In the franchise’s final season, the narrative surrounding the Connecticut Sun is that they are in a rebuild year and, therefore, won’t be a championship contender or even make it far in the playoffs.
And yet, the sentiment in Uncasville is quite the opposite. Despite this being their last season the players still feel a responsibility to still give it their all and compete, even while people continue to count them out before the regular season even begins. They are continuing to build the culture they want for this team, and Sun head coach Rachid Meziane is emphasizing similar themes as he did last season — energy and unity.
The Sun have dubbed their last season in Connecticut, “the sunset season,” and as you drive down Mohegan Sun Blvd., banners hang from light posts stating, “get close one last time” as the franchise begins to say their goodbyes to the state’s beloved WNBA team since 2003.
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What has changed?
The Connecticut Sun’s roster is looking a little bit different than last season with multiple new additions after losing players that were a part of their starting lineup.
The Sun lost guard Marina Mabrey to the Toronto Tempo after leaving her unprotected in this year’s expansion draft. Mabrey was the Sun’s second leading scorer, behind center Tina Charles, and averaged 14.4 points per game.
Charles who averaged 16.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, was unexpectedly not a part of the Sun’s training camp roster when it was finalized and remained
After the home closer last season, Charles stood at center court telling the crowd she would be back next season. This Tuesday, Charles announced that she was retiring on social media.
Charles started her career in Connecticut, as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 draft out of the University of Connecticut. Now, she’ll end her career there and retire as the league’s second all-time scoring leader (8396), and ranked first in both rebounds (4,262) and field goals (3,364) leader.
Charles was a fan favorite in Connecticut and her leadership was important to kick-starting the Sun’s rebuild.
New additions
During free agency, the Sun also lost guard Lindsay Allen, who signed with the Dallas Wings and guard Bria Hartley who is still unsigned.
The Sun also were a part of a one-for-one trade with the Wings where they received forward Diamond Miller in exchange for center/forward Rayah Marshall. Marshall came off the bench and averaged only six minutes per game in her rookie stint with the team last season.
With that, more talent was added to a young core during the 2026 WNBA draft and through signings this offseason. The Sun picked up three players from the draft — UCLA guards Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker, French forward Nell Angloma and TCU guard Taylor Bigby (acquired from Portland in exchange for forward Serah Williams who they drafted 27th overall).
The Sun acquired two players with championship experience in free agency, 6-9 center Brittney Griner and guard/forward Kennedy Burke, with both players signing million dollar contracts.
“I love my time that I had in Atlanta. It was good, and I love the girls that were there. They were amazing. The staff was amazing. But I think the fit here [in Connecticut] is better, and I just think it’s gonna be good,” Griner told reporters during training camp.
The team later signed more players to training camp contracts including guards Shey Peddy, Madison Hayes, Mamignan Toure and Harmoni Turner and undrafted Oklahoma center Raegan Beers.
Despite all the roster changes, they were able to keep their young core in forwards Aaliyah Edwards and Aneesah Morrow and guards Saniya Rivers and Leila Lacan. The Sun were also able to resign Olivia Nelson-Ododa. Other than Toure’s stint with the Sun, these five players are the only ones to return from last season.
Nelson-Ododa wasn’t picked up in the expansion draft and was able to make the decision to return to the Sun for another season. She told The IX Basketball that what went into her decision was that sense of familiarity and “realizing that” they “have a really good group.”
Nelson-Ododa, who attended UConn for college, also mentioned that she thinks “it’s a great organization.”
Last season Rivers didn’t make WNBA All-Defensive team despite sitting at fourth in total steals, tied with Las Vegas Aces All-Star Chelsea Gray, as a rookie. This season she has different goals for herself including stepping “into a bigger role.”
“I think for me, I’m kind of off the accolades at this point, because… I feel that I should have been on the defensive team,” Rivers told The IX Basketball. “…I think at this point it’s just making myself proud, doing whatever I can to contribute to the team wins. So if it ends up resulting in defensive team or whatever, accolades might appear, great. But I think my goal is just to do whatever I can for this team and defensively, I think I showed, I proved that last year.”
With this season being under the newly negotiated CBA, teams can now hold up to 14 players on their roster rather than 12, with the addition of two development spots.
One of the two development spots are still open for the Sun, with former Duke guard Ashlon Jackson signing one of those contracts on Wednesday.
In the first round of cuts the Sun waived Toure, Turner and Oldacre from training camp, the team announced on Monday. Yesterday the Sun also announced that they waived guards Hayes and Bigby.
Connecticut later added former Chicago Sky guard Hailey Van Lith through a waiver claim.
French powerhouse
Recently the Sun have been forming a new team identity under Meziane. Fellow French natives Lacan and Angloma are both young players who have been making their names known overseas.
The two French players were expected to have late arrivals to Connecticut, since they would be competing for a title in France. Lacan’s Basket Landes advanced to the LFB final after defeating Angloma’s Lattes Montpellier in the semifinals.
Angloma will join the Sun shortly but according to Meziane will sit out the first two games to rest from her overseas season. Lacan, on the other hand, doesn’t begin the championship series with her team until May 9, and it could last until May 17.
The Sun are counting on Lacan to be their go-to point guard but will have to find other ways to win until she joins the team. In their first preseason game against the Toronto Tempo the Sun had Rivers handling the ball a bit, as well as Leger-Walker but Rivers doesn’t typically play the point guard position and Leger-Walker is a rookie who expectedly may have some initial nerves.
They combined for nine turnovers in that first preseason game together.
Peddy, drafted in the second round of the 2012 draft, is a veteran guard who performed well last season for the Indiana Fever after guard Sophie Cunningham’s season-ending injury. After proving her value to the Fever, Peddy eventually signed a rest of the season contract.
She may be a strong candidate to step in for Lacan but is currently on the injury list, out with a left lower leg injury. The team has no updates on her injury or return at this time but she was shooting before their second preseason game last Sunday.
With the addition of Van Lith to their roster, she could also fill that point guard position with the team.
It is fair to say the Sun will have to adjust, and quickly until Lacan can rejoin the team.
Leadership on the Sun
Last season the Sun were led by the veteran leadership of Mabrey and Charles but their absence left a void that needs to be filled. Nelson-Ododa and Griner have both taken on leadership roles early on during training camp.
Entering her fourth season with the Sun, Nelson-Ododa’s leadership role has increased every season that she’s been with the team. She said she has adjusted to that role by “trying to be more vocal this year, especially with a young group” and answering any questions her teammates may have.
Griner, being the most experienced player on the team, was naturally pushed into the veteran leadership role, where she will lead a youthful group.
“I got thrown into the vet role and the leadership role, but I love it,” Griner said with a smile. “I didn’t want to coach in prior years, but in the last I think two years, I’ve really found the joy for coaching, giving back and being a part of the game.”
A full season for Edwards
Last season Edwards joined the team through a trade with Washington at the beginning of August and didn’t get to spend too much time in Connecticut before the season ended. She fit in with the team’s dynamic almost seamlessly though regardless of only appearing in 15 regular-season games.
This season she will get the chance to play a full season with the Sun.
“I think it’s going to be a special season for us,” Edwards told reporters during training camp. “…but also a really great season to kind of build our culture, redefine our identity as a team, as a unit… I wasn’t happy at how we finished last season. So this season, we’re gonna have a fresh start and really put Connecticut on the map, because I think the state, the city and the franchise definitely deserves it”
During the offseason, Edwards spent her time mostly in Miami playing in the Unrivaled 3×3 basketball league for the Lunar Owls BC. She mentioned that she developed her game while she was down there by “being super consistent” in her approach.
“I worked a lot on my footwork in and around the rim, as well as my footwork from the perimeter going downhill,” Edwards said. “So I feel like I’m more explosive, I feeling my decision making has increased and overall, just like having a sport and mentality at three levels… and how it’s gonna translate into the W is just being that solid stretch board that I want to be for this team and just in this league, and continue to dominate at that consistently each and every night.”
Release the beast
While spending her offseason playing in Athletes Unlimited in Nashville and finishing second overall in the league, Morrow completely transformed her game – leading to her confidence skyrocketing. She attributed that growth to being able to get her love back for the game.
Morrow told reporters during training camp that she wants to eventually be able to play every position and has broken out, learning to play the three.
“Yeah, we released the beast… I told you all in the summer, that’s one thing that I really wanted to emphasize on,” Morrow told reporters.
Morrow is stepping into her sophomore season in the WNBA with big goals.
“I want to be most improved,” Morrow said. “I’ve been putting the work in and just being able to get on the floor, get the ball, be productive. I feel like being at AU also showed me the plus-minus, like it’s important to make shots, it’s important to not have turnovers, it’s important to give block shots or not have fouls.”
Meziane was impressed with how Morrow has progressed from last season, crediting her for being a huge reason for their first preseason game win over Toronto. He said “she can be amazing” when she takes pride in her defense and rebounding.
“Aneesah, she has something that you cannot teach,” Meziane told reporters postgame after defeating the Tempo. “She plays with a lot of energy, and she’s everywhere on the floor.”
Meziane continues mission
Under Meziane’s vision, the continuation of rebuilding the team and sustaining energy throughout all 40 minutes of each game remains a priority.
In the Sun’s first preseason game against the Toronto Tempo, they came back down from a second half deficit to win the game.
Meziane values his player’s effort and how they showed “resilience” while sticking to their “defensive principles.” He wants his team to be able to dictate the flow of the game and be disruptive on the defensive end of the floor.
At time’s he notices the players being too passive on the court.
Although the franchise’s chapter is ending, when the Sun relocate to Houston it will give the players an opportunity to begin a new chapter in their lives. Meziane said that the organization wants to honor the franchise by giving fans meaningful memories in its last season in Connecticut.
The rostered players seem to have bought in to what Meziane wanted to build when he took over as head coach, succeeding current Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White. Edwards shared what Meziane’s message has been to his players as they navigate this final chapter in the Connecticut Sun’s existence.
“Coach Rachid’s message to the team has just been to execute the things that is going to help us shape our culture for the season,” Edwards said. “…But we want to be very disciplined in our defensive concepts, our offensive sets, and to build play with chemistry, and build that chemistry from now so that, you know, couple weeks into the season, we’re already flowing.”
Entering his second season as a WNBA coach he has a lot more confidence in himself. He is more comfortable after learning a lot of the ins and outs of the league’s ecosystem.
“I have [a] better understanding of the system, the future of the league, a better understanding of my players, too,” Meziane said. “I feel myself more prepared and better to approach my second season… I’m just excited to put in the work on the floor… And we were very intentional about the players we wanted on our team. So today I think that players are fitting more with my philosophy, my concepts.”
In his possible last season, for now, in the WNBA he has big goals and a lot to prove after having an 11-win debut season.
“One of my goals is to bring my European style to the W and win,” Meziane said.
Team Chemistry
The team chemistry that Connecticut began building at the start of the 2025 season has carried into this season with most of the team’s core sticking around. It all comes back to the locker room culture and Rivers’ ability to light up a room.
She is always bringing positive energy and uplifting everyone around her, and unselfishly even when she isn’t feeling one hundred percent. Rivers rarely doesn’t have a smile on her face, and you will always find her dancing on and off the court.
The regular-season hasn’t officially begun yet, and this year’s roster has been live streaming on social media quite a bit — creating original songs and dancing together.
Recently during the 15-minutes Edwards said it took to create a song together; Morrow had a rap solo.
“It really does help overall,” Morrow said on the teams chemistry translating onto the court. “I know when I came here last season, I was a bit closed off, just trying to observe everything. You’re new to the environment. But being able to have relationships with my teammates off the floor has been a great thing. We understand one another. We also know what each other are going through as well. We’re humans at the end of the day. And just being able to have each other’s back on the floor, and it makes a big impact.”
Nelson-Ododa who has been through multiple different looking rosters for the Sun, is happy that the locker room and team environment is so positive. She said that building those relationships off the court has already translated on the court.
“I think it’s nice to have that energy this year. I feel like we haven’t had that in a while,” Nelson-Ododa told The IX Basketball.
An outsider would think these players have known each other for years with the way they were interacting and even had Griner doing the splits in the team locker room during the first week of training camp.
“Oh, god, yeah, nah, the vibes are great,” Griner said with a laugh. “In the locker room it’s always hilarious in there, but on the court, it’s going good.”
Rivers said that off the court, the team has also been having important on-court conversations.
“Those are my dogs, like those are my sisters. Those are my everything. So we’ve been hanging out a lot off the court, having conversations about expectations we want for the season…“Nobody expects us to win…We want people to sleep on us,” Rivers said.
A lot to prove
During their second preseason game on Sunday, Griner joined the broadcast for a sideline interview and was asked what she saw from her young squad against the Liberty, saying that “everybody on this team got something to prove.”
Nelson-Ododa built off that same theme, later that night during the postgame press conference.
“I would say hungry,” on what word she’d use to describe the team’s identity. “I think especially the people that were here last year, we weren’t satisfied with just the way that season went.. And so I think using this offseason to really prepare for a season where people count us out…but we still know, like what we’re capable of.”
Regardless of all the fun they have been having together, Griner made it clear that they know when to turn that off and lock in when it is time to work.
“We don’t really have to coach effort here,” Griner said. “Everybody’s showing up, ready to go, eager to learn. And I mean, that’s all you can really ask for, honestly, especially with a young group, keep them locked in. You have our fun, but then it’s time to work… but that’s what’s impressed me the most… You see certain players stepping up and saying things and commanding their floor. And I love that, when you have players do it and do it in a respectful way, where your teammate can hear you. I mean, that’s a team that I’ll definitely wanna be on.”
Despite it being the last season and what everyone thinks, the Sun are remaining optimistic and are ready to perform for their fans one final time. Morrow’s refound love and confidence for the game, the work they are putting in and their hunger to win all have one thing in common, a recipe for success this season.
“People want to cancel out Connecticut, but we’re not canceling ourselves out,” Griner said.
Monumental Sports and Entertainment, the group that owns the Washington Mystics, holds a minority stake in The IX Basketball. The IX Basketball’s editorial operations are entirely independent of Monumental and all other business partners.