my life. And I’m playing for her. I came out here to play for her.” 
 
Coach Rachid Meziane 
 
After the players exited, first-year coach Rachid Meziane took the podium. Dressed in a dark sport coat and a open-collared white shirt, he looked reflective, the weight of a tough night evident in his body language. 
 
English doesn’t come easily for the French coach. In press conferences, he navigates a verbal tightrope, occasionally pausing when he doesn’t understand a question, relying on the Sun’s communications staff to paraphrase or clarify. 

Still, Meziane smiled as if greeting friends. Taking his seat, he raised his eyebrows as he looked at the stat sheet. 
 
“I think we respect too much this Las Vegas team,” he said in his French accent. “So we didn’t start the game setting the tone defensively. Before we respect the opponent, we have to respect ourselves and play our game—a good opportunity to learn again.”

We need to find our identity, our chemistry.

“We need to find our identity, our chemistry,” he said. “The positive things are our rookies’ impact. Saniya and Rayah bring a lot of energy. Saniya, she showed to the team, to me, to the league that she can be a great player. This is a good thing for us.” 
 
Within ten minutes, he was done. He looked back as if he forgot something, and then disappeared behind the black curtains. 
 
A Work-In-Progress
 
This season is a rebuild. A true work-in-progress. Every loose ball caught, every point, and every ounce of respect must be earned. 
 
Veterans Charles and Mabrey must lead the way if the Sun hope to stay competitive. And the new players? They’ll need to grow up fast. There’s no time and no room for excuses. 
 
Soon enough, the front office and fans alike will see with their own eyes if the rebuild is on track—and worth the price of admission. 

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Anthony Price is an entrepreneur, author and publisher of CT Hoops Magazine. Around the Sun is a weekly column about the Connecticut Sun. ​​