VIRUS HITS SUN

COVID-19 keeps January, Hiedeman, from traveling to Florida with team

Two players test positive for COVID-19, remain home.

The Sun’s Natisha Hiedeman and Briann January, neither of whom traveled with the team to training camp, have tested positive for COVID-19, the team announced Sunday.

Hiedeman tested positive on the first test she took upon arriving to Connecticut, head coach/general manager Curt Miller said Sunday, and has remained there to quarantine. In accordance with the CDC’s close contact self-quarantine guidance, January was held back from making the trip as a precaution before eventually testing positive herself. Miller said she tested negative six straight times before the seventh came back as positive and that she is back in Phoenix with loved ones for the time being.

Both players are in self-isolation and are complying with all health and safety protocols put in place by the WNBA and CDC. They are expected to rejoin the team after testing negative twice in a row and will go through another quarantine period and round of testing once in the bubble.

“We’re in constant communication with both of them,” Miller said. “Each and every day, our doctors, our training staff, our players and myself are certainly in contact with them. And we miss them.”

Entering her second year in the league, Hiedeman re-signed with the Sun in the offseason, while January, an 11-year league veteran, came to the team from Phoenix as part of a three-team trade in February.

With 10 players practicing as of now, Miller is working to balance getting that group ready to play increased minutes by the time the season kicks off on July 25 with not overworking them. It’s also put added pressure on Jasmine Thomas, the only point guard in camp, and has solidified Bria Holmes’ transition to more of a shooting guard role.

Team adjusting to life in the bubble

It was a whirlwind of a week for WNBA teams, with 11 of the 12 traveling down to Bradenton last Monday before quarantining for the rest of the week and kicking off training camps Friday. And there isn’t that long of a turnaround between now and the start of the 22-game regular season on July 25 — wherein, Miller said, teams will likely be playing three times per week and possibly have a stretch of 10 games in 19 days.

But for now, much of the focus at IMG Academy, where the league is staying, is simply getting adjusted to bubble life, especially now that there’s more movement allowed around the campus following everyone’s initial quarantine period.

“Our check-in procedure was really smooth,” Miller said Saturday. “IMG is a beautiful place. Testing has gone as smoothly as possible. Now that we’re out of quarantine, the food situation is convenient, and I think we like all our choices. So we’re very positive with our experience so far at IMG.”

The entire Sun team — besides Holmes, who is living with her family in a villa — is staying on the same floor of a hotel on campus, helping build team chemistry for a squad with six newcomers.

“For me, it’s not that terrible,” Alyssa Thomas said. “Just being in the hotel, we’re able to bond with our teammates 24/7. For me it’s easy. My meals are there for me. I have my room cleaned. I get fresh towels. So I’m honestly enjoying it.”

Some players came prepared with activities or side projects to keep them occupied. Kaila Charles, for example, brought painting supplies and is working on making videos for her YouTube channel. The team as a whole has been been watching plastic surgery shows and playing the card game UNO, per Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, a former UConn player and recent acquisition from Seattle.

Players said they’ve had to get used to running into opposing teams every day around campus or the practice facilities, people they wouldn’t normally see so often except for around games. For a rookie like Charles, it’s been nice to come across so many familiar faces.

“It’s really cool being in the same area as all these players that I watched or played against,” Charles said. “The other day I was running into the hotel to use the bathroom and I ran into Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Brittney Griner. I was kind of shocked. But I just make sure that I’m saying hi to everybody, trying to get to know everybody, because I want to learn from everybody. So it’s really nice to have everybody in one place.”

A mother of twins who did not enter the bubble with her, DeWanna Bonner added that she’s enjoying the downtime as of now. Though she’s used to leaving her daughters for extended periods of time to go play overseas, it’s, in a way, more difficult for her now since her girls are within driving distance only an hour away.

“I’ve been taking it in. I’m pretty sure there may be a point when I’m ready to lose my mind, but it’s been pretty cool right now for me,” said Bonner, a two-time WNBA champion and three-time all-star who recently joined the team from Phoenix.

“I get a lot of rest, but I also get to bond with my teammates in one area, which is awesome.”