Around the Sun

Under New Management: Can Meziane Make the Sun Rise Again?

By Anthony Price 

Connecticut Sun coach Rachid Meziane. Photo: Stephen Joyner Jr.

---

---

​We may be witnessing the unravelling of the Connecticut Sun from their once-secure spot in the WNBA’s upper echelon. After a humiliating 100-52 thrashing at the hands of the New York Liberty on Sunday, the Sun have fallen to 1-6. 

​The season wasn’t supposed to start this way. When former head coach Stephanie White left to take the Indiana Fever job in November, Sun executives embarked on a global search that led them to Rachid Meziane—a respected French coach—whom they hired in December 2024. 
 
For Meziane, the opportunity was the fulfillment of an aspiration. At his first pregame press conference in mid-May, before the season opener against the Washington Mystics at Mohegan Sun Arena, he said, “Being a WNBA coach was, until today, just a dream. I am the first French coach to be a WNBA coach. It means a lot to me.” 

New Team 
 
Meziane is a compact, bald man who favors dark blazers, plain shirts, and sneakers—always without a tie. His round face and expressive dark eyes often give away what he’s feeling, even when his words do not. 
 
He wants to win—and America is his proving ground. 

I can say that everything is possible because I wasn’t a professional [basketball] player.

​Unlike many WNBA coaches who climbed the ranks as former players or assistants in U.S. college programs, Meziane took a different route. He built his resume in Europe—where he collected championship trophies to prove his bona fides. 
 
“I can say that everything is possible because I wasn’t a professional [basketball] player,” Meziane said in his French accent during the press conference. “And we know that sometimes this type of work is for professional players. It means that everything is possible.” 

The dream is work, and the team’s record reflects the early struggles. Meziane and the front office have no safety net. As former Boston Celtics coach Rick Pitino once famously said, “Larry Bird is not walking through that door, fans. Kevin McHale is not walking through that door, and Robert Parish is not walking through that door.”  
 
Alyssa Thomas and the four starters who left in the offseason—DeWanna Bonner, DiJonai Carrington, Brionna Jones and Tyasha Harris—are not coming back either.  
 
With ten new players, the Sun’s start to the season has been painful to watch. After a 109-87 loss to the Dallas Wings at home on Tuesday night dropped them to 0-5, the team had a day off on Wednesday and practiced on Thursday morning.

Marina Mabrey shoots against the Dallas Wings. Photo: Stephen Joyner Jr.

So far, the Sun have let games slip away through lopsided quarters filled with uninspired play: careless turnovers, sloppy defense and disjointed offense.  No one is pushing the panic button—at least not in public—after the Sun finally saw its first win on Friday night, edging the Indiana Fever in Indianapolis, 85-83, with injured superstar Caitlin Clark watching from the bench.  
 
At the postgame press conference, Meziane cracked a smile. For a moment, he looked like a man who had just won the championship. 
 
But two days later, Meziane’s smile turned into disbelief. The Sun suffered the worst loss in the franchise’s history to the undefeated New York Liberty in Brooklyn. It looked like the Sun were in a daze on defense, letting the Liberty shoot 62.3 percent from the field—including a number of uncontested layups. The final score was 100-52. 
 
The defending champions were unstoppable, making 19 three-pointers, at an incredible 59.4% clip (19-32). By halftime, the Liberty led 60-28, with stars Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones making it clear who the more talented team was.  

Tina Charles (31) and Bria Hartley (14) play defense. Photo: Stephen Joyner Jr.

​Discipline in the Details
 
Meziane is working to fuse his European philosophy with the physical, fast-paced style of the WNBA. He wants the Sun to play with discipline and passion, but that transformation takes time, especially with four players new to the league and Bria Hartley arriving just a week before the season started.
 
Nothing feels fluid yet. Chemistry doesn’t happen overnight, and the demanding WNBA season offers little breathing room, with games coming at a dizzying pace.  
 
Fortunately, Meziane isn’t alone. His talented coaching staff includes former WNBA player Roneeka Hodges, known to the team as “Ron.” She joined the team after winning the championship last season as part of the New York Liberty’s coaching staff. 

The difference is how we weather the storm when things get tough, because teams are going to go on runs—just like we go on runs.

​At Thursday’s practice, coach Hodges was relentless, like a drill sergeant. She pushed rookie Saniya Rivers to dig in on defense and fight for every loose ball. Meziane watched quietly from the sideline. 
 
Hodges is focused on the small details, which can mean the difference between a win or being on the receiving end of a historic loss. “It boils down to us staying disciplined and staying true to the schemes—to who we are and who we want to be,” Hodges said after practice at Mohegan Sun Arena.  
 
“The difference is the details,” she added. “The difference is the effort we give. The difference is how we play together. The difference is how we weather the storm when things get tough, because teams are going to go on runs—just like we go on runs.” 

Assistant Coach Roneeka Hodges at Sun's practice. Photo: Anthony Price.

Hodges also sees her role as a bridge, supporting Meziane and guiding the team through the league’s unique challenges. “I keep trying to lend my voice to him and to the team—sharing some experiences and knowledge that I have about the league, about personnel and teams. And whatever way I can help, that’s what I’m here for. 
 
“Rachid is a great coach. He’s had great, tremendous success in Europe,” she says. I think he is doing an awesome job, and we are going to continue to fight together.” 

More Experimentation 
 
Rachid Meziane wants to put French basketball on the WNBA map—but losing six of the first seven games is hardly the statement he hoped to make. 
 
Can he win in this league? That remains to be seen. 
 
The Liberty are built to contend for championships right now. The Sun, meanwhile, are still learning names, roles, and how to play together. 
 
With 37 games remaining, Meziane has no choice but to experiment—to tinker with lineups, test his system, and instill the fight he wants to see in his team. 
 
Because if Sunday’s game is a forecast of what’s to come, it will be a very long season.

​###

---

---

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