2020 Connecticut Sun season
WNBA team season
The 2020 WNBA season was the 22nd season for the Connecticut Sun franchise of the Women's National Basketball Association . It will also be the 18th season for the franchise in Connecticut. The season tipped off on July 26, 2020, versus the Minnesota Lynx .[ 1]
This WNBA season was originally going to feature an all-time high 36 regular-season games.[ 2] However, the plan for expanded games was put on hold on April 3, when the WNBA postponed its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic .[ 3] Under a plan approved on June 15, the league held a shortened 22-game regular season at IMG Academy , without fans present, which started on July 24.[ 4] [ 5]
The Sun's season started slowly when the team lost its first five games. They recovered to win four of their next five and were 4–7 at the season's halfway mark. The Sun won six of the next nine to secure a playoff spot with two games to go in the season. The Sun last the final two games of the season to finish 10–12. That earned them the seventh seed in the playoffs .
As the seventh seed, the Sun played in the First Round against the sixth seeded Chicago Sky . The Sun won the game 94–81 and advanced to the Second Round. There they faced off against the third seed Los Angeles Sparks . Again, they triumphed as underdogs, this time 73–59. The win saw them advance to the Semifinals, where they matched up against the first seed Las Vegas Aces . The Sun won games one and three of the best-of-five series, but could not close out games four or five, and lost the series 2–3 to end their season.
WNBA draft
Trades/Roster Changes
Date
Details
February 10, 2020
Re-signed F Jonquel Jones [ 6]
Traded F Morgan Tuck and Connecticut's 1st Round Draft Pick for Seattle 's 1st Round Draft Pick[ 7]
Re-signed F Natisha Hiedeman [ 8]
February 11, 2020
Traded the 7th and the 10th picks in the 2020 WNBA draft and one first-round pick in the 2021 WNBA draft to Phoenix Mercury for F DeWanna Bonner .[ 9]
February 15, 2020
Re-signed G Bria Holmes [ 10]
February 19, 2020
Acquired G Briann January and a second round pick in the 2021 WNBA draft in exchange for Courtney Williams [ 11]
February 24, 2020
Acquired F Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis in exchange for a second round pick in the 2021 WNBA draft [ 12]
February 25, 2020
Acquired the Minnesota Lynx 's 2nd round pick in the 2021 WNBA draft in exchange for G Rachel Banham .[ 13]
Signed G Jazmon Gwathmey to Training Camp Contract[ 14]
February 26, 2020
Signed F Valeriane Ayayi to Training Camp Contract[ 15]
March 13, 2020
Signed G Jacki Gemelos to Training Camp Contract[ 16]
March 14, 2020
Signed F Megan Huff to Training Camp Contract[ 17]
June 22, 2020
F Jonquel Jones opts to sit out of the 2020 season.[ 18]
June 23, 2020
Signed F Beatrice Mompremier .[ 19]
June 25, 2020
Signed G Jacki Gemelos on permanent contract.[ 20]
Roster
2020 Connecticut Sun roster
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Nat.
Name
Height
Weight
DOB
From
Yrs
G/F
24
Bonner, DeWanna
6' 4" (1.93m)
143 lb (65kg)
1987-08-21
Auburn
10
G
17
Carson, Essence
6' 0" (1.83m)
163 lb (74kg)
1986-07-28
Rutgers
12
G/F
3
Charles, Kaila
6' 1" (1.85m)
167 lb (76kg)
1998-03-23
Maryland
R
G
2
Hiedeman, Natisha
5' 8" (1.73m)
135 lb (61kg)
1997-02-10
Marquette
1
G
32
Holmes, Bria
6' 3" (1.91m)
170 lb (77kg)
1994-04-19
West Virginia
3
G
20
January, Briann
5' 8" (1.73m)
144 lb (65kg)
1987-01-11
Arizona State
11
F/C
42
Jones, Brionna
6' 3" (1.91m)
230 lb (104kg)
1995-12-18
Maryland
3
C
35
Jones, Jonquel
6' 6" (1.98m)
190 lb (86kg)
1994-01-05
George Washington
4
F
1
Mompremier, Beatrice
6' 4" (1.93m)
190 lb (86kg)
1996-08-08
Miami (FL)
R
F
23
Mosqueda-Lewis, Kaleena
5' 11" (1.8m)
180 lb (82kg)
1993-11-03
Connecticut
5
C
55
Plaisance, Theresa
6' 5" (1.96m)
200 lb (91kg)
1992-05-18
LSU
6
F
25
Thomas, Alyssa
6' 2" (1.88m)
185 lb (84kg)
1992-04-12
Maryland
6
G
5
Thomas, Jasmine
5' 9" (1.75m)
143 lb (65kg)
1989-09-30
Duke
9
Head coach
Curt Miller (Baldwin Wallace )
Assistant coaches
Brandi Poole Chris Koclanes
Legend
(C) Team captain
(FA) Free agent
(IN) Inactive
(S) Suspended
Injured
Game log
Regular season
Playoffs
Standings
Notes
x – Clinched playoff berth
e – Eliminated from playoffs
Home and Away records not shown, as all games played at a neutral location.
Updated to include results from September 13, 2020
Source
Playoffs
Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.
Statistics
Regular season
Awards and honors
References
^ "2020 Connecticut Sun Schedule" . sun.wnba.com . WNBA. Retrieved February 6, 2020 .
^ "Atlanta Dream Announce 2020 Schedule - Atlanta Dream" . dream.wnba.com . Retrieved February 1, 2020 .
^ "WNBA Statement Regarding the Start of the 2020 Regular Season" . April 3, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020 .
^ "WNBA Announces Plan To Tip Off 2020 Season" . WNBA . June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020 .
^ "WNBA announces plans for 2020 season to start late July in Florida" . NBC Sports Washington . June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020 .
^ "Jonquel Jones Returns to the Sun" . sun.wnba.com . WNBA. February 10, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020 .
^ "Seattle Completes Trade with Connecticut Acquires Morgan Tuck" . storm.wnba.com . WNBA. February 10, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020 .
^ "Connecticut Signs Hiedeman" . sun.wnba.com . WNBA. February 10, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020 .
^ Metcalfe, Jeff (February 11, 2020). "Phoenix Mercury All-Star DeWanna Bonner traded to Connecticut Sun" . azcentral.com . Arizona Republic. Retrieved February 11, 2020 .
^ "Connecticut native and dynamic playmaker Bria Holmes re-signs with the Sun" . sun.wnba.com . WNBA. February 15, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020 .
^ "Sun Acquire All-Star Briann January, 2021 draft pick as a part of a three-team trade" . sun.wnba.com . WNBA. February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Sun Acquire Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis from Seattle" . sun.wnba.com . WNBA. February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020 .
^ "Minnesota Lynx Acquire Rachel Banham" . lynx.wnba.com . WNBA. February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020 .
^ "Connecticut Signs Gwathmey" . twitter.com/ConnecticutSun . Connecticut Sun. February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020 .
^ "Connecticut Signs Valeriane Ayayi" . twitter.com/ConnecticutSun . Connecticut Sun. February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020 .
^ "Connecticut Signs Jacki Gemelos" . twitter.com/ConnecticutSun . Connecticut Sun. March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020 .
^ "Connecticut Signs Megan Huff" . twitter.com/ConnecticutSun . Connecticut Sun. March 14, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020 .
^ "Jones Opts out for 2020 Season" . sun.wnba.com . WNBA. June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020 .
^ "Connecticut Welcomes Beatrice Mompremier" . sun.wnba.com . WNBA. June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020 .
^ "Jacki Gemelos Signs with the Sun" . sun.wnba.com . WNBA. June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020 .
^ "Bonner, Collier Earn Players Of The Week Honors For Week 3" . wnba.com . WNBA. August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020 .
^ "Thomas, Stewart Earn Player of the Week Honors For Week 5" . wnba.com . WNBA. August 31, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020 .
^ "Diggins-Smith, Bonner Earn Player Of The Week Honors For Week 6" . wnba.com . WNBA. September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020 .
^ "Two Atlanta Dream Players And Seattle Storm's Alysha Clark Headline 2020 WNBA All-Defensive Team" . wnba.com . WNBA. September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020 .
^ "A'ja Wilson And Candace Parker Unanimously Selected To 2020 All-WNBA First Team" . wnba.com . WNBA. October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020 .
External links
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