The Connecticut Sun is a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Uncasville, Connecticut. They began to play in the 2003 WNBA season. The Sun was the first WNBA franchise not to be owned by an NBA owner; the team is owned by the Mohegan Indian tribe. From 1999 to 2002, the team was known as the Orlando Miracle, playing in Orlando, Florida. Capitalizing on the popularity of women's basketball in Connecticut as a result of the success of the UConn Huskies, they have the distinction of being the only WNBA team not to share its market with an NBA team (although the Charlotte Sting were the only professional basketball team in Charlotte for two seasons from the departure of the former Charlotte Hornets to New Orleans in 2002 to the first season of the expansion Charlotte Bobcats in 2004).
The city of Orlando was granted an expansion franchise in 1999, and the Orlando Miracle would take the floor for the 1999 season. The Miracle would play their games at TD Waterhouse Centre as the sister team of the NBA Orlando Magic.
The Miracle posted respectable records in their four years of existence (1999-2002). The Miracle would make the playoffs once, in 2000, and lost in the first round against the Cleveland Rockers. In 2001, the Miracle would take a step backwards, but they hosted a very successful 2001 WNBA All-Star Game. In 2002, the Miracle would post a 16-16 (.500) record, tying for the final playoff spot with the Indiana Fever. But, the Miracle had lost the tie-breaker, so they barely missed the playoffs. Little did anyone know that the 2002 season would prove to be the Miracle's last in Orlando (See below)?
After the 2002 WNBA Season, the NBA sold off all of the WNBA franchises to the operators of the teams. Orlando Magic ownership was not interested in keeping the Miracle. The team would need to find other ownership or fold. No local ownership was found, so in October 2002, the Miracle announced their intentions to move out of Orlando, Florida. On January 28, 2003, The Miracle was bought by the Mohegan Native American Tribe, and it was announced that the Miracle would move immediately to Uncasville, Connecticut and change their nickname to the Sun (in reference to the Mohegan Sun casino owned by the tribe).
The Miracle would undergo a total overhaul. The team was renamed the Connecticut Sun, and received new team colors. The team would then acquire former University of Connecticut star Rebecca Lobo. The Sun would lose their first ever game in Connecticut, 79 to 72, to the Houston Comets. But, the Sun would have a stellar season, posting an 18-16 record, good enough to make the playoffs. In the first round, the Sun would win their first playoff series in franchise (includes the Orlando years) history, sweeping the Charlotte Sting 2-0. But, in the East finals, the Sun would be swept by the Detroit Shock, who were on their way to a championship.
In 2004, they drafted Minnesota Golden Gophers star Lindsay Whalen amidst rumors they would trade her to the Minnesota Lynx. However, she remained on the team, as the Sun posted an 18-16 record, in a terrible Eastern Conference, and winning the #1 seed. In the first round, the Sun would defeat the Washington Mystics 2-1. In the East Finals, the Sun would roll on, sweeping the New York Liberty. The Sun had made it to the WNBA Finals in their second season of existence. In the Finals, their run would end, as they lost a hard-fought series three-game series 2-1 to the Seattle Storm.
In 2005, the Sun acquired center Margo Dydek. With a dominant center, the hungry Sun would dominate the Eastern Conference, posting a 26-8 record, the best regular season record for an Eastern conference team in WNBA history. In the playoffs, the Sun would fly to the WNBA Finals, sweeping the Detroit Shock and Indiana Fever. In the 2005 WNBA Finals, the Sun was matched up against an equally dominant Sacramento Monarchs team. Also working against the Sun, Lindsay Whalen played through the series with injuries. The Sun had home-court advantage, but it would be of no use, as the Sun lost the Finals for the second straight year 3 games to 1, in the first WNBA Finals played in a best of 5 formats.
In 2006, the Sun would match their 2005 record, and it looked like a return trip to the Finals was certain. In the playoffs, the Sun would quickly sweep the Mystics. But in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Sun was upset by one of their nemeses, the Detroit Shock, 2 games to 1.
In 2007, the Sun stumbled out of the gate, posting a dismal 5-10 record by late June. However, the Sun would storm back into playoff contention by winning 11 of their next 13 games, to finish the regular-season at 19-16, good enough to win the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, the Sun would face the Indiana Fever in the first round. The Sun came into the series having won all four regular-season contests against the Fever. In Game 1, despite holding a 17-point lead in the third quarter, the Sun would allow the Fever to force the first triple-overtime game in WNBA playoff history, ending in a 93-88 victory for the Sun. However, the Fever would respond by winning the next two games and the series, including a playoff record 22-point come-from-behind win in Game 3.
During the five seasons the team has been in Connecticut, the Sun have achieved the highest winning record of any team in the WNBA during that time period, posting a record of 106-64, translating into a winning percentage of .624. That success has reflected itself in the team's attendance, which has risen each and every year, surging from 6,025 in 2003 to 7,970 in 2007. The success of the franchise was rewarded in 2005, when the Sun was selected to host the annual WNBA All-Star Game.
However, the team remains without a championship. During the 2007-08 off-seasons, the Connecticut Sun made some major changes to their roster in an effort to win that ever-elusive crown. On February 6, 2008, the Sun lost Erika DeSouza to the Atlanta Dream in the Expansion Draft. On February 19, 2008, the Sun traded Katie Douglas to the Indiana Fever for Tamika Whitmore, the 12th pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft and the rights to Jessica Foley. On March 6, 2008, the Sun traded Megan Mahoney to the Houston Comets in exchange for former University of Connecticut standout Barbara Turner. On March 7, 2008, the Sun signed two-time French League MVP Sandrine Gruda, the Sun's 2007 first-round draft pick, to a three-year contract. On March 10, 2008, the Phoenix Mercury signed Le'Coe Willingham to a two-year contract after the Sun declined to match Phoenix's offer. The next day, it was announced that Nykesha Sales will sit out the 2008 season due to multiple nagging injuries. On March 14, 2008, the Sun traded Kristen Rasmussen to the Minnesota Lynx for yet another former University of Connecticut standout, Tamika (Williams) Raymond.
On April 9, 2008, the Connecticut Sun selected Amber Holt with the 9th pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft, UConn standout Ketia Swanier with the 12th pick, Jolene Anderson with the 23rd pick, and Lauren Ervin with the 37th pick. By May 7, 2008, the Connecticut Sun had also signed Natalie Berglin, Kerri Gardin, Tracy Gahan, Meredith Alexis, Jessica Richter, Crystal Erwin, Danielle Page, Christina Quaye, Laura Hall, and Antoinette Upshaw to free agent contracts. All were waived except Gardin and Page. Before the first game of the season, second year guard Cori Chambers was waived. When the season started, second year guard Kamesha Hairston remained on the inactive list due to injury. When center Sandrine Gruda reported to the team before the start of game four, Danielle Page was moved to the inactive list. Halfway through the season, Kamesha Hairston was waived.
The Connecticut Sun started the 2008 season better than any other team in the league. Halfway through the season, the team found itself in a slump. It is slowly working itself out of the slump and the team is 16-10 going into the Olympic Break. They are in first place in the Eastern Conference, a half game ahead of conference rivals Detroit Shock and New York Liberty.
