UNCASVILLE, Conn.— When Brittney Griner walked outside of the Mohegan Tribe’s gym where the Connecticut Sun usually practice, she looked out at the lush greenery and stunning view of the Thames River and thought to herself, Yo, this is beautiful.
As an outdoors person, it’s the exact kind of vibe that Griner loves most: an avid camper, Griner told The IX Basketball that she’d rather spend her time “out in the woods with no running water.” Growing up in Houston, Griner started camping as a child out in her backyard, and while at Baylor, she even went and bought her own gear. By the time she got to the WNBA, Griner got a Jeep truck and would go camping in the desert in Phoenix.
Though she’s still getting adjusted to Connecticut, the environment around her – from the sereness of the New England scenery to her new Sun teammates and coaches, has made her feel welcome right from the start. “It’s a really good vibe, really good atmosphere. These ladies out here on this court, they’re amazing,” said Griner, who is now sitting inside Mohegan Sun Arena, where the team held practice Monday and is just a few minutes away from the Community Center and Government Building.
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It’s the start of training camp, and BG has just finished her very first practice with her new squad, where head coach Rachid Meziane and his coaching staff had the team run through full-court drills in between conditioning workouts on the bike, that simulated a newer, more up-tempo style of play for the Sun. Despite being in the 13th year of her legendary WNBA career, Griner feels like she’s still got it and can keep up with her new teammates, most of whom are younger. Ahead of opening day, the Sun also signed Madison Hayes, Raegan Beers and Harmoni Turner.
“We’re just getting into it, knocking off the rust and getting those hard breathing moments up out of her,” Griner said about the conditioning. “It’s fast, we are moving. I love it. I get to showcase that I can still run up and down the court with the young ones. They might be a tad faster, but I’m right there with them.”
With a newly unveiled Sunset-designed court and the season on the horizon, the energy inside Mohegan Sun Arena was full of fun and laughter, right from the start. All the while, Meziane has his sights set on emphasizing “team” basketball and letting his team play freely this year to maximize their strengths. Here’s more takeaways from the first day of training camp:
One…Two..Three…Suns!
Griner’s welcome to Connecticut moment actually came at the conclusion of training camp when Griner accidentally yelled “Suns” in the team huddle. Griner later admitted she had confused the team name for the plural noun – a causal mistake considering she spent a majority of her career in Phoenix, where the NBA franchise is, in fact, the Phoenix Suns (with an s at the end).
“I messed up. I know it’s Sun, but I thought it was plural because we’re all together. I guess I was being too technical. I am so sorry,” she said.
Her new teammates, including second-year guard Saniya Rivers, were quick to call her out on the mistake. “She did [say it] but I got on that a– real quick,” Rivers told The IX Basketball jokingly.
It’s evident that the Sun is building chemistry already. With just a week scheduled for training camp before their first preseason camp against the Toronto Tempo on April 29, it’s this sense of camaraderie and comfortability that will be crucial to how the team continues to develop on the court.
That includes between the players and Meziane himself, who is now in his second-stint as a head coach in the WNBA. Rivers credited how well he’s improved with his English, as well as the efforts he’s made in building more of a relationship with his players, including her.
“I have to give him a whole lot of credit, he’s working great,” she said. “He’s worked a lot in his English. Last year, it was really hard to understand him, so I feel like he wasn’t getting the respect that he wanted, because we couldn’t really understand him. So it was hard to go to him with things, because of that language gap, that barrier. So I think this year, he put so much work in the off season about getting that so now I think he’s earning that respect. I think we’re understanding him, knowing that we can come to him more comfortable with him, and he’s really doing a great job at building a program that’s genuine.”
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As Meziane continues to open up, elements of his personality, including his sense of humor and dance moves, were on display on Sunday when, at one point, he even did the Scuba dance with Rivers, who jokingly called herself his “favorite.”
“Me and Rachid dance…I could get Rachid to do anything.”
Energy is a word Meziane has used in the past quite often, but even on the first day, he can already feel it brewing naturally. “We were very deliberate, intentional about the players we want in our team, the players we want to bring on our team, players we can fit in our system,” Meziane said, adding: “I’m very positive. I like energy, and I think a lot of things come from energy and the identity they want to play.”
Goals this season
While every training camp experience is different for everyone, players, like Turner, are looking to prove themselves and solidify a roster spot. A former Harvard standout, Turner was the 35th pick in the 2025 WNBA draft and had a short stint in Vegas before being waived.
“The process has definitely been uphill, but I know where my end goal is, and I know that everything worthwhile is uphill,” Turner shared with The IX Basketball. “I know that sticking to the process is something that I’ve really honed on this year, this season, and understanding that I have a spot to earn, and I know that I’m ready this year.”
During practice, Rivers was cheering for Turner from the sidelines and hyping her up when she scored. While Rivers did not participate Sunday due to taking rest – though she did say she feels “ready to get back in – she herself is focused on stepping up as a leader while also taking her offensive game to the next level, especially beyond the arc. “I think last year I already proved myself on the defensive end. Obviously, I will continue to build on that, but offensively, I think I’m really gonna have to lock in and show people I can score the ball. I want to be a threat on both sides. I don’t want people to only fear me when I guard them, but I want them to fear me when I’m bringing the ball up the court,” she said.
Another second-year standout, Aneesah Morrow, is building off the time she spent competing in Athletes Unlimited this offseason, an experience she attributed to helping her get her “fun for basketball came back.” This year, she is ready to compete with the utmost confidence.
“Being confident, being authentically myself,” Morrow said when asked about her goals this season. “I felt like I wasn’t myself last year, and just being able to be myself, and you’ll be able to see on the floor Nees the Beast will be released.”
It helps that both Rivers and Morrow, two young standout defenders, now have Griner, one of the all-time great defenders and shotblockers in the WNBA, as a mentor to help guide them on the defensive end.
“When we talk about players that pave the way for us, she’s one of those players,” Morrow added. “Just being able to have someone around you that knows what it takes. I definitely remember last season when she was guarding me when we were playing in Atlanta, and I’m like, ‘Why are you guarding me?’ We were at the free throw line and she’s like, ‘Girl, I gotta get you off the boards!’..Having her on this team, we’re gonna get a hella rebounds.”
As for Griner, she has her sights set making WNBA history this year. It’s a goal she’s had for the entirety of her career: breaking the all-time shot block record held by Margo Dydek, who had 877 blocks. Griner is just 19 blocks away from the feat.
“That’s always been the only record I care about…Literally the only one my whole career,” she told The IX Basketball.
She’s also focused on spreading her knowledge, improving her defense on the pick and roll and protecting the “paint better than I have in the last three years,” which will be a skillset the Sun will rely on heavily this season.
Still, it’s too early to tell how exactly things will come together for the Sun. With training camp set to continue throughout the week, only time will how Meziane’s vision will come to life.
Thanks Deyscha! Great reporting!