The Connecticut Sun’s Long Goodbye BeginsBy Anthony Price  The Connecticut Sun's Diamond Miller pleads her case to a referee. Photo: Clay Johnson  Basketball is a game of highs and lows—both on and off the court. On the high side, the WNBA is celebrating its 30th season and a new collective bargaining agreement that promises long-term success for both owners and players. On the low side, the Connecticut Sun are playing their final season in the state. Next season, the Sun will be rebranded as the Houston Comets (if they can get the name) and will look to reclaim past glory. The team was purchased from the Mohegan Tribe by the Fertitta family, owners of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, for $300 million, according to the New York Times. [The deal exceeded the $250 million the WNBA reportedly proposed to the Mohegan Tribe, but fell short of the $325 million offered by groups in Boston and Hartford. Those offers were not considered because neither city had applied for an expansion team, according to the league.] For fans, the heartbreak season has arrived—though officially, the Sun are calling it the “Sunset Season.” The team’s departure feels like a direct blow to the state’s identity, civic pride, and bragging rights as the self-proclaimed basketball capital of the world. Sports and Identity Sports teams are identity markers. Can you imagine Pittsburgh without the Steelers and their Terrible Towels, or Green Bay, Wisconsin, without cheeseheads? Teams become part of a state’s fabric and its daily conversation. Good or bad, professional sports franchises have become indicators of a place’s perceived quality of life, creating a shared sense of pride among fans. It is going to be a tough season emotionally—and that’s before any game starts.  Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont understood this and fought to have the Mohegan Tribe-owned Sun relocated to Hartford. Even the state’s senior senator, Richard Blumenthal, joined the fight, threatening a federal investigation into the sale. In the end, the governor and the senator were overmatched by the billionaire owners of the NBA, who run the WNBA as an extension of their global ambitions to control basketball—watch out, Europe, you’re next. If you plan to mourn the Sun, make sure you have your favorite Taylor Swift breakup songs, boxes of facial tissues, and comfort foods at the ready. It is going to be a tough season emotionally—and that’s before any game starts.  A mural of the Connecticut Sun's Aaliyah Edwards on the wall at Mohegan Sun. Moving West The Sun’s 23-year relationship with its fan base will conclude on September 24th, Fan Appreciation Night, the team’s final regular-season game. Fans of the Orlando Miracle know the feeling: they saw their team leave when the Mohegan Tribe purchased and relocated the struggling franchise to the Mohegan Sun Arena for the 2003 season. The arena had opened just two years earlier, in 2001. This time, Connecticut fans are on the receiving end of that sinking-heart feeling. No matter how management tries to ease the pain with video tributes and kind words, it will not be enough for fans throughout New England who poured their hearts, time, dollars, and loud voices into supporting the team. When the season ends, the only thing fans will have left are memories—perhaps including images of moving trucks winding south toward Texas. The move to Texas is more than 1,700 miles. The Lone Star State has 31.7 million people, the second-largest population in the U.S. after California, and Houston’s 2.3 million residents make it the fourth-largest city in the country. The Comets will become the sixth professional team in a city that has the Texans (NFL), Rockets (NBA), Astros (MLB), Dynamo FC (MLS), and Dash (NWSL). The WNBA’s Houston Comets once dominated in the late 1990s and early 2000s, winning four straight championships behind their big three: Cynthia Cooper, now Cooper-Dyke, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson—all Hall of Famers. We are not going to change our goals because we lost the first game. Undefeated But before the Sun move, there is still a season to be played. And all teams start undefeated. For the Sun, that clean slate was gone faster than a microwave Hot Pocket. The Sun came into Brooklyn to face the Liberty on Friday night, May 8th, full of hope, promise, and energy. The team was excited to play their first game of the season in New York. But after tipoff, the Sun’s prospects blinked out quicker than a Times Square walk light. In the first quarter, the Liberty took a commanding 36-13 lead. By halftime, they were up 66-37. The final score was 106-75. Breanna “Stewie” Stewart, one of the most decorated women’s basketball players in the history of the game, scored 31 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the floor. She made sure the young Sun team had little chance in front of 17,615 screaming fans. At the postgame press conference, Rachid Meziane’s eyes told the story that he sometimes struggles to communicate in English because of his French accent. It was another big loss at the hands of the Liberty—a Sun rival.  After losing to the Seattle Storm, Rachid Meziane attended the postgame press conference. Photo: Anthony Price “Not the expected results, for sure,” Meziane said over a video link. “We let this team start the game how they want[ed],” he said, his voice melancholy. “Right now, we don’t have enough maturity to handle that,” he added with clarity. But it wasn’t all sadness. “We are not going to change our goals because we lost the first game,” he said. A new season is about promise, and coaches are paid to be optimists, even when reality is smacking them in the face. Meziane must project confidence. With a young team for the second straight season, Meziane is destined to be haunted by games like this. This is what a public rebuild looks like. It is messy and it requires experienced players—something the Sun lack. Game On This is the season where every game is the last something. On Mother’s Day, the Sun hosted their final home opener in franchise history against the Seattle Storm. Before tipoff, a video on the Jumbotron showed highlights of past Sun teams. When it ended, the ball was thrown up, and the game began. There were fun moments, including fans trying to start the wave, which struggled to make its way around the arena three or four times. It sputtered as if fans were running out of energy. A bright spot on the court was Aneesah Morrow’s double-double: 17 points and 16 rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench for the Sun. She played with passion and energy. But the Sun lost to the Storm, 98-92. The Sun had multiple opportunities to win in the fourth quarter, but their backcourt’s lack of experience showed. The team played like it was missing a front wheel—swerving aimlessly, going long stretches without scoring a basket, and taking ill-advised shots at crucial moments. Without an experienced point guard, the Sun relied on rookie Charlisse Leger-Walker, who started just weeks removed after winning a national championship with the UCLA Bruins. They also leaned on second-year players Hailey Van Lith, who was released by the Chicago Sky days before the start of the season, and Saniya Rivers. This should have been a sold-out game. But the “Sunset” message does not seem to be resonating, with empty blue seats in the upper level—maybe it’s because the cost of a gallon of gas is now higher than a cup of Starbucks coffee. At the end of the game, the Sun reported attendance of 7,374. A sellout is 8,910. There’s work to do. This is the season where every game is the last something. The Rebuild Update In his second year, Coach Rachid Meziane is better prepared for the job—and more familiar with American culture. Consistency is one recipe for success, so Meziane kept pieces of his coaching staff intact: associate coach Roneeka Hodges, assistant coaches Pascal Angillis and Ashlee McGee, and head of player development Chaz Franklin. The Sun are mixing youth with veterans. But as we saw last season, it takes time to develop chemistry and win games. Last year’s Sun team finished with an 11-33 record and ranked 12th out of 13 teams in scoring, averaging 75.8 points per game. After two games this season, the Sun are in last place in the standings. They are averaging 78.5 points and giving up 97.5.  The Sun's Hailey Van Lith uses Olivia Nelson-Ododa's screen. Photo: Clay Johnson. The Sun lost Marina Mabrey‘s offensive prowess and prickly temperament to the Toronto Tempo in the expansion draft. Also gone is future Hall of Famer Tina Charles, who retired after no team signed the free agent. In all, only four players are back from last year’s team: second-year players Rivers, Morrow, and Lacan, who is still overseas, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa, who is in her fourth season. The Sun made a big splash when they signed former Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner to the franchise’s first million-dollar contract. Kennedy Burke was another high-profile veteran addition. Management also signed third-year player Diamond Miller, hoping she can live up to the expectations that came with being drafted second overall by the Minnesota Lynx, behind the Indiana Fever’s Aliyah Boston. There is hope. Aaliyah Edwards, entering her third season, sat out the first two games with an injury. French players Lacan and 19-year-old rookie Nell Angloma, who the Sun drafted in the first round with the number 12 pick, are expected to make their way to Uncasville, after they finish their playoff runs overseas. But it can’t come soon enough. To continue the slow rebuild, management added rookies Ashlon Jackson, Leger-Walker, Gianna Kneepkens, Raegan Beers and second-year player Van Lith. And thanks to the new CBA, which is making some players millionaires, teams must carry 12 players on the roster, and can now add two development players, each eligible to play a maximum of 12 games. When Lacan and Angloma arrive, there will be roster moves to get down to the maximum of 12 players. Tuck hasn’t been shy about making moves. Players know changes are coming, so they are doing their best to impress. Point Guard Issues At 0-2, the Sun have a point guard problem. Lacan will help plug the hole when she arrives, and she will bring added toughness on defense, something the team can use alongsde the 6-foot-9 Griner, who will anchor the paint. Rivers is at her best on the defensive end. With Mabrey’s scoring gone, the need for a consistent scorer is even greater. Once Lacan arrives, the Sun will have to decide who becomes the backup point guard. Another playmaker off the bench is needed. Without a consistent playmaker and scorer, the “Sunset Season” may become ”Misery by the River.” Fans deserve better in this final season. At the press conference after the Storm game, Meziane revealed the text message he sent to Lacan: “We need you.” He said that without a playmaker, the Sun must play a different game. “We need to understand the game and not just show up and play like a pickup game.” Without a consistent playmaker and scorer, the “Sunset Season” may become ”Misery by the River.” Now or Never You can’t blame some fans who may decide to sit out most of the season, but show up for the big games on the schedule: the return of Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd to the state with the Dallas Wings, the champion Las Vegas Aces, and Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever. The Sun have a young roster that requires considerable seasoning. At the same time, the clock is ticking on the team’s final season in Connecticut. Fans don’t want to wait to see these players blossom in Houston next year. It’s now or never for this team. If the Sun do go on a win streak, it would be the best story of the year and would likely bring more people into the arena. That would be the perfect thank-you present to fans. The biggest question of the season may be where GM Morgan Tuck and president Jen Rizzotti end up. What happens to Meziane’s European basketball philosophy? Will Houston want any of the Sun staffers? In the end, the Mohegan Tribe should be thanked for their stewardship of the Sun, which helped saved the team and the league. Maybe they can sponsor a free Sun party at the casino with the proceeds from the sale. ### Anthony Price is an entrepreneur, author and publisher of CT Hoops Magazine. Around the Sun is a weekly column about the Connecticut Sun.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorAnthony Price Archives
May 2026
Categories |
RSS Feed
GO ANYWHERE.
NBA Collection
"For Doers"
For Entrepreneurs/Small Businesses
Mini Bookmark