How Are the ‘Young and Fresh’ Connecticut Sun Showing Up?

“I love BG,” Sun forward Aaliyah Edwards said. “I love her energy, I love her pursuit [of greatness] and how she carries herself on and off the court, so just to learn alongside her is super fun.”

Despite Griner’s leadership so far in the season, Wednesday night’s game against the Las Vegas Aces needed even more players to step up. Earlier in the day on Wednesday, it was announced that Griner would be out due to a left foot injury. It is with this announcement that heads were forced to turn to the “young and fresh” crowd. 

Some Morrow Minutes

With only a few games underway with the Connecticut Sun’s final season, second-year Sun forward Aneesah Morrow’s minutes have already skyrocketed. As a rookie, Morrow averaged 18.9 minutes a game while contributing 7.7 points and 6.9 rebounds. Through the first three games, the forward averaged 26.7 minutes while contributing 16.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. She followed this up Friday night with 10 points and nine boards, one board shy of a third consecutive double-double.

Morrow was referred to as a “walking double-double” during her time at Louisiana State University, and that certainly translated into her time so far in the professional league.

In the team’s second game of the season, Morrow became the first player in franchise history to record a double-double in less than 20 minutes on the court in back-to-back competitions. When talking about the team’s “Sunset Season”, there’s a discussion of a “bright future”. Aneesah Morrow is, in fact, the future that this team is talking about. 

Saniya Is Getting Called Up

Morrow isn’t the only second-year player who is being told to step up in these big moments. 

“We already asked [Saniya Rivers] to be a support for BG, regarding the leadership.” Coach Rachid Meziane said before Wednesday’s game. “I hope that she will use this chance to be more vocal tonight.” 

The guard then went on to contribute eight points and four assists in thirty minutes. While Rivers’s numbers aren’t up to par with what they were in her rookie season, it is still incredibly early to make disappointing judgments. She posted better numbers in Friday’s loss to Las Vegas— 14 points (5/12 FG, 2/6 3PT, 2/2 FT), four rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one block in 29 minutes.

While this team has done a number of impressive things so far, they are still the second-youngest in the league. This roster is full of new faces, all of whom are still establishing their roles not only on the court but also in the locker room.

The sun is still rising for this team’s final season, with new athletes being brought into the sunlight game after game. 

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