On Monday evening, Sportico reported that the Sun hired investment bank Allen & Company to explore the sale of the franchise. Connecticut Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti addressed the in-person media during Tuesday’s training camp practice to clarify the recent news.
“Well, it wasn’t about exploring options to sell the team. So I just want to be very clear that the tribe is, has always, evaluated strategic options for all their properties when it comes to investments, capital expenditures, etc. So in regards to the team itself, they are exploring options for strategic investments around the team and its future. That’s really all I can say about that,” Rizzoti told reporters.
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This news has surfaced while a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is still in progress. The development of a new CBA has raised talks about roster size, team salary caps, player salaries and, notably, practice facilities. The Sun are still one of the only teams without a dedicated practice facility and have yet to announce plans to build one.
“Honestly, I think the Connecticut Sun probably had the first team-owned practice facility, if you think about when the facility was built that we practice in,” Rizzotti said. “So I know that very quickly, in the last few years, things have changed and the investment in elevated experiences has kind of overnight become a norm, or an expectation, but what we’ve provided our players, like I said earlier, has been at the forefront of what I think a lot of teams have done. I think that more than half the teams are still sharing facilities with outside entities, because it’s where the WNBA is right now.”
“But as I said to you guys probably a few months back, there’s not an ownership group in this league that doesn’t understand that there needs to be a practice facility if you own a WNBA team, and our ownership group is no different. I think we’ve known that from the beginning. These conversations didn’t just start.”
The Sun are one of the WNBA franchises that have always been competitive, making the playoffs in 16 of 22 their seasons. On top of that, Connecticut has made the semifinals in the last six consecutive seasons.
In 2003, the Mohegan Tribe purchased the Sun franchise for $10 million and relocated it from Orlando, where it was formally known as the Orlando Miracle, to Connecticut. They became the first WNBA team in league history to be independently owned, and the first professional sports team to be owned by a Native American tribe. Since that moment, Mohegan Sun has been the team’s home.
Mohegan Sun Arena is considered to be a smaller venue, with a typical capacity of 8,910, especially considering women’s basketball’s rapid growth over the past few years. The higher demand to see WNBA athletes play has opened up conversations about bigger venues; many teams have already moved to arenas more than double the size of Mohegan.
The fans are the sixth man
The Sun fans are the heart of the team and their support has allowed the Sun to be successful over the years. Often when the college season ends, UConn women’s basketball fans shift gears and head from Gampel Pavilion in Storrs to Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville. UConn fans love to watch their former stars compete at the professional level, drawing a lot of support to the WNBA.
Growing up roughly two hours from the Connecticut state line in Belmar, New Jersey, Sun guard Marina Mabrey remembers her dad taking her to UConn games growing up. She eventually found herself competing against UConn during her time at Notre Dame and was with the Fighting Irish when they defeated the Huskies in both the 2018 and 2019 Final Fours.
UConn is one of Notre Dame’s biggest and longest rivals in women’s college basketball but that has never stopped Mabrey for her admiration towards basketball fans in the state.
“The fans are super loyal. Like, they’re always there. They’re like die-hard ‘bleed blue,’” Mabrey told The Next last season when she joined the team. “It’s great for the sport, and I think that rivalry and that kind of competitiveness propel the sport. It makes people show up. So if they want to make a rival out of Notre Dame or whatever, that’s great. Let’s do it.”
It’s safe to say that Mabrey has embraced the fans since arriving in Connecticut and is glad she got to be part of an organization that has found success over the years and helped the league grow.
“[What I will never forget about Mohegan is] the fan base. They’re so loud and so aggressive for us and when you come into Connecticut, it’s a hostile environment,” Mabrey told The Next on Tuesday. “Everybody loves basketball in Connecticut, women’s basketball. You see all the UConn people here, it’s just a hard place to play. They created an environment that’s really hard to beat, hard to stop. They’ve had one of the best cultures in the history of the WNBA for awhile.
“I think what they built here, in general is something that you’ll miss, but also understanding that the league is growing, that’s great for everyone. … I think that they’re part of building up to the league growing and they were invested before everyone else came along now, so that’s something to be grateful for. And [to] know that they were part of the stepping stone.”
The team has created a winning culture throughout the years and has been successful in doing that. As a franchise they have been able to grow each year and even sold out of season ticket memberships this season for the first time in the organization’s history.
“I think that the Connecticut Sun ownership has set a standard for what owning a WNBA team should look like for two decades. I think they were at the forefront of a lot of investment before a lot of other teams were there. I think that they have been great for the WNBA in terms of moving the franchise here, investing in it, creating a loyal fan base, bringing it to a state and a community that thrives on, knowing and being a part of women’s basketball. And so I think the WNBA and its fans owe a lot to this ownership group for the investment that they have made,” Rizzotti said.
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Sun guard Lindsay Allen hasn’t competed in a Sun uniform yet during her career and will make her debut this weekend. Allen knows a bit about Connecticut basketball and is also a former Fighting Irish player. She told The Next that she used to enjoy playing the Sun when she was on the Minnesota Lynx because the games would be competitive and the fans would erupt throughout the game.
“The fans here are great. They’re always loud. It’s always either like a sellout or close to a sellout. They really, really help their team. And I think I like playing here just because they know basketball, they’re dedicated. It’s kind of like a basketball state in that way. I’ve just really always enjoyed playing here, playing in front of their fans,” Allen told The Next.
Despite there not being any large cities immediately close by, fans still show up for their team.
“I will always remember the fans, the atmosphere. I think Connecticut Sun fans always bring great energy to the games. They’re always so super supportive, and especially for the area that we’re in and things like that. I mean, they show up every single time. I’ll just remember just how dedicated the fans are.” Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Sun center, told The Next on Tuesday.
Reminiscing
Mabrey has a lot of gratitude for the franchise after it took a chance on her last season despite not meeting its goals of winning a WNBA championship. Mabrey described what the atmosphere was like when they played the Indiana Fever during the first round of the 2024 WNBA playoffs.
“It was really loud, everyone was really lit. Especially after that 3-point shot up there. That 3-point shot up there with 40 seconds left or something.,” Mabrey said pointing towards what would have been their offensive basket in the second half of the game.
For Nelson-Ododa, Mohegan Sun is more than just a WNBA arena — it’s also the place where she competed for and won two BIG EAST championships as a UConn Husky.
“[One of her favorite memories is] honestly, just one of the BIG EAST games because we played here too in the [conference] tournament. But even the playoff games, I was able to experience my first playoffs here in this building. So that’s definitely a special moment for me … I think just knowing that Connecticut is such a basketball state is what makes it unique. So I think it’s been awesome just to you know, have my college career here, be able to play here at Mohegan. And yeah, we’re looking forward to see what happens from it,” Nelson-Ododa said.
To potentially end your career where you began is a special opportunity that most players don’t receive. Tina Charles, Sun center was drafted by the Sun back in 2010 as the No. 1 overall pick out of UConn so this franchise holds a special place in her heart.
“For me personally, the headline, of course it’s bittersweet. For me, I got drafted [here]. I had great years here, collegiate and professionally. But again, you always want what’s best for the WNBA. So I think that’s what I hold my hat on. Either way it goes, I don’t think the memories, the fans will be lost. It’s always going to be here and it’s always going to be known,” Charles told reporters.
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What now?
As of right now, no decisions have been made regarding the franchise’s future and more will come up with the conversation ongoing.
While Sun players and fans think about the possibility of this being the last season at Mohegan Sun Arena, there is still a season to be played. The front office, players and coaching staff are focused on the season ahead rather than the news about the franchise exploring investments and evaluating the business.
Only time will tell if the Mohegan Tribe will decide to sell or not, but right now the coaching staff must try to keep the players focused on their goal to make the playoffs.
“I just said to the team that we have to focus on what we can control. And I think that it’s something we cannot control,” head coach Rachid Meziane told reporters. “So I find we have to save our energy and put our energy on the court. This is the only thing we can control. We are here to perform. We have to give [it] our best. … And we trust our president and I used to say that a coach has to coach, and [a] president has to be the best president as possible.”
