WEBVTT - The Shootaround: New York Liberty and Connecticut Sun 0:00:00.920 --> 0:00:03.440 Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're revved 0:00:03.520 --> 0:00:06.040 up and ready for the start of the WNBA season. 0:00:06.480 --> 0:00:09.719 We're using one of those like real physical calendars because 0:00:09.720 --> 0:00:12.760 we remember the world before paper and pencils went out 0:00:12.760 --> 0:00:15.760 of style, and we're actually crossing off the days till 0:00:15.840 --> 0:00:19.599 opening night May sixteenth. It's Thursday, May eighth, and today's 0:00:19.600 --> 0:00:23.280 episode is the first of our WNBA season preview shows. 0:00:23.600 --> 0:00:26.599 We're calling this the shoot around, getting you prepped for 0:00:26.640 --> 0:00:30.000 the twenty twenty five WNBA season. Whether you're tuning in 0:00:30.080 --> 0:00:32.360 for the very first time this summer or you've been 0:00:32.440 --> 0:00:35.040 rocking W gear since ninety seven, We're going to give 0:00:35.040 --> 0:00:38.040 you everything you need to know about every team before 0:00:38.080 --> 0:00:41.479 the twenty twenty five w campaign starts, starting today with 0:00:41.520 --> 0:00:43.360 the New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun. 0:00:43.760 --> 0:00:46.279 We'll get you prepped with the star steaks, stats and. 0:00:46.280 --> 0:00:49.400 Stories, a little history, a little lower, a little gossip, 0:00:49.680 --> 0:00:50.400 and a little more. 0:00:50.720 --> 0:00:59.760 It's all coming up right after this welcome back slices. 0:00:59.800 --> 0:01:01.880 Here there's which you need to know about the WNBA 0:01:02.040 --> 0:01:08.120 as it enters its twenty ninth season. The WNBA the 0:01:08.160 --> 0:01:13.440 Women's National Basketball Association, the w for short, thirteen teams 0:01:13.480 --> 0:01:15.560 are going to take the court this season thanks to 0:01:15.560 --> 0:01:19.000 the addition of the Golden State Valkyries, the first expansion 0:01:19.080 --> 0:01:21.560 franchise since the Atlanta Dream joined the league back in 0:01:21.560 --> 0:01:24.280 two thousand and eight. Now you're also likely hearing a 0:01:24.280 --> 0:01:27.800 lot about the Toronto Tempo. They're another expansion team, but 0:01:27.880 --> 0:01:30.760 they won't be tipping off until twenty twenty six. Same 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:34.320 for the as yet unnamed Portland franchise, also set to 0:01:34.360 --> 0:01:37.840 tip off next season. This year, each squad will play 0:01:37.959 --> 0:01:41.759 forty four regular season games starting May sixteenth and concluding 0:01:41.800 --> 0:01:45.240 September eleventh. That's up from forty regular season games per 0:01:45.280 --> 0:01:47.800 team the last two seasons. At the end of the 0:01:47.800 --> 0:01:50.440 regular season, the eight teams with the best records in 0:01:50.480 --> 0:01:53.320 the w earn a spot in the postseason. The first 0:01:53.320 --> 0:01:56.480 playoff round is best of three, semi finals shift to 0:01:56.520 --> 0:01:58.960 a best of five format, and the finals are best 0:01:59.000 --> 0:02:01.919 of seven. If you're an OG fan scratching your head, 0:02:02.040 --> 0:02:04.720 some things have changed, let me explain. So first, going 0:02:04.760 --> 0:02:07.520 back to the first round, Starting this season, the series 0:02:07.560 --> 0:02:10.240 will be a one to one one structure instead of 0:02:10.320 --> 0:02:12.640 two to one, So the new way means the higher 0:02:12.680 --> 0:02:15.079 seed will host Game one the lower seed will host 0:02:15.160 --> 0:02:17.760 Game two, back to the higher seeds home floor for 0:02:17.840 --> 0:02:21.359 Game three if necessary. This ensures that each team gets 0:02:21.400 --> 0:02:24.880 at least one home playoff game. I've been yelling about 0:02:24.880 --> 0:02:27.320 this for years, but a lot more people started yelling 0:02:27.360 --> 0:02:29.960 about it last year when the Indiana Fever didn't get 0:02:29.960 --> 0:02:30.960 a home playoff game. 0:02:31.200 --> 0:02:34.320 They lost in the first two. They were done all right. 0:02:34.400 --> 0:02:37.360 Also, starting this season, the finals expand from a best 0:02:37.360 --> 0:02:40.280 of five to a best of seven, and that'll be 0:02:40.320 --> 0:02:43.000 a two to two one one one structure, So the 0:02:43.080 --> 0:02:46.200 higher seed hosts games one, two, five, and seven, and 0:02:46.280 --> 0:02:49.560 the opponent hosts games three, four, and six. While the 0:02:49.680 --> 0:02:53.079 W is split into an Eastern and Western conference as 0:02:53.120 --> 0:02:56.280 of twenty sixteen, playoff seeding is based solely on win 0:02:56.440 --> 0:03:00.000 loss record. The top eight teams are seeded by record, 0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:03.360 regardless of conference, So when we talk conferences, it's really 0:03:03.400 --> 0:03:07.720 just for organizational purposes and for the Commissioner's Cup. Speaking 0:03:07.720 --> 0:03:11.079 of the postseason, isn't the only time teams can win hardware, 0:03:11.120 --> 0:03:13.480 because there's an in season tournament to look forward to 0:03:13.520 --> 0:03:17.000 as well, called the Commissioner's Cup. Each season, a select 0:03:17.080 --> 0:03:20.120 number of games count toward the Cup run. This year, 0:03:20.160 --> 0:03:23.680 it's thirty six games running from June first to June seventeenth. 0:03:24.160 --> 0:03:27.000 Conferences don't count when playoff time rolls around, but they 0:03:27.040 --> 0:03:30.520 do apply here. Each team will play one game against 0:03:30.560 --> 0:03:32.800 each of the other teams in its conference, and the 0:03:32.840 --> 0:03:34.920 team from each conference with the best record in those 0:03:34.960 --> 0:03:38.480 games face off for the Commissioner's Cup Championship on July first. 0:03:38.880 --> 0:03:40.920 The team with the better winning percentage in Cup play 0:03:41.040 --> 0:03:43.680 gets to host that game. The two squads are competing 0:03:43.680 --> 0:03:46.840 for a five one hundred thousand dollars prize pool, including 0:03:46.960 --> 0:03:50.320 five thousand in cryptocurrency for each player in the championship game. 0:03:50.640 --> 0:03:53.000 That's thanks to a one hundred and twenty thousand dollars 0:03:53.000 --> 0:03:57.119 contribution from the tournament's presenting sponsor, coinbase Now. Last year, 0:03:57.360 --> 0:04:00.640 the Minnesota Links won the franchise's first Commissioners Cup and 0:04:00.760 --> 0:04:05.000 star forward Nafisa Collier one Cup MVP, but come playoff time, 0:04:05.200 --> 0:04:08.320 the Links lost the WNBA Finals to the New York Liberty, 0:04:08.560 --> 0:04:12.160 with the Liberties jonqwell Jones winning Finals MVP after leading 0:04:12.160 --> 0:04:16.120 the squad to its first ever title. Regular season MVP 0:04:16.279 --> 0:04:19.120 last season went to the Las Vegas Aces. Asia Wilson, 0:04:19.279 --> 0:04:22.279 her third time winning the honor. Other winners were the 0:04:22.279 --> 0:04:24.920 Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark, who nabbed Rookie of the Year, 0:04:25.240 --> 0:04:28.640 the aforementioned Nafisa Collier, who earned Defensive Player of the Year, 0:04:28.839 --> 0:04:31.240 and Links coach Cheryl Reeve, who was named Coach of 0:04:31.279 --> 0:04:31.599 the Year. 0:04:32.160 --> 0:04:34.320 Okay, what else? What else? Oh? 0:04:34.440 --> 0:04:36.400 This year's All Star Game is set to take place 0:04:36.440 --> 0:04:40.040 in Indianapolis on July nineteenth at Gainbridge field House, home 0:04:40.080 --> 0:04:42.960 of the Indiana Fever, and it's already sold out, so 0:04:43.360 --> 0:04:47.000 hopefully you already got your tickets. WNBA season tips off 0:04:47.040 --> 0:04:50.400 on Friday, May sixteenth with a trio of games, including 0:04:50.400 --> 0:04:54.040 the Golden State Valkyrie's first ever regular season game, hosting 0:04:54.120 --> 0:04:55.320 same states soon to be. 0:04:55.360 --> 0:04:56.880 Rivaled the Los Angeles Sparks. 0:04:57.600 --> 0:04:59.640 Lots more to come on opening night and the first 0:04:59.680 --> 0:05:02.680 weekend of games, but for now, let's start digging into 0:05:02.720 --> 0:05:05.520 the previews for each of the w's thirteen teams as 0:05:05.560 --> 0:05:10.120 they get ready for tip off. That's right, it's the 0:05:10.120 --> 0:05:12.680 shoot around getting you prep for the twenty twenty five 0:05:12.839 --> 0:05:16.120 WNBA season, one team at a time. Let's start with 0:05:16.160 --> 0:05:19.239 the defending champs, the New York Liberty. This squad notched 0:05:19.279 --> 0:05:22.120 a league best thirty two regular season wins in twenty 0:05:22.160 --> 0:05:24.640 twenty four, and they stayed on top of the postseason 0:05:24.680 --> 0:05:27.240 two defeating the Minnesota Links in the finals to win 0:05:27.279 --> 0:05:30.200 it all. Let's start with your need to know team history. 0:05:30.839 --> 0:05:33.320 Founded in nineteen ninety seven, the Liberty are one of 0:05:33.360 --> 0:05:37.760 the eight original franchises of the WNBA. Past greats include 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:42.960 Teresa Weatherspoon, Rebecca Lobo, Becky Hammond, Cappie Pondexter, and Tina Charles. 0:05:43.320 --> 0:05:46.440 They've qualified for the postseason in nineteen of their twenty 0:05:46.480 --> 0:05:49.440 eight seasons, and after five trips to the finals that 0:05:49.480 --> 0:05:52.599 all ended in losses, they won their first ever WNBA 0:05:52.680 --> 0:05:56.600 title last season. Their twenty twenty five tagline kind of 0:05:56.640 --> 0:05:59.160 like the ladies on Real Housewives, It's got to be 0:05:59.520 --> 0:06:02.960 run it Now. Let's talk off season losses and additions 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:05.920 for the Liberty. Point Guard Courtney Vanderslute, who started all 0:06:05.960 --> 0:06:08.280 thirty one games in which she played last year, said 0:06:08.320 --> 0:06:11.200 goodbye to the Liberty after the championship, leaving in free 0:06:11.200 --> 0:06:14.080 agency to go back to her former team, the Chicago Sky. 0:06:14.680 --> 0:06:18.440 Kayla Thornton also gone. The forward who started eleven games 0:06:18.520 --> 0:06:21.080 last season, was selected by the Valkyries. 0:06:20.640 --> 0:06:21.800 In the expansion draft. 0:06:22.120 --> 0:06:25.400 The team will also likely be without major contributor Benijah 0:06:25.440 --> 0:06:29.120 Laney Hamilton. Liberty GM Jonathan Colbe said recently the team 0:06:29.160 --> 0:06:32.920 will quote more likely than not be suspending Lady Hamilton's 0:06:32.920 --> 0:06:35.760 contract for the twenty twenty five season. She said to 0:06:35.760 --> 0:06:38.400 miss most if not all, of the season after undergoing 0:06:38.480 --> 0:06:41.279 knee surgery in March for a tornmentiscus suffered while she 0:06:41.320 --> 0:06:45.400 was playing and unrivaled. Meantime, the Liberty did add Natasha Cloud, 0:06:45.400 --> 0:06:47.559 who spent eight years with the Mystics and last season 0:06:47.560 --> 0:06:50.800 with the Mercury, and Isabel Harrison, who last played with 0:06:50.839 --> 0:06:54.800 the Sky. Former Liberty player Marine Johannes is also back 0:06:54.880 --> 0:06:56.040 after taking a year off. 0:06:56.560 --> 0:06:58.480 Plenty of stars on this squad. 0:06:58.800 --> 0:07:01.920 Two time League MVP, three time Finals MVP and three 0:07:01.960 --> 0:07:05.320 time champion Brianna Stewart leads the way. Twenty twenty one 0:07:05.400 --> 0:07:08.760 League MVP and last year's Finals MVP jon Quell Jones 0:07:09.040 --> 0:07:11.960 and three time All Star Sabrina Yanescu round things out. 0:07:12.440 --> 0:07:14.840 Also keep an eye on twenty twenty one All Rookie 0:07:14.880 --> 0:07:17.960 team member Leoni Phoebich, who came up big in last 0:07:17.960 --> 0:07:20.840 season's finals game. Five and could break into the starting 0:07:20.880 --> 0:07:25.120 lineup and another Game five standout Niara Sabeli, who's entering 0:07:25.120 --> 0:07:27.880 her third season with the team. And of course, we 0:07:27.920 --> 0:07:32.240 can't forget the real MVP, the Liberty's iconic mascot, Ellie 0:07:32.240 --> 0:07:35.440 the Elephant. Head coach Sandy Bardello is also entering her 0:07:35.520 --> 0:07:38.680 fourth season with the team. So what are the stakes 0:07:38.760 --> 0:07:41.400 this season for New York After losing to the Aces 0:07:41.400 --> 0:07:44.800 in twenty twenty three and defeating the Links in twenty twenty. 0:07:44.480 --> 0:07:47.040 Four, the Liberty will look to be the sixth. 0:07:46.720 --> 0:07:49.679 Team in WNBA history to make a third straight trip 0:07:49.720 --> 0:07:53.080 to the WNBA Finals, and if they can repeat as champs, 0:07:53.120 --> 0:07:55.440 they'll be just the fourth team in league history to 0:07:55.480 --> 0:07:58.800 do so. Also, in addition to last year's title, head 0:07:58.840 --> 0:08:02.280 coach Sandy Brondello let the twenty fourteen Mercury to a championship, 0:08:02.520 --> 0:08:04.280 so she's trying to be the fourth head coach in 0:08:04.480 --> 0:08:06.400 w history to win a third title. 0:08:07.080 --> 0:08:08.000 Let's chalk stats. 0:08:08.360 --> 0:08:10.520 Last year, the Liberty led the league in both three 0:08:10.520 --> 0:08:13.960 point makes and three point attempts for the fourth straight season, 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:16.880 so they're clutched from outside, but they also had the 0:08:16.920 --> 0:08:19.920 league's best field goal percentage in the restricted area, the 0:08:19.960 --> 0:08:23.080 area right beneath the basket, and they finished third best 0:08:23.120 --> 0:08:24.640 in the rest of the paint, where they took the 0:08:24.680 --> 0:08:28.320 fourth most attempts. So basically, the inside outside game is 0:08:28.440 --> 0:08:31.240 key to this team. The Liberty also came up big 0:08:31.280 --> 0:08:33.319 on the boards. They led the league last year in 0:08:33.400 --> 0:08:37.000 total rebounding rate and finished second in defensive rebounding rate. 0:08:37.200 --> 0:08:39.280 As for stories, the biggest story for the Liberty this 0:08:39.360 --> 0:08:42.120 year is, of course, can they repeat. They'll start their 0:08:42.160 --> 0:08:44.840 season with all the excitement of raising a title banner, 0:08:45.080 --> 0:08:47.840 so can they stay hungry enough and not get lazy 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:51.439 with those big, sparkly championship rings on their fingers. Also 0:08:51.480 --> 0:08:54.240 worth noting they'll probably have to go without some stars 0:08:54.240 --> 0:08:57.880 for a stretch. Germany's Niarasaboli and Leoni Phoebich and France's 0:08:58.000 --> 0:09:00.400 Marin Johannis are all expected to be out for part 0:09:00.400 --> 0:09:03.520 of June to play in this year's euro Basket. Fun 0:09:03.559 --> 0:09:06.440 fact about the Liberty, we got some hoops and gay shit. 0:09:06.920 --> 0:09:10.959 New Liberty acquisitions Natasha Cloud and Isabel Harrison are an item. 0:09:11.360 --> 0:09:16.080 Fellow WNBA player Satu Sabai. Nara's sister accidentally hard launched 0:09:16.120 --> 0:09:18.920 them while doing an in game interview for Unrivaled, revealing 0:09:18.920 --> 0:09:21.640 that Natasha Cloud was missing her girlfriend isbel Harrison's high 0:09:21.640 --> 0:09:25.080 school jersey retirement ceremony for that day's game. Ever since 0:09:25.160 --> 0:09:28.000 the leak, there's been some real cute shit on social 0:09:28.000 --> 0:09:30.560 media posted by the couple, and now they're suiting up 0:09:30.600 --> 0:09:33.880 for the same squad. Love all right, I think that's it. 0:09:34.080 --> 0:09:37.440 But producer Mesh, keep me honest here, what did I miss? 0:09:37.720 --> 0:09:41.439 What's the biggest story you're watching for with the Liberty Sarah. 0:09:41.559 --> 0:09:43.559 I think he did a pretty damn good job, if 0:09:43.559 --> 0:09:47.040 I do say so myself. But the one question mark 0:09:47.040 --> 0:09:49.520 I have heading into the season for the Libs. Brianna 0:09:49.559 --> 0:09:53.120 Stewart okay, three time WNBA Champs, six time All Star, 0:09:53.200 --> 0:09:57.120 two time Finals MVP. The resume is long, okay, But 0:09:57.880 --> 0:10:01.120 watching Unrivaled, the league start and founded by she and 0:10:01.120 --> 0:10:04.520 the FISA Collier, it was a little a little rough 0:10:04.520 --> 0:10:06.680 for her in my opinion. She was the league's sixth 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:09.640 best scorer, which you know, that's not bad, but it 0:10:09.679 --> 0:10:11.800 looked like maybe she was tired or just maybe not 0:10:11.840 --> 0:10:14.520 at full strength during the season. A lot of times 0:10:14.880 --> 0:10:17.680 there were things she did or frankly didn't do like 0:10:17.800 --> 0:10:20.640 beat fellow husky Elia Edwards in the first game of 0:10:20.640 --> 0:10:22.600 the one on one tournament that she played. Get knocked 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:25.280 out in the first round was crazy perplexed to me 0:10:25.400 --> 0:10:28.640 for sure, But come to find out after Unrivaled, she 0:10:28.720 --> 0:10:31.000 did have a scope done on her right meniscus, so 0:10:31.040 --> 0:10:35.000 there was something going on. But I'm just curious as 0:10:35.040 --> 0:10:36.960 to what the beginning of the season looks like for her, 0:10:37.160 --> 0:10:38.480 like what type of play? 0:10:38.520 --> 0:10:40.480 Be careful what you mean? I want you to know. 0:10:40.840 --> 0:10:41.600 I want you to know. 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:45.960 A prominent writer mentioned her age ahead of last season, 0:10:46.640 --> 0:10:50.199 and she proceeded to make very clear that at thirty 0:10:50.280 --> 0:10:52.760 years old, just because her resume is long, doesn't mean 0:10:52.800 --> 0:10:55.440 she's long in the tooth, okay, And it sounds like 0:10:55.520 --> 0:10:58.560 you might be hit to get her being passed her prime. 0:10:58.600 --> 0:11:00.440 And I'm just saying, look out, So no, oh, that 0:11:00.480 --> 0:11:01.280 has done it before. 0:11:01.559 --> 0:11:03.400 That is not how I feel about her, because I 0:11:03.440 --> 0:11:05.600 had a debate with a friend of mine who did 0:11:05.600 --> 0:11:08.760 say those exact things. I'm saying, she's still got time 0:11:08.800 --> 0:11:11.200 on the clock, and so I think this will be 0:11:11.200 --> 0:11:14.600 a hiccup for her. I think it obviously affects the 0:11:14.600 --> 0:11:17.360 way the rest of the team performs because she's one 0:11:17.400 --> 0:11:20.600 of the heads of that monster, right, But yeah, I'm not. 0:11:21.280 --> 0:11:23.520 Let's don't give me wrong. It's more about health than 0:11:23.640 --> 0:11:26.080 age for you. Yes, okay, yeah, I'll give you that. 0:11:26.559 --> 0:11:30.720 I do think she's probably benefited from this break, obviously 0:11:30.760 --> 0:11:33.120 playing an entire season all the way through the finals, 0:11:33.200 --> 0:11:35.760 and then the work that went into getting Unrivaled ready 0:11:35.800 --> 0:11:38.280 behind the scenes and then playing in it. Hopefully this 0:11:38.320 --> 0:11:41.480 little stretch has been beneficial to her any other storylines 0:11:41.480 --> 0:11:44.280 you're watching for other than obviously the hoops engag shit, I. 0:11:44.240 --> 0:11:45.920 Mean, duh hoops and gay shit. 0:11:45.960 --> 0:11:48.839 But one of the members that we discussed in the 0:11:48.880 --> 0:11:52.679 Hoops Engagshit Natasha Cloud at point guard, bringing a completely 0:11:52.800 --> 0:11:56.360 different dynamic to that position for New York. She's longer, 0:11:56.880 --> 0:11:59.880 has more height at five to ten, more attack minded offensively, 0:12:00.280 --> 0:12:03.160 and frankly more versatile defensively than Courtney vander. 0:12:02.960 --> 0:12:05.120 Slut was no t no shade to salute. 0:12:05.120 --> 0:12:08.120 I love me some salute, but just also bolsters that 0:12:08.200 --> 0:12:10.240 defense at the guard position, and a league that we 0:12:10.360 --> 0:12:13.600 know is full of long, talented. 0:12:13.120 --> 0:12:14.079 Explosive, big guards. 0:12:14.120 --> 0:12:16.600 So I think that's gonna be a big change. And 0:12:16.640 --> 0:12:19.320 I'm frankly as a dmver not to make it about 0:12:19.320 --> 0:12:21.040 the mystics, something I tend to say every time I 0:12:21.080 --> 0:12:24.320 have to. Like these days, I'm looking for her to 0:12:24.360 --> 0:12:26.480 return to the form she was in in twenty twenty three. 0:12:26.800 --> 0:12:29.200 That was the highest scoring average she had in her career, 0:12:29.240 --> 0:12:32.760 her last year with DC before she was traded to Phoenix. 0:12:32.800 --> 0:12:35.080 So I just feel like she was coming into her own. 0:12:35.320 --> 0:12:39.719 Last season was maybe, you know, an outlier, not necessarily 0:12:39.800 --> 0:12:41.760 crazy bad in terms of stats, but just felt a 0:12:41.760 --> 0:12:44.800 little bit different vibe wise. And I think New York 0:12:44.880 --> 0:12:46.200 is just a great place for her. So I got 0:12:46.200 --> 0:12:47.240 my eyes on Tosh Cloud. 0:12:47.640 --> 0:12:50.800 Yeah, and I think she's just a fan favorite and 0:12:50.840 --> 0:12:51.680 a show favorite. 0:12:51.720 --> 0:12:53.000 So we want to see her doing well. 0:12:53.040 --> 0:12:57.080 If you haven't seen her first video meeting Ellie and 0:12:57.520 --> 0:13:01.480 having a little mini dance off with Ellie personality for days, 0:13:01.679 --> 0:13:02.520 so fun to root for. 0:13:02.720 --> 0:13:04.880 So we'll be watching for that. All right. 0:13:04.960 --> 0:13:07.800 Well, now you're basically a liberty expert, So after the break, 0:13:07.800 --> 0:13:09.400 we're going to move northeast and prep you for a 0:13:09.440 --> 0:13:20.199 season of Connecticut Sun hoops. Keep it here, Welcome back, slices. 0:13:20.320 --> 0:13:24.000 Let's talk Connecticut Sun their twenty eight and twelve record 0:13:24.080 --> 0:13:26.880 last season was third best in the league, but this 0:13:27.000 --> 0:13:29.640 year's squad looks nothing like the team that suited up 0:13:29.640 --> 0:13:32.760 in twenty twenty four. Here's your quick Suns need to 0:13:32.800 --> 0:13:35.800 know team history. So this team was established in nineteen 0:13:35.840 --> 0:13:39.120 ninety nine as the Orlando Miracle, part of the WNBA's 0:13:39.160 --> 0:13:42.400 expansion from ten to twelve teams, and they were originally 0:13:42.400 --> 0:13:46.240 affiliated with the mnba's Orlando Magic. Now with the team 0:13:46.320 --> 0:13:48.960 in financial dress, in two thousand and three, the Mohegan 0:13:49.040 --> 0:13:52.439 Indian Tribe bought it, renamed it, and moved it to Connecticut. 0:13:52.800 --> 0:13:55.640 The team has qualified for the postseason in fifteen of 0:13:55.679 --> 0:13:58.880 twenty one seasons, but they've never won it all. In fact, 0:13:58.920 --> 0:14:01.880 they're the oldest remain team in the w without a title. 0:14:02.360 --> 0:14:06.160 Some great players in Sun history include Margodideck, Lindsay Whalen, 0:14:06.280 --> 0:14:11.360 Katie Douglas, Nakisha Sales, Karl Lawson, and Tina Charles. And yes, 0:14:11.559 --> 0:14:14.280 Tina Charles was also a great player in New York 0:14:14.320 --> 0:14:15.080 liberty history. 0:14:15.400 --> 0:14:16.920 She bent around the. 0:14:16.880 --> 0:14:20.880 Twenty twenty five tagline for the Sun proved the doubters wrong. 0:14:21.920 --> 0:14:24.400 Why are there so many doubters? Let's talk about it. 0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:28.360 Additions and losses for this team. Buckle up because the 0:14:28.440 --> 0:14:32.760 Sun became the first team in WNBA history to dismantle 0:14:32.800 --> 0:14:36.520 their entire starting five after a playoff appearance. During this 0:14:36.560 --> 0:14:40.320 pass offseason, six time All Star Dewana Bonner left in 0:14:40.400 --> 0:14:43.160 free agency to sign with the Indiana Fever. The Phoenix 0:14:43.200 --> 0:14:47.080 Mercury acquired five time All Star Alissa Thomas an assignment trade. 0:14:47.400 --> 0:14:50.360 Three time All Star Breanna Jones left in free agency 0:14:50.400 --> 0:14:53.120 to sign with the Atlanta Dream, and twenty twenty four 0:14:53.280 --> 0:14:56.640 WNBA Most Improved Player and All Defensive First Team selection 0:14:56.800 --> 0:15:00.200 djon A Carrington was traded to the Dallas Wings. The 0:15:00.240 --> 0:15:03.080 team also lost their head coach, Stephanie White, who was 0:15:03.120 --> 0:15:05.720 the twenty twenty three WNBA Coach of the Year. She 0:15:05.800 --> 0:15:08.920 went to the Indiana Fever. They hired coach Rashid Mezzain 0:15:09.040 --> 0:15:12.120 in December. He previously coached the Belgian national team and 0:15:12.160 --> 0:15:16.320 several pro teams in France. That's a lot of losses. 0:15:17.240 --> 0:15:20.240 As for additions, the team is welcoming back. 0:15:20.440 --> 0:15:20.960 Guess who. 0:15:21.400 --> 0:15:24.080 Tina Charles, the eight time All Star and former League 0:15:24.160 --> 0:15:27.320 MVP back in her first run with the Sun, is back. 0:15:27.640 --> 0:15:30.720 Charles is the WNBA's all time leader in rebounds, and 0:15:30.760 --> 0:15:34.280 she's second all time in points, behind only recently retired 0:15:34.280 --> 0:15:37.680 Dinah Trossi. Charles spent her first four seasons of the 0:15:37.760 --> 0:15:40.600 W in Connecticut, and she returns now as a fourteen 0:15:40.680 --> 0:15:44.800 year vet. The Son also added Diamond Deshields and Lindsay Allen, 0:15:45.360 --> 0:15:48.640 and they drafted LSU double double queen Anissa Morrow and 0:15:48.680 --> 0:15:51.280 guard Sanaia Rivers, who won a title with South Carolina 0:15:51.320 --> 0:15:53.840 before transferring to NC State, where she helped the Wolfpack 0:15:54.000 --> 0:15:56.200 to the Final four in the twenty twenty three twenty 0:15:56.200 --> 0:15:58.880 twenty four season. Did you keep up with all that? 0:15:59.320 --> 0:16:01.280 I can't blame you if you did. The point is 0:16:01.640 --> 0:16:04.480 this team looks nothing like it did last year, So 0:16:04.560 --> 0:16:09.200 the stars mostly left. I mean, Tina Charles always going 0:16:09.200 --> 0:16:11.760 to be a name. Despite having her lowest scoring seasons 0:16:11.800 --> 0:16:14.040 the last two years she's played, she was still averaging 0:16:14.080 --> 0:16:16.640 nearly fifteen points a game last season for the Atlanta Dream. 0:16:17.040 --> 0:16:19.600 So Tina Charles always to be Tina Charles. She's getting 0:16:19.600 --> 0:16:22.800 a little older. Marina Maybray was traded to the Sun 0:16:22.840 --> 0:16:25.520 mid season last year, but after the team cleaned house, 0:16:25.640 --> 0:16:27.440 she requested to be traded away again. 0:16:28.120 --> 0:16:30.040 She was denied, so. 0:16:30.280 --> 0:16:32.400 She might not be happy in Connecticut, but she's going 0:16:32.440 --> 0:16:34.240 to be a big part of their success or failure. 0:16:34.400 --> 0:16:39.280 All the same, the stakes for this team relatively low. 0:16:39.280 --> 0:16:43.320 They've got really low expectations, but their history would demand 0:16:43.320 --> 0:16:44.040 a lot from them. 0:16:44.440 --> 0:16:46.720 The Sun have won at least twenty five. 0:16:46.520 --> 0:16:49.720 Games for four straight seasons, and they've made six straight 0:16:49.720 --> 0:16:53.520 appearances and at least the semi finals. But like I said, 0:16:53.680 --> 0:16:56.920 expectations will need to be reset for this rebuilding season. 0:16:57.240 --> 0:16:59.200 Getting a look at young players and figuring out who 0:16:59.200 --> 0:17:00.800 they could build around is probably going to be the 0:17:00.840 --> 0:17:03.280 biggest focus of this year. Not a lot of last 0:17:03.320 --> 0:17:05.560 year's Sun's stats are going to be meaningful this year 0:17:05.680 --> 0:17:07.840 because you got a whole new roster of players, but 0:17:07.880 --> 0:17:09.959 it is worth pointing out the stat line of one 0:17:10.000 --> 0:17:13.240 of their newbies. I mentioned draft pick Anissa Moro. Now, 0:17:13.240 --> 0:17:16.080 she finished her college career with one hundred and four 0:17:16.160 --> 0:17:19.199 double doubles. That's second all time in D one history, 0:17:19.520 --> 0:17:22.760 and her seventeen hundred and fourteen career rebounds are third 0:17:22.880 --> 0:17:25.520 all time. So if she can translate that game to 0:17:25.560 --> 0:17:27.840 the pros, she could be a big piece for this 0:17:27.920 --> 0:17:31.520 rebuilding team. Stories how about some Suns stories and lore, 0:17:31.960 --> 0:17:34.560 like the one about the kid's birthday party. Okay, so, 0:17:34.600 --> 0:17:37.480 the Sun's roster exodus and their struggle to draw free 0:17:37.480 --> 0:17:40.040 agents is in part due to their small market, but 0:17:40.160 --> 0:17:42.040 also their outdated facilities. 0:17:42.560 --> 0:17:43.840 While the rest of the league. 0:17:43.640 --> 0:17:46.600 Is having facility wars putting millions and millions of dollars 0:17:46.640 --> 0:17:50.280 into amazing new spaces right now, the Sun split their 0:17:50.320 --> 0:17:54.280 practice time between their arena and the Mohegan Tribe Community Center, 0:17:54.520 --> 0:17:56.919 where they sometimes have to share gym space with a 0:17:56.960 --> 0:18:01.000 workout class where folks playing pickup, and at least once 0:18:01.200 --> 0:18:02.200 with a birthday party. 0:18:02.720 --> 0:18:02.960 Yep. 0:18:03.080 --> 0:18:05.840 In a particularly memorable incident, the team was prepping for 0:18:05.920 --> 0:18:09.080 the playoffs right next to a two year old's birthday party. 0:18:09.560 --> 0:18:10.000 Now listen. 0:18:10.040 --> 0:18:12.239 This is important because after a sold out game at 0:18:12.240 --> 0:18:15.439 ted Garden in Boston last season, fans started asking if 0:18:15.440 --> 0:18:18.480 the team might move to Boston. They were relieved to 0:18:18.520 --> 0:18:21.119 hear that the Sun are committed to Uncasville, Connecticut and 0:18:21.160 --> 0:18:24.359 committed to the Mohegan Tribe. But it is well past 0:18:24.359 --> 0:18:26.879 time for the Sun to step into the modern WNBA, 0:18:27.359 --> 0:18:30.159 or their championship drought will no doubt continue. 0:18:30.800 --> 0:18:31.639 Fun fact, by. 0:18:31.480 --> 0:18:34.240 The way, the Connecticut Sun Arena that I mentioned, that's 0:18:34.280 --> 0:18:37.199 Mohegan Sun Arena and it's inside the Mohegan Sun Resort 0:18:37.200 --> 0:18:37.800 in casino. 0:18:38.440 --> 0:18:41.159 Playing games at a casino is wild to me. You 0:18:41.240 --> 0:18:44.520 just like finish hooping and then put it all on black, your. 0:18:44.400 --> 0:18:46.439 Jump shots dropping all games, so you go see if 0:18:46.440 --> 0:18:49.160 your luck continues at the craps table. I'm just picturing 0:18:49.200 --> 0:18:52.080 like showering after a game, thrown on some warm ups, 0:18:52.080 --> 0:18:54.680 and just walking through a bunch of people letting it 0:18:54.760 --> 0:18:55.960 all ride on twenty three. 0:18:57.240 --> 0:19:00.480 Oh the Sun? Meish? What did I have forget about 0:19:00.480 --> 0:19:02.159 the Sun? What's the biggest storyline for you? What are 0:19:02.200 --> 0:19:02.679 you watching for? 0:19:03.080 --> 0:19:05.760 Well, first of all, I have to say it is remote, 0:19:05.800 --> 0:19:08.760 the Mohigan Sun Arena and resort and casino. I've been 0:19:08.800 --> 0:19:12.280 there myself. It's a good time as a spectator, for sure. 0:19:12.960 --> 0:19:15.520 But it's very remote, very very remote. So that part 0:19:15.680 --> 0:19:18.880 very much rings true, and it's part of what I'm 0:19:18.920 --> 0:19:21.080 keeping an eye on. This season for me in Connecticut 0:19:21.080 --> 0:19:23.080 has nothing to do with the X's and o's right. 0:19:23.240 --> 0:19:27.080 Rebuilding is rebuilding is rebuilding. It's gonna be tough. They're 0:19:27.080 --> 0:19:29.280 on their third different head coach and four seasons for 0:19:29.320 --> 0:19:31.680 this franchise. It just feels like they're kind of grasping 0:19:31.680 --> 0:19:33.399 at straws right now. But that's, like I said, to 0:19:33.400 --> 0:19:36.720 be expected. But it's it's the extreme to which they've 0:19:36.760 --> 0:19:40.000 taken it that stresses me out. You mentioned it the 0:19:40.040 --> 0:19:45.160 first team in WNBA history to dismantle their entire starting five, 0:19:45.359 --> 0:19:48.439 So you said, I don't even need ingredients. I'm just 0:19:48.480 --> 0:19:52.240 gonna I'm just gonna vibe like that to me is terrifying. 0:19:52.400 --> 0:19:55.600 I do not envy their new head coach. But that's 0:19:55.600 --> 0:19:59.080