Hartford Courant

BUILDING ON A FOUNDATION

From Thomas to former Uconn stars, what to know about the 2024 roster

- By Emily Adams Hartford Courant

The Connecticu­t Sun have spent the last seven seasons as one of the most consistent teams in the WNBA, reaching at least the second round of the playoffs every year.

But the franchise always finds itself on the outside looking in when it comes to the ultimate goal of a WNBA championsh­ip. The 2023 champion Las Vegas Aces and runner-up New York Liberty beat the Sun a combined nine times in 11 meetings last year, including a 3-1 series win for the Liberty in the semifinals. The Sun finished 27-13 in their first season under coach Stephanie White, and they are poised to compete at the top of the league again with little turnover entering 2024.

“The most exciting thing is just

building off of a foundation that we laid last year,” White said. “We were at our basic level of execution

on both ends of the floor. Everything was new, everything was an adjustment, so … continuing to challenge our group to take another step in a positive direction and be disruptive in our own way. As a staff we’re sitting here talking about all these things we can do with our personnel that are outside of the box and a little bit innovative, and continuing to just build of that first layer.”

Connecticu­t enters training camp with a full 18-player roster that will need to pare down to 12 by the time the team opens the season against the Indiana Fever on May 14. As Caitlin Clark mania sweeps the nation, the Sun will have a chance to prove out of the gate whether the league’s veteran contenders still have an edge over the flashy class of young superstars making their WNBA debuts this season.

 ?? SARAH GORDON/THE DAY ?? The Sun’s Alyssa Thomas, left, celebrates a basket against the Liberty with Olivia Nelson-ododa during the first half of a game June 27 in Uncasville.
SARAH GORDON/THE DAY The Sun’s Alyssa Thomas, left, celebrates a basket against the Liberty with Olivia Nelson-ododa during the first half of a game June 27 in Uncasville.
 ?? AP ?? Uconn’s Moriah Jefferson makes a steal during a 2016 game against South Carolina.
AP Uconn’s Moriah Jefferson makes a steal during a 2016 game against South Carolina.

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