The Connecticut Sun have accomplished much during their tenure with the WNBA. As one of the longest lasting teams in the league, the Sun has gone through much transition but also much success.
The Sun has achieved much season after season and will continue to be successful in seasons to come.
Recruiting/Draft Picks
One of the strong points of this team has always been the steady flow of good recruits and draft picks. In 2005, Katie Feenstra and the Sun’s first pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft for San Antonio Silver Stars, Margo Dydek. Dydek, a 7’2” center from Poland was a huge acquirement for the team and helped fill in the needed pieces to the Sun roster.
In 2007, the Sun picked Temple alumni Kamesha Hairston, French center Sandrine Gruda, Cori Chambers from Georgia, and Kiera Hardy from Nebraska. 2008 saw Katie Douglas traded to the Indiana Fever for forward Tamika Whitmore and the rights to Jessica Foley. Megan Mahoney was also traded to Houston for Barbara Turner.
2009 brought in Chante Black from Duke, Alba Torrens, and Lyndra Littles from Virginia. The latest addition to Connecticut is veteran player Kara Lawson from the Sacremento Monarchs.
Postseason/Playoffs
The 2003 season saw the Sun earning their first playoff tournament berth. They achieved this when they defeated Indiana 72-62 on the final night of the season. They continued to win and defeat the Charlotte Sting in the series. The Sun were eliminated in the Eastern Conference finals by eventual champions the Detroit Shock.
The following season saw the Sun win their first Eastern Conference Championship with a sweep over the New York Liberty. In 2005, the Sun was able to pull off another regular season Eastern Conference Title with a win over the Washington Mystics.
The season didn’t end there as Connecticut swept the Detroit Shock and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. They eventually fell to the Sacramento Monarchs in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals. 2006 saw the Sun earn their third regular season title with a win over San Antonio.
Individual/Team Achievements
The players have won many individual awards for their hard work and stunning talent. In 2005, Taj McWilliams-Franklin was awarded the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award. 5 players were named to the East All-Star game in 2006, including Nykesha Sales, Lindsay Whalen, Katie Douglas, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, ad Margo Dydek.
Katie Douglas was also named the MVP for the game. Douglas and Dydek were named to the 2006 All-Defensive First team and Second Team, respectively. This season also saw the team set a league record with 926 defensive rebounds. Asjha Jones represented the Sun in the Eastern Conference All Star Team.
Not only are the players extremely gifted at what they do, but coaches are as well. Head Coach Mike Thibault was named to the 2006 USA Women’s World Championship team that would compete for the gold medal at the FIBA Women’s World Championship in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The 2006 season also saw Thibault as the WNBA Coach of the Year.
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