The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Banham, Tuck finally healthy, ready to play
UNCASVILLE — No story coming out of Connecticut Sun training camp will garner more attention than the return of former WNBA Rookie of the Year Chiney Ogwumike after a torn Achilles tendon forced her to miss the entire 2017 Season. However, there are two other high-profile players also looking to put some painful memories in their rear-view mirrors.
Morgan Tuck and Rachel Banham came into the league with high expectations after being the No. 3 and 4 selections in the 2016 WNBA Draft. They also embarked on their professional careers with a history of troublesome knees.
Tuck has played in 48 regular-season games and Banham 45 out of a possible 68 during their first two seasons. Even when they were on the court, their playing time was often limited especially when the Sun played on consecutive days.
Having progressed enough to play overseas the first time, Banham and Tuck come into camp eager to display the talent that made them be lottery selections in a star-studded 2016 draft.
“When I was in China, I didn’t have to sit out, miss practice, games or anything,” Tuck said. “I feel good, I think I found a really good routine to keep me feeling good.”
Not only did Tuck play in all 26 games with Shaanxi Tianze in China’s WCBA, a player who was on the court for more than 30 minutes just three times in her first two WNBA seasons averaged 37.5 minutes per game as she put up 29.5 points, 9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Her numbers jumped to 39 points in the three victories that her struggling team posted.
“Last time I didn’t have to miss any amount of time was my senior year in high school so I am excited. I was playing 40 minutes a game and we were playing three times a week,” Tuck said. “I was playing a lot, a lot of pounding and they
kept up great so I am really excited.”
Banham headed to Australia to suit up with the Bendigo Spirit and was the third-leading scorer behind former Connecticut Sun forward Kelsey Griffin and Betnijah Laney, who is in camp with the Sun.
Just like Tuck, Banham was her team’s top 3-point shooter.
Banham saw plenty of time at point guard while in Australia. It didn’t impact her offense as she scored in double figures 17 times in 21 games.
With first-round pick Lexie Brown and 2017 second-round pick Leticia Romero both able to play point guard behind Jasmine
Thomas, there could be more a chance for Banham to play a more natural wing position instead of trying to learn how to be a point guard.
“I was the point guard for majority of the season (in Australia), doing more distributing than I had in the past,” Banham said. “What Curt (Miller, the Sun’s head coach) is doing is he is bringing in people like me or Lexie who are combo guards, somebody who can be the 1 (point guard) at certain times, at the 2 (shooting guard) with matchups more. It is nice for me, I can slide to the 2 more or if I need to play the 1, we are very versatile in that sense.”
Banham also discarded the knee brace she would often wear earlier in the time with the Sun.
“It is a mental thing for me,” Banham said. “I liked having something secure, it wasn’t doing anything but just the thought that it was securing my knee made me feel that way.”
Banham and Tuck looked to be a step slow at times, especially on defense, a season ago but that has not been the case during training camp. Miller believes they are getting closer to playing at the level that made them dynamic college players and among the top prospects in the 2016 WNBA Draft.
“I am really good physically but I am feeling so much better mentally,” Banham said. “That has been the biggest thing for me the last couple of years is gaining that confidence in myself and in my body.
I just took a new approach this year and I feel a lot more confident.”
Fans will get to see the new and improved versions of Banham and Tuck on Monday and Tuesday when four preseason games are played at Mohegan Sun Arena. It starts Monday at 5 p.m. when former UConn players Kia Nurse, Azura’ Stevens and Natalie Butler are expected to make their professional debuts when Nurse’s New York team meets up with Butler, Stevens and Dallas. That will be followed by the Connecticut/Los Angeles game. Los Angeles and New York play at 5 p.m. on Tuesday followed by Connecticut meeting Dallas.