Sun will get healthy dose of Liberty in preseason, season opening contest

UNCASVILLE, March 21 – The Connecticut Sun will face the New York Liberty in two of its three preseason games before opening their 11th WNBA season in Connecticut by hosting the Liberty on May 25 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at 7 p.m. 

The Liberty will be coached by long-time Sun nemesis Bill Laimbeer, who helped coach the Detroit Shock to three WNBA titles from 2000-09. Connecticut will host New York in a preseason contest on Saturday, May 11, at 7 p.m. That will be the debut of new Sun coach Anne Donovan, who replaces Mike Thibault who was fired last fall after 10 seasons in Connecticut. 

The Sun will face New York again on the road in May 18 at 4 p.m. and will close its preseason with a May 21 contest against the two-time Western Conference champion Minnesota Lynx on the road. 

The Sun open the regular season on Saturday, May 25, against New York at the Mohegan Sun Arena at 7 p.m. 

NEW DEAL FOR MONTGOMERY: The Sun signed guard Renee Montgomery to a three-year contract extension, the team announced in February. As per team policy, terms were not released. 

In three seasons with the Sun, Montgomery has started 57 games and appeared in 102 games with 57 starts, averaging 13.2 points and 3.9 assists with 174 three-pointers. She earned her first All-Star selection in 2011, and was the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Award winner in 2012. She averaged 11.9 points coming off the bench last year for Connecticut. 

“Bringing Renee back was our first priority this winter,” Sun coach Anne Donovan said. “Renee has proven herself to be one of our finest assets. Her skill set and team-first mentality make her a perfect cornerstone for the future of the Sun.” 

Montgomery was traded to the Sun on January 12, 2010 as part of a major deal with the Minnesota Lynx. Connecticut sent Lindsay Whalen and the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft to Minnesota in exchange for Montgomery and the No. 1 pick, which was used to select center Tina Charles from the University of Connecticut. 

SALES RETURNS: Nykesha Sales, Connecticut’s all-time leading scorer, will join the team this summer as an assistant to the coaching staff and community liaison during the 2013 season. In her role, Sales will help Donovan and her staff at practice. She will also be an active team ambassador, representing the Sun in the community throughout the season. 

Sales scored a team-record 3,955 points during her WNBA career from 1999 to 2007. She is one of six players to be voted onto seven WNBA All-Star teams. “I am extremely excited about being a part of the Sun again,” Sales said. “It has always been a great organization, and I have a lot of amazing memories from my time there as a player. Although I’m returning with a whole new role and responsibilities I’m really looking forward to helping Anne and her staff as they try to bring a championship to the best fans in the WNBA.” 

BACK TO THE BENCH: Taj McWilliams-Franklin, always a fan favorite at the Sun for her work ethic, has retired as a player. She played last season with the Minnesota Lynx, who lost in the WNBA finals to Indiana. She played four years in Connecticut from 2003-06. She won a WNBA title with Detroit in 2009 and Minnesota in 2012. 

McWilliams-Franklin and former New England Blizzard forward Barbara Farris will be assistant coaches with the New York Liberty this season. 

“I feel that coaching is a natural extension of what I have done during my playing career and look forward to matching wits with some of basketball’s greatest coaching minds during the season,” McWilliams-Franklin said. 

After the Hartford-based Blizzard disbanded in 1998 when the American Basketball League folded, Farris played nine years in the WNBA including two years with New York. She won a WNBA title with Detroit in 2003.

DRAFT IS APRIL 15: The 2013 WNBA draft will be Monday, April 15, live on ESPN2 beginning at 8 p.m. Phoenix holds the No. 1 pick in the draft after a injury-riddled 7-27 campaign a year ago. 

Baylor University center Brittney Griner is widely considered to be the No. 1 pick in the draft. Other top selections look to be Delaware G/F Elena Delle Donne, Notre Dame G Skylar Diggins, Georgetown G Sugar Rodgers and Maryland F Tianna Hawkins. 

After going 25-9 and winning the Eastern Conference regular season title a year ago, the Sun will have the No. 11 selection in the first round along with the No. 22 and No. 33 picks in the three-round affair. 

Chicago (14-20) picks second with Tulsa (9-25), Washington (5-29) and New York (15-19) rounding out the top picks in the first round.