UConn’s Bria Hartley indicators up with Connecticut Sun as final cuts impend

UNCASVILLE– After the Connecticut Sun went 1-1 of their 2 preseason video video games, first-year head coach Rachid Meziane felt his crew was nonetheless lacking out on an merchandise.

On Sunday the Sun licensed earlier UConn girls’s basketball celeb Bria Hartley to a coaching faculty settlement, merely 5 days previous to teams are wanted to scale back their lineups to the 12-player optimum enabled initially of the conventional interval. Hartley has truly not proven up within the WNBA as a result of 2022, final having enjoyable in 3 video video games with Connecticut previous to an ACL tear completed her interval. The 5-foot-9 guard was a two-time All-American at UConn, aiding the Huskies to championship video games in 2013 and 2014. She was composedNo 7 complete within the 2014 WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics and made the All-Rookie group in her very first interval.

Hartley has truly jumped across the group during the last years, displaying up in a number of durations with the Mystics, New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury in between 2014-21. She began 2022 with the Indiana Fever previous to authorizing an settlement separation and finishing the yr on a rest-of-season settlement with theSun Hartley’s 2022 ACL tear was her 2nd after enduring the very same harm with the Mercury in 2020, and she or he hasn’t performed higher than 13 video video games in a interval as a result of her very first ACL harm.

Meziane noticed Hartley as an ideal enhancement late to coaching faculty, partially on account of the truth that he’s at the moment conscious of the earlier Huskies celeb. Meziane functioned as an assistant coach whereas Hartley was contending for the French nationwide group on the 2019 EuroBasket competitors, and she or he has a variety of expertise having enjoyable in European methods abroad, primarily within the Turkish SuperLeague. Meziane actually felt the Sun required yet one more professional existence with a stable 3-point shot, and Hartley requirements nearly 34% from previous the arc in her WNBA career.

Hartley gives Connecticut 16 avid gamers presently with the group, so on the very least 4 requirement to be diminished previous to the interval opener versus the Mystics at Mohegan Sun Arena on May 18. The Sun are moreover ready for the arrival of 2024 first-round draft alternative Leila Lacan, that’s nonetheless overseas contending within the Ligue Feminine playoffs along with her French clubLandes Basket Lacan’s interval in France will definitely upright May 16 at the newest, but Meziane claimed the 20-year-old guard will definitely moreover take further therapeutic time previous to acquiring an entire work inConnecticut The group will definitely must make an added lower when Lacan is obtainable.

How accidents and lacks will definitely affect lineup decisions

The job of reviewing the lineup is made tougher for Meziane on account of the truth that quite a few anticipated components have truly missed out on appreciable time all through camp. Neither of the group’s 2025 first-round draftees,No 7 alternative Aneesah Morrow andNo 8 alternative Saniya Rivers, confirmed up within the preseason competitions, and whereas each are all-but-guaranteed locations on the lineup, there’s unpredictability regarding simply how they’ll affect the turning. Rivers intends to return to train Monday after taking a visit dwelling lately to remorse the unexpected death of her mother, and Morrow is sidelined with a sticking round proper ankle joint harm largely as a security measure.

Meziane claimed he’s being exceedingly cautious with Morrow on account of the truth that he sees her as “our future,” and the novice forward entered into coaching faculty recent off of an intense Elite Eight sustain LSU. Morrow balanced nearly 34 minutes per online game in her final school interval and was combating through small accidents all through the vast majority of the NCAATournament She claimed she’s investing nice offers of extra time within the film space and researching the playbook with the Sun’s gamer development trains, and she or he is moreover functioning frequently with the toughness crew to protect her conditioning whereas off the court docket.

Veteran guard Diamond DeShields is moreover out with a greatest ankle joint harm, and Meziane claimed the timeline for her return is way more difficult and unclear. DeShields was a highly-anticipated risk composedNo 3 out of Tennessee in 2018, but her WNBA career has truly been bothered by accidents and she or he has truly missed out on time in each interval as a result of 2022. She initially endured a greatest ankle joint harm with the Chicago Sky on the finish of 2024 that sidelined her for the group’s final 5 regular-season video video games. DeShields was making use of props all through method final Thursday and has truly not taken half in any kind of basketball duties all through the Sun’s method watching durations.

Connecticut Sun reveal system integrating in Rachid Meziane’s very first win vs New York Liberty

Sun nonetheless reviewing locations all through lately of camp

Marina Mabrey, Lindsay Allen, Jacy Sheldon, Tina Charles and Olivia Nelson-Ododa appeared like a stable starting 5 within the preseason win versus New York, and each first-round novices plus DeShields positioned the Sun at 8 avid gamers secured to final lineup locations. Veteran forward Haley Peters moreover seems positioned to make it after starting and racking up 11 components going 3-for-3 on 3-pointers versus Seattle.

Connecticut has 7 avid gamers consisting of Hartley defending 3 staying locations on the final lineup, and all could make an occasion based mostly upon their coaching faculty efficiencies. Forward Amy Okonkwo and facility Kariata Diaby are each WNBA novices and received right here late to camp after finishing their interval together with Bourges within the Ligue Feminine, but their expertise in France was a major benefit in making the change to Meziane’s system. Forward Robyn Parks performed much more minutes than any particular person off the bench versus the Liberty and shot 3-for-6 from 3-point selection for 9 components, and guard Yvonne Anderson was impactful on each ends of the flooring with 6 components taking pictures 2-for-3 plus 4 aids and a pair of takes.

The Sun moreover have 2 novices, third-round draftee Rayah Marshall and undrafted signee Madison Hayes, which are thrilling of their very first coaching faculty, and Meziane claimed the group is trying to concentrate on long-lasting goals in decisions this era. Marshall has truly been admired by each particular person from Charles to fundamental supervisor Morgan Tuck for her reasonably priced energy and readiness to seek out out, and although Hayes has truly seen minimal minutes, she endured the very first 2 rounds of cuts over avid gamers consisting of 2024 draft alternative Abbey Hsu and returning forward Caitlin Bickle.

Dom Amore: As brand-new CT Sun coach makes an attempt mixing Euro design with The W, it is going to actually be a process

Originally Published: May 11, 2025 at 5:02 PM EDT