Connecticut Sun Showing Promise Up and Down Roster After Two Preseason Games

Morgan Tuck (Connecticut Sun)

Two wins do not make a season – particularly when they are of the preseason flavor.

But first-year Coach Curt Miller and the Connecticut Sun have to be pleased with two solid wins over the Chicago Sky and San Antonio Stars on May 4/5 at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

In their first preseason action of the 2016 campaign the Sun edged Ellena Delle Donne, the WNBA’S 2015 MVP, and the Sky, 84-81.

The veterans led the way for the Sun as Kelsey Bone poured in 15 points, Alex Bentley (just back from Europe) added 14 and Alyssa Thomas chipped in with 11.

The Sun’s top draft pick, Morgan Tuck, got the starting nod in her first game as a pro, scoring seven points in 26 minutes of action.

On May 5, the Sun breezed past the Stars 76-53 behind rookie Morgan Tuck’s 16 point effort.

Bone had another solid effort in the paint as she poured 15 points in the lop-sided win.

The Sun put the game out of reach in the second quarter when they outscored the visitors 21-2.

Besides Tuck, the one-sided score allowed Miller to get a good look at some of his rookie talent. Rachel Banham (16 minutes), Jonquel Jones (20 min) and Jamie Weisner (16 min) had ample time to show the Sun brass that they deserve a roster spot.

The Sun conclude the preseason on May 8 when they travel to Dallas to play the Wings (2:30 p.m.)

SUN SPOTS

The Sun will be taking no chances with the on-going status return to competitive play of Chiney Ogwumike.

The Stanford All-American sat out the 2015 season recovering from major knee surgery.

Ogwumike was the first overall pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft. She was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year and led the team in scoring (15.5 ppg).

Jonquel Jones, a 6-foot-6 forward from George Washington University, impressed with a 12-rebound, 10-point effort in the win over the Stars.

The WNBA will be celebrating its 20^th season and each team will have new uniform colors courtesy of Addidas, the league’s apparel sponsor. In addition, each team will have commemorative sneakers and there will be a special edition game ball.

Connecticut opens the 2016 regular season in Chicago on May 14.

The Sun will play their first home game on May 21 at Mohegan Sun Arena, hosting the Washington Mystics at 7 p.m.

This is an Olympic year and the WNBA will take a one-month hiatus from July 23 to August 25.

A final word

On May 3 the Sun announced that they had waived guard Aliyyah Handford, who they had selected in the third round of the WNBA Draft.

Handford finished her distinguished career at St. John’s as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,058 career points.

It was a tough luck situation for the rookie who likely fell victim to the dreaded numbers game. The Sun had eight guards competing for a roster spot.

Hopefully for Handford, another team in the WNBA will value her defensive prowess and aggressive offensive style.

Good luck Liyyah…. You deserve a better shot ….

Follow Bob on Twitter for all the Sun and WNBA news: @WhitneyBob