Sun have that look of a contender
Deep, talented team opens highly-anticipated 2018 WNBA season today at home vs. Vegas
Mohegan — Leave it to the loquacious Chiney Ogwumike, Connecticut's life-of-the-party, to provide an amusing take on the Sun.
“It's funny — you look at us as a team, we look like a band of misfits,” Ogwumike said with a grin. “There's no quote-unquote superstar, key player. That's our strength, though. That's our strength because you never know what to expect from us.
“One night (our leading scorer) could be Jas (Jasmine Thomas). One night it could be AT (Alyssa Thomas). One night it could be JJ. (Jonquel Jones) It could be any of us. That's the beauty of our team.”
The Connecticut Misfits, er, Sun begin their 16th season today at 1 p.m. against the Las Vegas Aces at Mohegan Sun Arena.
The Sun may not have starpower, but they're nonetheless expected to contend for the WNBA title because of their talent and depth.
Three-quarters of the general managers in their annual survey picked Connecticut to have the most regular-season wins in the Eastern Conference. A nationwide media panel picked it third in the Associated Press' preseason rankings.
The sky-high expectations for the Sun are in stark contrast to last season when the consensus opinion was that the worst four-year stretch in franchise history was about to be five.
A 21-13 record and fourth-place finish in the overall standings altered expecations, not that the Sun paid attention to anyone's expectations but their own.
“It was our own belief in ourselves individually and as a team,” Sun point guard Jasmine Thomas said about last year's success. “These are the standards we want to set here. This is the culture we want to build here. This is what you are good at individually and we want you to be the best at that. It (expectations) was all internal.
“I feel like when you're a part of something that is driven from the inside, you should continue to succeed.”
Connecticut returns its entire starting lineup — Jonquel Jones (center), forwards Alyssa Thomas and Shekinna Stricklen, and guards