2008 Connecticut Sun season

2008 Connecticut Sun season
Head Coach	Mike Thibault
Arena	Mohegan Sun Arena
Attendance	7,644 per game
Results Record 21–13 (.618) Place 2nd (Eastern) Playoff Finish Lost in First Round Team Leaders Points Asjha Jones (17.0) Rebounds Asjha Jones (6.1) Assists Lindsay Whalen (5.4) Media Television WCTX Connecticut Sun seasons < 2007 2009 >

The 2008 WNBA season was their 10th season and their 6th in Connecticut. The Sun successfully advanced to the WNBA Playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. Lindsay Whalen was a key contributor to the club, averaging 14.0 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game, and 5.4 assists per game.^[1]

Offseason

Expansion Draft

The following player was lost in the Atlanta Dream expansion draft:

• Erika DeSouza

^[2]

WNBA Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Nationality	School/Team/Country
1	9	Amber Holt	United States	Middle Tennessee
1	12 (from Indiana)	Ketia Swanier	United States	Connecticut
2	23	Jolene Anderson	United States	Wisconsin
3	37	Lauren Ervin	United States	Arkansas

^[3]

Transactions

• August 27: The Sun signed Svetlana Abrosimova and waived Jolene Anderson.
• June 27: The Sun waived Kamesha Hairston.
• May 15: The Sun waived Cori Chambers.
• May 7: The Sun waived Jessica Foley, Tracy Gahan and Christina Quaye.
• May 6: The Sun waived Meredith Alexis and Natalie Berglin.
• April 28: The Sun waived Crystal Erwin, Laura Hall and Jessica Richter.
• April 23: The Sun waived Antoinette Upshaw.
• March 20: The Sun signed Tracy Gahan to a training camp contract.
• March 7: The Sun signed Sandrine Gruda.
• March 5: The Sun signed Jessica Foley to a training camp contract.
• March 3: The Sun signed Natalie Berglin and Kerri Gardin to training camp contracts.
• February 19: The Sun re-signed free agents Lindsay Whalen and Jamie Carey.

^[4]

Date	Trade
February 19, 2008	To Connecticut Sun	To Indiana Fever
	Tamika Whitmore, Jessica Foley, 12th pick in 2008 Draft	Katie Douglas
March 6, 2008	To Connecticut Sun	To Houston Comets
	Barbara Turner	Megan Mahoney
March 14, 2008	To Connecticut Sun	To Minnesota Lynx
	Tamika Raymond	Kristen Rasmussen

Free agents

Additions Player Signed Former team Lindsay Whalen February 19, 2008 re-signed Jamie Carey February 19, 2008 re-signed Tamika Whitmore February 19, 2008 Indiana Fever Kerri Gardin March 3, 2008 free agent Barbara Turner March 6, 2008 Houston Comets Sandrine Gruda March 7, 2008 draft pick Tamika Raymond March 16, 2008 Minnesota Lynx Danielle Page April 16, 2008 undrafted rookie Svetlana Abrosimova August 27, 2008 free agent

Subtractions Player Left New team Margo Dydek October 4, 2007 free agent Katie Douglas February 19, 2008 Indiana Fever Megan Mahoney March 6, 2008 Houston Comets Le'Coe Willingham March 10, 2008 Phoenix Mercury Nykesha Sales March 11, 2008 hiatus Kristen Rasmussen March 16, 2008 Minnesota Lynx Cori Chambers May 15, 2008 free agent Kamesha Hairston June 27, 2008 free agent Jolene Anderson August 27, 2008 free agent

Roster

Connecticut Sun roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Height Weight From 3.0 !SF 25 RUS ! Abrosimova, Svetlana style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; | 74 !6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 172 lb (78 kg) Connecticut 1.0 !PG 10 USA ! Carey, Jamie style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; | 66 !5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) 135 lb (61 kg) Texas 4.5 !PF USA ! Ervin, Lauren  (DP) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; | 75 !6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) – Arkansas 3.0 !SF 41 USA ! Gardin, Kerri style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; | 73 !6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Virginia Tech 6.0 !C 7 FRA ! Gruda, Sandrine style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; | 76 !6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) France 2.5 !G/F 1 USA ! Holt, Amber style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; | 72 !6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 167 lb (76 kg) Middle Tennessee State 4.5 !PF 15 USA ! Jones, Asjha (C) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; | 74 !6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 198 lb (90 kg) Connecticut 4.5 !PF 52 USA ! Page, Danielle style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; | 74 !6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 179 lb (81 kg) Nebraska 1.0 !PG 31 AUS ! Phillips, Erin style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; | 67 !5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) 162 lb (73 kg) Australia 4.5 !PF 34 USA ! Raymond, Tamika style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; | 74 !6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 199 lb (90 kg) Connecticut 2.5 !G/F 42 USA ! Sales, Nykesha  style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; | 72 !6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Connecticut 1.0 !PG 11 USA ! Swanier, Ketia style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; | 67 !5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) 144 lb (65 kg) Connecticut 2.5 !G/F 22 USA ! Turner, Barbara style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; | 72 !6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 182 lb (83 kg) Connecticut 1.0 !PG 13 USA ! Whalen, Lindsay (C) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; | 69 !5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 150 lb (68 kg) Minnesota 4.5 !PF 00 USA ! Whitmore, Tamika style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; | 74 !6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Memphis	Head coach Mike Thibault (St. Martin's University) Assistant coaches Scott Hawk (Nebraska-Omaha) Bernadette Mattox (Georgia) Athletic trainer Jeremy Norman (Keene State College) Strength and conditioning coach Jodi Hopkins (Ohio) Legend (C) Team captain (FA) Free agent (IN) Inactive (S) Suspended Injured

Season standings

Eastern Conference	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Conf.
Detroit Shock x	22	12	.647	–	14–3	8–9	16–4
Connecticut Sun x	21	13	.618	1.0	13–4	8–9	13–7
New York Liberty x	19	15	.559	3.0	11–6	8–9	11–9
Indiana Fever x	17	17	.500	5.0	11–6	6–11	12–8
Chicago Sky o	12	22	.353	10.0	8–9	4–13	10–10
Washington Mystics o	10	24	.294	12.0	6–11	4–13	6–14
Atlanta Dream o	4	30	.118	18.0	1–16	3–14	2–18

Schedule

Preseason

2008 Game Log: Preseason
Game Date Opponent TV Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record 1 May 1 @ Minnesota L 57-68 Gardin (8) Gahan, Gardin, Holt (4) Carey, Hairston, Turner (2) Target Center 1,155 0-1 2 May 4 Phoenix W 94-66 Holt (15) Gahan (10) Swanier, Berglin (3) Mohegan Sun Arena 6,252 1-1 3 May 9 Houston W 88-80 Whalen (18) Anderson (7) Whalen (8) Mohegan Sun Arena 4,411 2-1

Regular season

2008 Game Log: Regular Season
May Game Date Opponent TV Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record 1 May 17 Atlanta CSS W 100-67 Whitmore (22) Whitmore (10) Whalen (8) Mohegan Sun Arena 7,420 1-0 2 May 18 @ New York WCTX NBA TV W 77-63 Whitmore (17) Whalen, Raymond (6) Whalen (8) Madison Square Garden 10,460 2-0 3 May 24 Sacramento W 87-64 Whalen (21) Holt (7) Whalen, Whitmore (5) Mohegan Sun Arena 6,402 3-0 4 May 27 Indiana ESPN2 L 46-75 Whalen (11) Jones (7) Whalen (5) Mohegan Sun Arena 5,245 3-1 5 May 30 New York MSG NBA TV W 89-84 Whitmore (18) Whalen (6) Whalen (7) Mohegan Sun Arena 7,052 4-1
June Game Date Opponent TV Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record 6 June 1 @ Chicago W 75-73 Whalen, Whitmore (19) Whalen (7) Whalen (7) UIC Pavilion 2,276 5-1 7 June 6 Minnesota W 78-77 Jones (25) Whalen (9) Anderson, Gardin (5) Mohegan Sun Arena 6,327 6-1 8 June 8 Washington WCTX NBA TV W 87-79 Jones (16) Whalen (7) Whalen (7) Mohegan Sun Arena 7,174 7-1 9 June 10 @ Minnesota ESPN2 W 75-66 Jones (18) Whitmore (12) Whalen (6) Target Center 7,186 8-1 10 June 13 @ Los Angeles L 93-98 (OT) Whalen (20) Whalen (7) Jones (3) STAPLES Center 8,702 8-2 11 June 16 @ Seattle WCTX NBA TV W 74-67 Jones (15) Raymond (9) Whitmore (4) KeyArena 6,872 9-2 12 June 18 @ Phoenix L 81-102 Jones (18) Turner (5) Whalen (5) US Airways Center 4,478 9-3 13 June 20 @ Sacramento W 72-56 Jones (14) Whalen, Anderson (6) Whalen (5) ARCO Arena 5,895 10-3 14 June 24 Detroit WCTX NBA TV W 85-68 Jones (20) Holt (8) Whalen (6) Mohegan Sun Arena 7,501 11-3 15 June 26 @ Detroit FSN-D L 61-70 Jones (14) Jones (7) Whalen (4) Mohegan Sun Arena 7,501 11-4 16 June 27 Atlanta W 109-101 (OT) Jones (30) Jones, Whalen (10) Holt (8) Mohegan Sun Arena 7,612 12-4 17 June 29 Phoenix L 80-87 Jones (16) Jones (9) Whalen (8) Mohegan Sun Arena 9,518 (sellout) 12-5
July Game Date Opponent TV Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record 18 July 1 Houston W 78-68 Jones (15) Turner (9) Whalen (9) Mohegan Sun Arena 6,357 13-5 19 July 5 @ Indiana FSN-I NBA TV L 74-81 Jones (20) Gardin (9) Jones, Whalen (3) Conseco Fieldhouse 6,329 13-6 20 July 8 @ Detroit FSN-D L 82-88 Jones (21) Whalen (7) Jones, Whalen (8) Palace of Auburn Hills 7,623 13-7 21 July 13 @ Washington ABC L 64-69 Whalen (33) Whalen (8) Jones, Whalen (6) Verizon Center 9,610 13-8 22 July 15 New York ESPN2 L 71-77 Whalen (19) Jones (9) Jones (5) Mohegan Sun Arena 8,244 13-9 23 July 18 @ Chicago WCTX NBA TV L 65-73 Jones (18) Gruda (11) Jones, Swanier (3) UIC Pavilion 3,379 13-10 24 July 20 Chicago W 74-67 Jones (23) Jones (10) Whalen (6) Mohegan Sun Arena 7,367 14-10 25 July 24 Los Angeles WCTX NBA TV W 87-61 Whalen (22) Jones (8) Whalen (4) Mohegan Sun Arena 9,518 (sellout) 15-10 26 July 27 @ Washington CSN-MA NBA TV W 82-60 Jones (27) Whalen (8) Whalen (7) Verizon Center 9,357 16-10
August Game Date Opponent TV Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record Summer Olympic break 27 August 28 @ Indiana FSN-I NBA TV W 84-58 Whitmore (15) Turner, Raymond (5) Gruda, Jones (4) Conseco Fieldhouse 6,435 17-10 28 August 29 @ Atlanta W 98-72 Whitmore (27) Whitmore (6) Whalen (8) Philips Arena 11,442 (sellout) 18-10 29 August 31 Seattle ABC W 80-76 Jones (20) Holt (5) Gardin (4) Mohegan Sun Arena 9,518 (sellout) 19-10
September Game Date Opponent TV Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record 30 September 5 Chicago W 80-75 Whitmore (17) Jones (6) Whalen (6) Mohegan Sun Arena 8,088 20-10 31 September 7 San Antonio ABC L 73-85 Jones (22) Jones (9) Abrosimova (6) Mohegan Sun Arena 7,956 20-11 32 September 9 @ Houston WCTX L 68-75 Jones (22) Whalen (8) Whalen (5) Reliant Arena 5,769 20-12 33 September 11 @ San Antonio L 74-78 Jones (18) Gardin (14) Carey (7) AT&T Center 6,791 20-13 34 September 13 Washington WCTX NBA TV W 87-81 Phillips (18) Phillips (8) Gruda, Swanier (4) Mohegan Sun Arena 8,652 21-13

Playoffs

In the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs, the Sun had to face the New York Liberty. Since the Sun had the better record, the series would be played with game 1 at New York, game 2 at Connecticut, and game 3 (if needed) at Connecticut. The Liberty won the first game, but the Sun won the second to force a game three. The Sun were upset on their home floor by the Liberty and were eliminated from the playoffs.

• For the sixth consecutive season, the Sun advance to the playoffs.
• For the second consecutive season, the Sun do not advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

2008 Game Log: Postseason

Eastern Conference Semifinals Game Date Opponent TV Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Series 1 September 18 @ New York MSG NBA TV L 63-72 Whitmore (16) Jones, Whitmore (6) Whalen (6) Madison Square Garden 7,649 0-1 2 September 20 New York MSG NBA TV W 73-70 Jones (16) Whitmore (6) Whalen (4) Mohegan Sun Arena 7,234 1-1 3 September 22 New York ESPN2 L 62-66 Whalen (19) Jones (11) Whitmore (4) Mohegan Sun Arena 6,011 1-2

Depth

Pos.	Starter	Bench	Inactive
C	Tamika Whitmore	Sandrine Gruda	Danielle Page
PF	Asjha Jones	Tamika Raymond
SF	Kerri Gardin	Barbara Turner -- Amber Holt
SG	Svetlana Abrosimova	Erin Phillips	Ketia Swanier
PG	Lindsay Whalen	Jamie Carey

Regular Season statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game	RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game	BPG	Blocks per game
PPG	Points per game	FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage	TO	Turnovers per game	PF	Fouls per game		Team leader

Player statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Abrosimova, Svetlana !Svetlana Abrosimova	6	0	17.8	3.3	2.0	1.33	0.00	5.7
Anderson, Jolene !Jolene Anderson	24	7	15.3	2.4	1.1	0.29	0.04	4.0
Carey, Jamie !Jamie Carey	33	3	15.1	1.2	1.4	0.24	0.03	4.2
Gardin, Kerri !Kerri Gardin	34	15	15.9	3.3	1.2	0.85	0.21	4.0
Gruda, Sandrine !Sandrine Gruda	31	1	15.4	3.5	0.9	0.61	0.84	6.2
Holt, Amber !Amber Holt	34	34	21.0	3.1	1.9	0.44	0.15	6.5
Jones, Asjha !Asjha Jones	33	33	29.2	6.1	2.5	0.61	0.79	17.0
Page, Danielle !Danielle Page	3	0	4.0	2.0	0.0	0.00	0.00	2.0
Phillips, Erin !Erin Phillips	8	0	10.8	2.1	0.4	0.50	0.13	5.1
Raymond, Tamika !Tamika Raymond	34	1	11.0	2.9	0.4	0.29	0.03	2.5
Swanier, Ketia !Ketia Swanier	25	6	9.2	1.2	1.0	0.56	0.04	1.6
Turner, Barbara !Barbara Turner	34	6	19.5	3.2	1.5	0.35	0.41	8.0
Whalen, Lindsay !Lindsay Whalen	31	31	29.3	5.6	5.4	1.45	0.03	14.0
Whitmore, Tamika !Tamika Whitmore	34	33	26.8	4.7	1.4	0.59	0.38	12.6

Team statistics

Team	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PF	PPG
Connecticut Sun	.422	.330	.746	36.4	17.9	6.2	2.8	14.3	18.5	79.1
Opponents	.418	.321	.740	35.3	16.3	7.4	3.1	14.7	20.7	74.7

Team Ranking

This table shows how the Sun rank compared to the other teams in the league (14 total teams):

FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PF	PPG
8th	8th	12th	3rd	2nd	14th	12th	13th	13th	3rd

Playoffs statistics

Player statistics

Player	GP	GS	MPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Abrosimova, Svetlana !Svetlana Abrosimova	3	2	21.0	3.7	1.3	1.33	0.00	8.0
Carey, Jamie !Jamie Carey	1	0	00.0	0.0	0.0	0.00	0.00	0.0
Gardin, Kerri !Kerri Gardin	3	3	19.0	2.3	1.0	1.67	0.33	3.7
Gruda, Sandrine !Sandrine Gruda	3	0	8.7	1.3	0.3	0.33	0.00	2.7
Holt, Amber !Amber Holt	3	1	18.3	4.0	1.3	0.33	0.00	3.7
Jones, Asjha !Asjha Jones	3	3	32.3	7.3	1.3	0.67	0.33	15.0
Page, Danielle !Danielle Page	0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.00	0.00	0.0
Phillips, Erin !Erin Phillips	3	0	12.0	0.7	1.7	1.00	0.33	3.0
Raymond, Tamika !Tamika Raymond	3	0	9.3	2.3	0.3	0.33	0.33	1.3
Swanier, Ketia !Ketia Swanier	0	0	00.0	0.0	0.0	0.00	0.00	0.0
Turner, Barbara !Barbara Turner	3	0	19.0	3.3	0.3	0.00	0.33	5.3
Whalen, Lindsay !Lindsay Whalen	3	3	30.0	4.7	4.0	1.33	0.00	13.3
Whitmore, Tamika !Tamika Whitmore	3	3	29.0	4.7	2.0	1.33	0.00	10.0

Team statistics

Team	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PF	PPG
Connecticut Sun	.360	.218	.800	34.3	13.7	7.3	1.7	12.3	15.7	63.0
New York Liberty	.448	.433	.606	33.7	16.3	6.7	5.0	18.7	18.7	69.3

Awards and honors

• Head Coach Mike Thibault was named 2008 WNBA Coach of the Year.
• Lindsay Whalen was named to the All-WNBA First Team.
• Asjha Jones was named to the All-WNBA Second Team.
• Amber Holt was named to the All-Rookie Team.
• Lindsay Whalen was given the Peak Performer award (for assists) for leading the league in assists per game (5.4).
• Lindsay Whalen was the second player in WNBA history to average at least 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game for the season. Only Nikki Teasley has previously accomplished this feat.
• Lindsay Whalen was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the week of May 27, 2008.
• Asjha Jones was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the week of June 30, 2008.
• Lindsay Whalen was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the week of July 14, 2008.
• Asjha Jones was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the week of July 28, 2008.

^[5]

Attendance

• A sellout for a basketball game at Mohegan Sun Arena is 9,518.

Regular Season Attendance
Year Average: Home Average: Away High Low Sellouts Total for Year WNBA Game Average 2008 7,644 (11th) 7,132 (14th) 9,518 5,245 3 129,951 7,948

References

External links

Connecticut Sun seasons 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Bold indicates WNBA Finals appearance

Connecticut Sun Formerly the Orlando Miracle Founded in 1999 Based in Uncasville, Connecticut The franchise All-time roster The Orlando Miracle Years The move to Connecticut Current season Arenas TD Waterhouse Centre Mohegan Sun Arena Head coaches Carolyn Peck Dee Brown Mike Thibault Anne Donovan Administration Owner: RDV Sports, Inc. Mohegan Sun General Manager: Carolyn Peck Dee Brown Chris Sienko All-Stars Tina Charles Katie Douglas Margo Dydek Shannon Johnson Asjha Jones Taj McWilliams Renee Montgomery Chiney Ogwumike Nykesha Sales Lindsay Whalen Seasons 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Playoff appearances 2000 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2011 2012 Conference titles 2004 2005 WNBA titles None Rivals Atlanta Dream Detroit Shock Indiana Fever New York Liberty Media TV: CPTV Sports (CPTV-S) Announcers: Bob Heussler Rebecca Lobo Jennifer Rizzotti Kara Wolters

2008 WNBA season by team Draft Playoffs Finals Eastern Atlanta Dream Chicago Sky Connecticut Sun Detroit Shock Indiana Fever New York Liberty Washington Mystics Western Houston Comets Los Angeles Sparks Minnesota Lynx Phoenix Mercury Sacramento Monarchs San Antonio Silver Stars Seattle Storm ←  2007 WNBA season 2009  →

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