Around the Sun

Back  in the Game: Bria Hartley Brings Fight to the Sun

By Anthony Price 

Bria Hartley, #14, dribbles against the Atlanta Dream. Photo: Clay Johnson

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​In mid-May, Bria Hartley was training in Minnesota when she got the call every out-of-work basketball player dreams of: a chance to return to the WNBA. Just seven days before the season opener, she was added to the Connecticut Sun’s training camp roster. 

​With three rookies drafted—Aneesah Morrow, Saniya Rivers and Rayah Marshall—and only  two returning players, the Sun needed a veteran guard to stabilize a rebuilding roster.
 
After a three-year hiatus, Hartley was back.
 
On the Court 
 
Hartley’s experience is like money in the bank, and Friday night, the Sun cashed in. In an 84-76 win over the Atlanta Dream at Mohegan Sun Arena. Hartley had 11 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds, helping the Sun earn a much-needed victory to move to 2-6 on the season. 
 
The win was a step in the right direction for a team still trying to build chemistry. 
 
While Marina Mabrey scored a season-high 34 and Tina Charles chipped in 19, Hartley delivered the most impressive statistic of the night: a game-high plus-minus of +15 (the point differential when she was on the floor). 

The difference? Hartley was aggressive on offense, constantly probing and attacking the defense in the paint, pushing the ball up court, and keeping Atlanta’s defense on its heels. In the fourth quarter, it was the Sun—not the Dream—dictating the pace. 

When you come into the league as a rookie, the biggest thing that I like to tell rookies is to just be yourself.

After the Game 
 
At the postgame press conference, Hartley sat calmly beside Mabrey and Rivers, waiting for the right moment to speak. When it came, like a point guard passing at the last second, she offered some sage advice. 
 
“When you come into the league as a rookie, the biggest thing that I like to tell rookies is to just be yourself,” Hartley stated. “This organization picked you for a reason, and how you’ve played throughout your college career is exactly how they want you to play when you come in here.” 
 
Rivers, quick to talk and quicker to listen, nodded. 
 
When this reporter asked if she had made an effort to be aggressive against the Dream, Hartley responded, “I think I’ve been building on that since the start of the season. I think when I’m aggressive and teams have to guard me, it makes it easier to create for others.”

She’s still “finding the balance” between being a threat on offense and getting her teammates involved. 
 
One way she measures that balance is reviewing her plus-minus statistic. “I think that is really impactful,” Hartley added. “I think my role with this team is to come in and be somewhat of a stabilizer and make sure we are organized.” 

Assistant coach Roneeka Hodges and Bria Hartley discuss the game plan. Photo: Anthony Price

​Back in the Game
 
Bria Hartley was a decorated high school star at North Babylon High School in New York, earning honors like Gatorade Player of the Year, New York Miss Basketball and McDonald’s All-American. 
 
Her success continued at the University of Connecticut, where she helped the Huskies win national championships in 2013 and 2014, finishing her college career with an incredible 144-11 record. 
 
Picked 7th in the first round in 2014 by the Seattle Storm, she was immediately traded to the Washington Mystics. In 2017, playing for the New York Liberty back in her home state, her son was born. Today, he is eight years old. 
 
Hartley has played for five WNBA teams, including three games for the Sun in 2022. That stint ended prematurely due to a season-ending knee injury.   

Bira Hartley shoots a jumpshot. Photo: Clay Johnson

You just got to stay in love with the process of being good.

​After practice last Wednesday, before the Atlanta Dream game, Hartley talked about her long road back to the league. “There were times where I felt I was improving, but I didn’t get an opportunity, or it didn’t show,” she said, without bitterness. “You just got to stay in love with the process of being good.”  
 
During her time away from the WNBA, Hartley played overseas. She knew the results wouldn’t always be immediate. “You need to continue to push forward,” she said. “As long as you’re coming in and making sure you’re working as hard as you can every day, I think you’re moving in the right direction.” 
 
She’s still working on knowing when to score and when to facilitate. “I think I’ve shown flashes of both, so now it’s just balancing it all together.”
 
There was a time when playing wasn’t even an option. She battled her way back to the league after two torn ACL knee surgeries: the first in her right knee in 2020, when playing for the Phoenix Mercury, and the second in her left knee in 2022, playing for the Sun. Both injuries ended her seasons.

Life is full of surprises, ups and downs, but I’m absolutely grateful to have the opportunity to play basketball and do what I love.

​“Life is full of surprises, ups and downs, but I’m absolutely grateful to have the opportunity to play basketball and do what I love.” She is appreciative of her son and family. Her son is into soccer, and Hartley stays in contact with him daily. 
 
Today, Hartley's biggest challenge is knowing that her parents and son are getting older and that she is missing moments with family and friends. “My family is very important to me,” she said. 
 
One thing is certain: Hartley hopes her son learns to chase his dreams as she has done. 

Saniya Rivers goes for the layup. Photo: Clay Johnson

​Be Ready 
 
Hartley will ultimately be measured not just by wins and losses, but by how she helps guide this young Sun team through its growing pains.  
 
Sunday’s 104-67 loss to the Washington Mystics dropped Connecticut to 2-7. Hartley finished with a plus-minus of -23. Rookie Rivers had a team worst of -34, proving there’s much work ahead. 
 
Still, for Hartley, winning means more than the scoreboard. It’s about setting a standard—for her teammates, for her son, and in honor of the sacrifices her family has made. Her journey back to the WNBA is proof of what it means to stay ready. And now that she’s here, Hartley intends to lead—by example.

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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. ​​