Connecticut Sun

Connecticut Sun
Conference	Eastern Conference
Founded	1999
Home court	Mohegan Sun Arena
Colors	Blue, Yellow, Red
WNBA Championships	0
Conference Championships	2 (2004. 2005)
Playoff Appearances	4 (2000, 2003–2005)
Head coach	Mike Thibault
General manager	Chris Sienko
Owner	Mohegan Sun
Mascot	Blaze ^*

The Connecticut Sun are a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Uncasville, Connecticut. They began to play in the 2003 WNBA season. The Sun was the first WNBA franchise to be owned by a party other than an NBA team 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.

Uniforms:

2003 - Present: For home games, white with sun red on the sides and red Sun logo text on the chest. For away games, blue with sun red with yellow trim on the sides and yellow Sun logo text on the chest. The Sun logo is on the shorts.
1999 - 2002: For home games, white with blue on the sides and shoulders and white Miracle logo text on the chest. For away games, blue with white on the sides and white Miracle logo text on the chest. The Miracle logo is on the shorts.

Franchise history

The Sun used to be the Orlando Miracle. The Miracle had begun play in the WNBA in 1999 and had played their games at TD Waterhouse Centre. In October of 2002, the Miracle had announced their intentions to move out of Orlando, Florida. On January 28, 2003, Connecticut was announced as the location where the Miracle would move.

Before the renamed Sun begun the first season of play, the team acquired former University of Connecticut star Rebecca Lobo. The Sun lost their first game, 79 to 72, to the Houston Comets. However, the 2003 season would also see the Sun win their first playoff series with a victory over the Charlotte Sting.

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 through the season and would lead the Sun to the WNBA Finals in their second season of existence, where they lost a three game series 2-1 to the Seattle Storm.

In 2005, the Sun acquired center Margo Dydek. The 2005 season proved to be a successful one for the Sun. They finished the season with a 26-8 win-loss record, the best regular season record for an Eastern conference team in WNBA history. ^* They made their second straight WNBA Finals appearance. Despite securing home court advantage, Lindsay Whalen played through the series with injuries and the team lost the Finals for a second straight year, this time to the Sacramento Monarchs.

Since moving to Connecticut, the team has been a success both on and off the court. The team's attendance has risen each year since its arrival in Connecticut and in 2005 the Sun hosted the 2005 WNBA All-Star game.

Season-by-Season Records

Orlando Miracle 1999 15 17 .469 2000 16 16 .500 Lost First Round Cleveland 2, Orlando 1 2001 13 19 .406 2002 16 16 .500 Connecticut Sun 2003 18 16 .529 Won First Round
Lost Conference Finals Connecticut 2, Charlotte 0
Detroit 2, Connecticut 0 2004 18 16 .529 Won First Round
Won Conference Finals
Lost WNBA Finals Connecticut 2, Washington 1
Connecticut 2, New York 0
Seattle 2, Connecticut 1 2005 26 8 .765 Won First Round
Won Conference Finals
Lost WNBA Finals Connecticut 2, Detroit 0
Connecticut 2, Indiana 0
Sacramento 3, Connecticut 1 2006 15 6 .714 Totals 137 114 .546 Playoffs 13 10 .565

Stats updated July 17, 2006

Players of note

Hall of Famers

none

Retired numbers

none

Not to be forgotten

Debbie Black, assistant coach at Ohio State University
Rebecca Lobo

Current Roster

Coaches and others

Head Coaches:

Carolyn Peck (1998-2002), now coaches the women's team at University of Florida
Dee Brown (2002)
Mike Thibault (2002-Present)

Front Office Personnel

Owner: The Mohegan Tribe
Chief Executive Officer/Governor: Mitchell Etess
Chief Operating Officer/Alternate Governor: Jeffrey Hartmann
President/Alternate Governor: Paul Munick
Secretary: Robert Soper
General Manager: Christopher Sienko
Senior Attorney: Karen Molito
Head Coach: Michael Thibault
Assistant Coach: Scott Hawk
Assistant Coach: Bernadette Mattox
Head Athletic Trainer: Georgia Fischer
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Lisa Ciaravella
Director of Marketing: Stacey Dengler
Director of Business Operations: Dave Martinelli
Consumer Sales Manager: Todd McDonald
Media Relations Manager: Bill Tavares

btavares@connecticutsun.com

semmett@connecticutsun.com

Trivia

In 2006 the Connecticut Sun named all 5 starters to the WNBA Eastern conference allstar team. Douglas, Dydek, McWilliams-Franklin, Sales, Whalen. This feat has never been achieved in NBA history.

External links

Connecticut Sun | 1999 establishments

Connecticut Sun | Connecticut Sun | Connecticut Sun

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