Connecticut Sun
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| Connecticut Sun | |
 |
|
| Conference | Eastern Conference |
| Founded | 1999 |
| History | Orlando Miracle (1999-2002) |
| Arena | Mohegan Sun Arena |
| City | Uncasville, Connecticut |
| Team Colors | Blue, Yellow, Red |
| Owner | Mohegan Sun |
| General Manager | Chris Sienko |
| Head Coach | Mike Thibault |
| WNBA Championships | None |
| Conference Titles | 2 (2004, 2005) |
| Mascot | Blaze [1] |
The Connecticut Sun are a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Uncasville, Connecticut. They began to play in the 2003 WNBA season. The Sun was the first WNBA franchise not to be owned by an NBA owner; the team is owned by the Mohegan Indian tribe. From 1999 to 2002, the team was known as the Orlando Miracle, playing in Orlando, Florida. They have the distinction of being the only WNBA team not to share its market with an NBA team (although the Charlotte Sting were the only professional basketball team in Charlotte for two seasons from the departure of the former Charlotte Hornets in 2002 to the first season of the expansion Charlotte Bobcats in 2004).
Uniforms:
- 2003 - Present: For home games, white with sun red on the sides and red Sun logo text on the chest. For away games, blue with sun red with yellow trim on the sides and yellow Sun logo text on the chest. The Sun logo is on the shorts.
- 1999 - 2002: For home games, white with blue on the sides and shoulders and white Miracle logo text on the chest. For away games, blue with white on the sides and white Miracle logo text on the chest. The Miracle logo is on the shorts.
Contents |
[edit] Franchise history
The Sun used to be the Orlando Miracle from 1999-2002. The Miracle began play in the WNBA in 1999 and played their games at TD Waterhouse Centre. In October of 2002, the Miracle had announced their intentions to move out of Orlando, Florida. On January 28, 2003, Connecticut was announced as the location where the Miracle would move. Before the renamed Sun began the first season of play, the team acquired former University of Connecticut star Rebecca Lobo. The Sun lost their first game, 79 to 72, to the Houston Comets. However, the 2003 season would also see the Sun win their first playoff series with a victory over the Charlotte Sting.
In 2004 they drafted Minnesota Golden Gophers star Lindsay Whalen amidst rumors they would trade her to the Minnesota Lynx. However, she remained on the team through the season and would lead the Sun to the WNBA Finals in their second season of existence, where they lost a three game series 2-1 to the Seattle Storm.
In 2005, the Sun acquired center Margo Dydek. The 2005 season proved to be a successful one for the Sun. They finished the season with a 26-8 win-loss record, the best regular season record for an Eastern conference team in WNBA history. [2] They made their second straight WNBA Finals appearance. Despite securing home court advantage, Lindsay Whalen played through the series with injuries and the team lost the Finals for a second straight year, this time to the Sacramento Monarchs. In 2006, they sought to make a return trip to the Finals but lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to their nemesis, Detroit Shock 2 games to 1. Along with the New York Liberty, the Sun are one of the most successful teams in the WNBA yet to have won a championship. The Connecticut Sun also host the WNBA All-Star Game in 2001 as the Orlando Miracle in Florida. Since moving to Connecticut, the team has been a success both on and off the court. The team's attendance has risen each year since its arrival in Connecticut and in 2005 the Sun hosted the 2005 WNBA All-Star game.Their main rival is New York.
[edit] Season-by-Season Records
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Win-Loss %
| Season | W | L | % | Playoffs | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando Miracle | |||||
| 1999 | 15 | 17 | .469 | ||
| 2000 | 16 | 16 | .500 | Lost First Round | Cleveland 2, Orlando 1 |
| 2001 | 13 | 19 | .406 | ||
| 2002 | 16 | 16 | .500 | ||
| Connecticut Sun | |||||
| 2003 | 18 | 16 | .529 | Won First Round Lost Conference Finals |
Connecticut 2, Charlotte 0 Detroit 2, Connecticut 0 |
| 2004 | 18 | 16 | .529 | Won First Round Won Conference Finals Lost WNBA Finals |
Connecticut 2, Washington 1 Connecticut 2, New York 0 Seattle 2, Connecticut 1 |
| 2005 | 26 | 8 | .765 | Won First Round Won Conference Finals Lost WNBA Finals |
Connecticut 2, Detroit 0 Connecticut 2, Indiana 0 Sacramento 3, Connecticut 1 |
| 2006 | 26 | 8 | .765 | Won First Round Lost Conference Finals |
Connecticut 2, Washington 0 Detroit 2, Connecticut 1 |
| Totals | 148 | 116 | .561 | ||
| Playoffs | 16 | 12 | .571 | ||
Stats updated August 27, 2006
[edit] Players of note
[edit] Hall of Famers
none
[edit] Retired numbers
none
[edit] Not to be forgotten
- Debbie Black, assistant coach at Ohio State University
- Rebecca Lobo
- Carla McGhee, now a Director of Player Personnel for the WNBA front office
- Taj McWilliams-Franklin
[edit] Current Roster
| Connecticut Sun Current Roster |
||||
| Head Coach: Mike Thibault | Edit | |||
| Pos. | No. | Name | College | |
| G | 10 | Jamie Carey | Texas | |
| F-C | 41 | Erika de Souza | Brazil | |
| G-F | 32 | Katie Douglas | Purdue | |
| C | 12 | Margo Dydek | Poland | |
| F-C | 15 | Asjha Jones | Connecticut | |
| F | 34 | Megan Mahoney | Kansas State | |
| G | 31 | Erin Phillips | Australia | |
| F | 52 | Kristen Rasmussen | Michigan State | |
| F-G | 42 | Nykesha Sales | Connecticut | |
| C | 14 | Laura Summerton | Australia | |
| G | 13 | Lindsay Whalen | Minnesota | |
| F | 43 | Le'coe Willingham | Auburn | |
| (IL) - Inactive List | ||||
[edit] Coaches and others
Head Coaches:
- Carolyn Peck (1998-2002), now coaches the women's team at University of Florida
- Dee Brown (2002)
- Mike Thibault (2002-Present)
[edit] Front Office Personnel
- Owner: The Mohegan Tribe
- Chief Executive Officer/Governor: Mitchell Etess
- Chief Operating Officer/Alternate Governor: Jeffrey Hartmann
- President/Alternate Governor: Paul Munick
- General Manager: Christopher Sienko
- Head Coach: Mike Thibault
- Assistant Coach: Scott Hawk
- Assistant Coach: Bernadette Mattox
- Head Athletic Trainer: Jeremy Norman
- Strength and Conditioning Coach: Lisa Ciaravella
- Director of Marketing: Gwendolyn Pointer
- Director of Business Operations: Dave Martinelli
- Media Relations Manager: Bill Tavares
- Community Relations Manager: Tina James
- Game Operations Manager: Bruce Cohn
- Group Sales Manager: Michael Reynolds
- Season Ticket Sales Manager: Annmarie Gengo
- Group Sales Representative: Matt Edwards
- Basketball Operations Coordinator: Bill Tinnel
- Marketing Communications Specialist: Rachel Manke
- Publicist: Sarah Emmett
- Group Sales Representative: Mike Ortiz
- Season Ticket Sales Representative: Sarah Ford
- Season Ticket Sales Representative: Gerald Preston
- Administrative Assistant: Tanea Hill
- Team Physician: Diana Heiman, MD
- Team Physician: Ammar Anbari, MD
- Director of Box Office Operations: April Paris
- Event Production Supervisor: Frank Pavlich
[edit] Trivia
- In 2006 the Connecticut Sun named all 5 starters to the WNBA Eastern Conference All-Star team: Douglas, Dydek, McWilliams-Franklin, Sales, and Whalen. This feat had never before been achieved in NBA history.
[edit] External links
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference |
|---|---|
| Chicago Sky | Connecticut Sun | Detroit Shock | Indiana Fever | New York Liberty | Washington Mystics | Houston Comets | Los Angeles Sparks | Minnesota Lynx | Phoenix Mercury | Sacramento Monarchs | San Antonio Silver Stars | Seattle Storm |
| Defunct teams: Charlotte Sting | Cleveland Rockers | Miami Sol | Portland Fire | |
| Media: WNBA on ESPN | List of WNBA Finals broadcasters | |
| Other Women's Leagues: National Women's Basketball League | Women's National Basketball League (Australia) | |
