By Anthony Price 

​French isn’t just the language–it’s becoming the language of the Connecticut Sun. And if head coach Rachid Meziane has his way, it might soon be the dominant standard for the WNBA. 
 
When Frenchman Meziane accepted the Connecticut Sun job in early December, he had a vision of how he wanted his team to play. The swiftest way to implement his system was to recruit players he knew who already spoke his language, both literally and on the court. 

By Anthony Price 

Watching Analisse Rios lead the Connecticut Sun through a pregame warm-up is electric. On the floor at Mohegan Sun Arena ahead of the Los Angeles Sparks game on Thursday, July 24, she moved with energy—smiling, focused, and fully engaged as she worked one-on-one with players. 
 
Rios, a 5-foot-4 dynamo with relentless intensity, has been the Sun’s strength and conditioning coach since 2020. In 2023, it became her full-time position—one of only 13 like it in the entire WNBA. Her job: helping the team achieve peak performance through a demanding and carefully calibrated training regimen. 

By Anthony Price 

​The Connecticut Sun didn’t just travel to Boston—they brought the floor with them. For the second consecutive year, the team packed up their home court and reassembled it under the bright lights of TD Garden. 
 
This time, they did it for a marquee matchup: Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever were in town—and they didn’t come alone. 

By Anthony Price 

​When the Connecticut Sun selected 19-year-old French guard Leila Lacan as the No. 10 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, they were investing in the future. But Lacan wasn’t ready just yet. She stayed in France to play for the French national team in the Paris Olympics that summer, and then professionally in Europe. 
 
For Sun fans, the wait felt long. But in early July, hope finally arrived when Lacan touched down in Connecticut. 

By Anthony Price 

​Professional basketball can be a cruel business. One day, you’re celebrating your 30th birthday with teammates. Three days later, you’re cut.
 
That was the stark reality for center Kariata Diaby, who was waived by the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday in a brief, impersonal press release: “With the activation of Leila Lacan, the Sun has waived center Kariata Diaby.”

By Anthony Price 

​The Connecticut Sun is in the middle of a brutal stretch—a nine-game losing streak and coming off a winless road trip that exposed just how fragile this young roster can be. They are in freefall. 
 
Now 2-15, the team faces even more adversity with the loss of seven-year veteran Marina Mabrey, their second-leading scorer at 15.2 points per game, who is expected to miss a month. 

By Anthony Price 

​In a WNBA era dominated by billion-dollar media rights deals and headline-making stars like Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, Jacy Sheldon is easy to overlook.  
 
The Connecticut Sun’s second-year guard was the fifth overall pick in the 2024 draft, but playing in obscurity in Uncasville, Connecticut, means there are no bright lights or national hype. Still, Sheldon isn’t fazed. 

By Anthony Price 

​When the Connecticut Sun hired Chaz Franklin as the head of player development in mid-March, they weren’t just filling a coaching role—they were investing in the future. 
 
“My job is to help the players understand from a skill standpoint, a physical standpoint and mental standpoint, how they can best maximize their talents and skillsets,” Franklin explained in his steady, low voice.

By Anthony Price 

​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. 

By Anthony Price 

​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.