UConn’s Bria Hartley signs up with Connecticut Sun as last cuts impend

UNCASVILLE– After the Connecticut Sun went 1-1 in their 2 preseason video games, first-year head trainer Rachid Meziane felt his team was still missing out on an item.

On Sunday the Sun authorized previous UConn ladies’s basketball celebrity Bria Hartley to a training school agreement, simply 5 days prior to groups are needed to reduce their lineups to the 12-player optimum enabled at the beginning of the normal period. Hartley has actually not shown up in the WNBA because 2022, last having fun in 3 video games with Connecticut prior to an ACL tear finished her period. The 5-foot-9 guard was a two-time All-American at UConn, aiding the Huskies to championship games in 2013 and 2014. She was composedNo 7 total in the 2014 WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics and made the All-Rookie group in her very first period.

Hartley has actually jumped around the organization over the last years, showing up in several periods with the Mystics, New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury in between 2014-21. She started 2022 with the Indiana Fever prior to authorizing an agreement separation and completing the year on a rest-of-season agreement with theSun Hartley’s 2022 ACL tear was her 2nd after enduring the exact same injury with the Mercury in 2020, and she hasn’t played greater than 13 video games in a period because her very first ACL injury.

Meziane saw Hartley as a perfect enhancement late to training school, partially due to the fact that he is currently aware of the previous Huskies celebrity. Meziane functioned as an assistant trainer while Hartley was contending for the French nationwide group at the 2019 EuroBasket competition, and she has a wide range of experience having fun in European systems overseas, primarily in the Turkish SuperLeague. Meziane really felt the Sun required one more expert existence with a solid 3-point shot, and Hartley standards virtually 34% from past the arc in her WNBA profession.

Hartley provides Connecticut 16 gamers presently with the group, so at the very least 4 requirement to be reduced prior to the period opener versus the Mystics at Mohegan Sun Arena on May 18. The Sun are additionally waiting for the arrival of 2024 first-round draft choice Leila Lacan, that is still abroad contending in the Ligue Feminine playoffs with her French clubLandes Basket Lacan’s period in France will certainly upright May 16 at the most recent, yet Meziane claimed the 20-year-old guard will certainly additionally take extra healing time prior to obtaining a complete work inConnecticut The group will certainly need to make an added cut when Lacan is offered.

How injuries and lacks will certainly influence lineup choices

The job of reviewing the lineup is made harder for Meziane due to the fact that numerous anticipated factors have actually missed out on considerable time throughout camp. Neither of the group’s 2025 first-round draftees,No 7 choice Aneesah Morrow andNo 8 choice Saniya Rivers, showed up in the preseason competitions, and while both are all-but-guaranteed places on the lineup, there’s unpredictability concerning just how they’ll influence the turning. Rivers intends to go back to exercise Monday after taking a trip home recently to regret the unexpected death of her mother, and Morrow is sidelined with a sticking around right ankle joint injury mostly as a safety measure.

Meziane claimed he’s being exceedingly cautious with Morrow due to the fact that he sees her as “our future,” and the novice ahead entered into training school fresh off of an intense Elite Eight keep up LSU. Morrow balanced virtually 34 mins per video game in her last college period and was fighting via small injuries throughout the majority of the NCAATournament She claimed she’s investing great deals of additional time in the movie area and researching the playbook with the Sun’s gamer advancement trains, and she is additionally functioning regularly with the toughness team to preserve her conditioning while off the court.

Veteran guard Diamond DeShields is additionally out with a best ankle joint injury, and Meziane claimed the timeline for her return is much more challenging and unclear. DeShields was a highly-anticipated possibility composedNo 3 out of Tennessee in 2018, yet her WNBA profession has actually been afflicted by injuries and she has actually missed out on time in every period because 2022. She initially endured a best ankle joint injury with the Chicago Sky at the end of 2024 that sidelined her for the group’s last 5 regular-season video games. DeShields was making use of props throughout technique last Thursday and has actually not taken part in any type of basketball tasks throughout the Sun’s technique watching durations.

Connecticut Sun reveal system integrating in Rachid Meziane’s very first win vs New York Liberty

Sun still reviewing places throughout recently of camp

Marina Mabrey, Lindsay Allen, Jacy Sheldon, Tina Charles and Olivia Nelson-Ododa appeared like a solid beginning 5 in the preseason win versus New York, and both first-round novices plus DeShields placed the Sun at 8 gamers secured to last lineup places. Veteran ahead Haley Peters additionally appears positioned to make it after beginning and racking up 11 factors going 3-for-3 on 3-pointers versus Seattle.

Connecticut has 7 gamers consisting of Hartley defending 3 staying places on the last lineup, and all can make an instance based upon their training school efficiencies. Forward Amy Okonkwo and facility Kariata Diaby are both WNBA novices and got here late to camp after completing their period along with Bourges in the Ligue Feminine, yet their experience in France was a significant advantage in making the change to Meziane’s system. Forward Robyn Parks played even more mins than any individual off the bench versus the Liberty and shot 3-for-6 from 3-point variety for 9 factors, and guard Yvonne Anderson was impactful on both ends of the flooring with 6 factors shooting 2-for-3 plus 4 aids and 2 takes.

The Sun additionally have 2 novices, third-round draftee Rayah Marshall and undrafted signee Madison Hayes, that are thrilling in their very first training school, and Meziane claimed the group is attempting to focus on long-lasting objectives in choices this period. Marshall has actually been admired by every person from Charles to basic supervisor Morgan Tuck for her affordable strength and readiness to find out, and though Hayes has actually seen minimal mins, she endured the very first 2 rounds of cuts over gamers consisting of 2024 draft choice Abbey Hsu and returning ahead Caitlin Bickle.

Dom Amore: As brand-new CT Sun trainer attempts mixing Euro design with The W, it will certainly be a procedure

Originally Published: May 11, 2025 at 5:02 PM EDT