“Just pride,” Sun center Tina Charles told The Next when asked what she is playing for. “This is our job. [The] same way, how you guys [journalists] get up and do your job, how you’re here. This is our job, so we have to finish it to the end.”
Up until this year, the Sun have made the playoffs every season since 2016 and once held the record for longest-active consecutive postseason appearances (eight). They made 16 postseason trips without a championship and have made the semifinals in each of the past five seasons. Just last season, they were a championship contender and ranked No. 3 in the league. Now, they’re ranked No. 11 in the standings and are currently tied with the Chicago Sky for the second-worst record in the league (9-28).
So, how did they get here?
Off to a rough start
The Sun didn’t immediately mesh together at the beginning of this season, which was expected after losing almost their entire roster from the previous season. The only two players that remained from last season were center Olivia Nelson-Ododa and guard Marina Mabrey, creating a lack of much-needed chemistry that is crucial for a winning team.
Even after the makeup of the team changed drastically in the offseason, the Sun started the 2025 season with the goal to make the playoffs, which they fell short of after facing adversity that ultimately proved hard to overcome.
For Mabrey, that adversity included suffereing a left knee injury on June 20 against the Dallas Wings. She didn’t return to the court until after the All-Star break, over a month later.
“This whole year, we knew that we were rebuilding the franchise, so that’s what we’re doing,” Mabrey told The Next about what the team chose to focus on this year, given its obvious challenges. “… So I think, just not focusing on outcomes as much as focusing on building.”
Mabrey is a player that Connecticut depends on heavily offensively as a three-point shooting threat, but with her absence caused the team some struggles. The Sun are currently last in the league for three-point percentage (30.2%).
Want even more women’s sports in your inbox?
Subscribe now to The IX Sports and receive our daily women’s sports newsletter covering soccer, tennis, basketball, golf, hockey and gymnastics from our incredible team of writers. That includes Basketball Wednesday from founder and editor Howard Megdal.
Readers of The IX Basketball now save 50% on their subscription to The IX.
Guard Leïla Lacan joined the team late due to overseas obligations with the French National Team, making her first appearance in practice after the EuroBasket tournament on July 3 and then, just three days later, her debut on July 6 against the Las Vegas Aces. Since joining the team, Lacan’s impact has been monumental to the Sun’s success: with her on the floor, the Sun have a record of 7-12. Without her, they’re 2-15.
Notably, forward Aneesah Morrow missed training camp and guard Saniya Rivers missed some of camp as well, due to the passing of her mother. Forward Aaliyah Edwards just joined the team after she was acquired through a trade between the Sun and the Washington Mystics that sent former Sun guard Jacy Sheldon to Washington D.C.
So, understandably, the season got off to a tough start. But with a healthy roster and improvements in team chemistry, the Sun have found some success in the second half, including beating the reigning champions, the New York Liberty, 78-62. The win showcased the growth and progression the Sun have made since losing to the Liberty, 100-52 on June 1, which was one of the largest deficit losses in WNBA history.
First year head coach Rachid Meziane ends the season with the same goal he started with — winning as many games as possible. The team’s mountain of challenges, unsurprisingly, made that goal a tall task this season, but Meziane stood behind it and continues to.
“I…[haven’t] change[d] my goal,” Meziane told reporters pregame on July 21. “So trying to win…[as many] games as possible and grow how we have to play. I think that we [have been] growing since [the] All-Star break. We are capable of facing every team now… We have to improve and to control the tempo, to control our shot selection. So as a team, I think that we still have, areas of improvement.”
Motivations
With the end of the season in sight, members of the Sun have shared their motivations to finish strong. Rivers’ impact on the defensive end has been solid this season, and she’s currently ranked sixth in the league for steals per game. She also has expanded her game on the offensive end as well.
“I’m just out here doing what I can. I mean, I’m just having fun, like you said, we’re not competing for a playoff spot, but that just means we have nothing to lose and everything to gain,” Rivers told The Next. “For me, individually, I’ve proven that I can be a defensive stopper, but… I’m just focusing on showing everybody that I can be an impact on offense as well. So I feel like these past few games, I’ve been running it up a little bit with getting my teammates the ball and looking for myself. So I think that’s all I’m doing right now.”
Mabrey’s return has been beneficial to the team, but she’s also stepped into a new leadership role in the second half of the season and has been taking on a challenge she never really has before in mentoring her younger teammates. Her offensive game has also evolved since last season — she is now more of a three-way scorer — while her defense has also improved. She’s regularly stealing the ball from her opponents and playing with a reliably fiery energy.
“I’m a competitive player, so at the end of the day, I’m never gonna step out on the court and not play hard and not respect the game,” Mabrey said. “So I’m grateful to be here. I’m grateful to be in the position that I am and have a job, and the kind of job that I have in this league, so I’ll never take it for granted.”
Lacan proudly wears Connecticut across her chest, knowing how hard it is to get the opportunity to play professionally in the WNBA. She also wants to continue to improve her game and help her teammates improve during the last few weeks of the season.
“We are representing the team, Connecticut, so we have to finish well, [and] not stop playing,” Lacan told The Next. “It’s also the moment to work… [on] the future. I think all of us have had things to…[improve on]. So the season is not over.”
Meziane wants his players to finish the season with pride and block out the noise. He also wants to win for the dedicated fans, while also acknowledging where the team needs to make upgrades.
“Improve, and just be proud of how we play and make our own fans proud of us and just by fighting, every game,” Meziane said regarding what they need to do the rest of the season.
Connecticut Sun guard Saniya Rivers (22) and Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey (3) in a game against the Chicago Sky at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on August 13, 2025. (Photo credit: Chris Poss | The Next)
The young talent
The growth and development of the Sun’s young players will be important if they want to find success in the future. Charles has taken on a strong leadership role on the Sun’s younger squad as a veteran with a lot of experience in the league. When asked what she wants to see from the younger players in the last few weeks, Charles simply said she wants to witness progress. “Just continue to grow, share the ball, continue to evolve,” she said.
Meziane also has made it a point of emphasis and focus for him and his coaching staff to do what they can to help develop their players.
“Since now [we have] a couple of weeks [left in the season], we have an important job to do with our young players,” Meziane said. “ [We need to] develop them and be sure that we are growing while the team has to win and grow. So there is many things, many things.”
The IX Basketball, a 24/7/365 women’s basketball newsroom powered by The Next
The IX Basketball: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX Sports. 24/7/365 women’s basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young, diverse staff and dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections about the game we love.
If the Sun invest in their young talent now while rebuilding a historically successful franchise, they may have a real shot in the future at emerging into a title contender. Mabrey is focused on the future and knows if the team continues to work hard, they will find success.
“Just continuing to build on what we’re doing,” Mabrey said. “We have really great pieces who are young, with energy, and then we have a couple pieces who have some experience, but also are coming into themselves, including myself. So I think just knowing that we can build a championship team and giving up these 10/12, games, or whatever it is, wouldn’t be beneficial to our growth. So just continuing to grow and know that it’s building for next season.”
