3 players waived, including third-year pro Charles

With less than a week until the WNBA season opener the Connecticut Sun waived three players Monday: Kaila Charles, Aleksa Gulbe and Taj Cole.

Gulbe, an undrafted rookie out of Indiana, and Cole, who most recently played in the Athletes Unlimited league and graduated from Virginia Tech in 2020, were both on training camp contracts. Charles, however, was much more of a surprise. The 6-foot-1 wing had been with the Sun for two seasons since being drafted 23rd overall out of Maryland in 2020.

Charles averaged 4.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 17.0 minutes across two seasons with the team. She played in all 30 games in 2021, starting four, and scored in double figures six times.

Many teams in the league have 12 players, but head coach and general manager Curt Miller is going with 11 this season. The departure of Charles takes $67,042 off the team’s salary cap.

The Sun still have two cuts to make by the end of Thursday to get down to 11 players, with seven — Beatrice Mompremier, Dijonai Carrington, Joyner Holmes, Natisha Hiedeman, Nia Clouden, Stephanie Jones and Yvonne Anderson — fighting for five remaining roster spots.

Of that group, Hiedeman seems like a lock to make the team, and Miller has been impressed with Clouden, the team’s 2022 first-round draft pick, throughout camp. Anderson, Carrington and Jones all had strong performances in a preseason win over the Atlanta Dream on Sunday as well.

In other Connecticut Sun news, team president Jennifer Rizzotti was named USA Basketball’s head coach for the 2022 FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series on Monday. The FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series features up to 14 events worldwide and will conclude with the World Series Final in September.