WNBA team season
2008 Connecticut Sun season |
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Coach | Mike Thibault |
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Arena | Mohegan Sun Arena |
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Attendance | 7,644 per game |
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Results |
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Record | 21–13 (.618) |
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Place | 2nd (Eastern) |
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Playoff finish | Lost in First Round |
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Team Leaders |
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Points | Asjha Jones (17.0) |
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Rebounds | Asjha Jones (6.1) |
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Assists | Lindsay Whalen (5.4) |
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Media |
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Television | WCTX |
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← 2007 season 2009 season → |
The 2008 WNBA season was their tenth season and their sixth in Connecticut. The Sun successfully advanced to the WNBA Playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. Lindsay Whalen was a key contributor to the club, averaging 14.0 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game, and 5.4 assists per game.[1]
Offseason
Expansion draft
The following player was lost in the Atlanta Dream expansion draft:
[2]
WNBA draft
[3]
Transactions
- August 27: The Sun signed Svetlana Abrosimova and waived Jolene Anderson.
- June 27: The Sun waived Kamesha Hairston.
- May 15: The Sun waived Cori Chambers.
- May 7: The Sun waived Jessica Foley, Tracy Gahan and Christina Quaye.
- May 6: The Sun waived Meredith Alexis and Natalie Berglin.
- April 28: The Sun waived Crystal Erwin, Laura Hall and Jessica Richter.
- April 23: The Sun waived Antoinette Upshaw.
- March 20: The Sun signed Tracy Gahan to a training camp contract.
- March 7: The Sun signed Sandrine Gruda.
- March 5: The Sun signed Jessica Foley to a training camp contract.
- March 3: The Sun signed Natalie Berglin and Kerri Gardin to training camp contracts.
- February 19: The Sun re-signed free agents Lindsay Whalen and Jamie Carey.
[4]
Free agents
Roster
Connecticut Sun roster |
Players | Coaches |
Pos. | # | Nat. | Name | | | Height | | Weight | | | DOB | | | From | Yrs | SF | 25 | | Abrosimova, Svetlana | | | 6' 2" (1.88m) | | 172 lb (78kg) | | | | | | Connecticut | | PG | 10 | | Carey, Jamie | | | 5' 6" (1.68m) | | 135 lb (61kg) | | | | | | Texas | | PF | | | Ervin, Lauren (DP) | | | 6' 3" (1.91m) | | – | | | | | | Arkansas | | SF | 41 | | Gardin, Kerri | | | 6' 1" (1.85m) | | 165 lb (75kg) | | | | | | Virginia Tech | | C | 7 | | Gruda, Sandrine | | | 6' 4" (1.93m) | | 185 lb (84kg) | | | | | | France | | G/F | 1 | | Holt, Amber | | | 6' 0" (1.83m) | | 167 lb (76kg) | | | | | | Middle Tennessee State | | PF | 15 | | Jones, Asjha (C) | | | 6' 2" (1.88m) | | 198 lb (90kg) | | | | | | Connecticut | | PF | 52 | | Page, Danielle | | | 6' 2" (1.88m) | | 179 lb (81kg) | | | | | | Nebraska | | PG | 31 | | Phillips, Erin | | | 5' 7" (1.7m) | | 162 lb (73kg) | | | | | | Australia | | PF | 34 | | Raymond, Tamika | | | 6' 2" (1.88m) | | 199 lb (90kg) | | | | | | Connecticut | | G/F | 42 | | Sales, Nykesha | | | 6' 0" (1.83m) | | 175 lb (79kg) | | | | | | Connecticut | | PG | 11 | | Swanier, Ketia | | | 5' 7" (1.7m) | | 144 lb (65kg) | | | | | | Connecticut | | G/F | 22 | | Turner, Barbara | | | 6' 0" (1.83m) | | 182 lb (83kg) | | | | | | Connecticut | | PG | 13 | | Whalen, Lindsay (C) | | | 5' 9" (1.75m) | | 150 lb (68kg) | | | | | | Minnesota | | PF | 00 | | Whitmore, Tamika | | | 6' 2" (1.88m) | | 190 lb (86kg) | | | | | | Memphis | | | - Head coach
- Assistant coaches
- Athletic trainer
- Strength and conditioning coach
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (FA) Free agent
- (IN) Inactive
- (S) Suspended
- Injured
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Season standings
Schedule
Preseason
Regular season
2008 Game Log: Regular Season |
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Game | Date | Opponent | TV | Score | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Location/Attendance | Record | 6 | June 1 | @ Chicago | | W 75-73 | Whalen, Whitmore (19) | Whalen (7) | Whalen (7) | UIC Pavilion 2,276 | 5-1 | 7 | June 6 | Minnesota | | W 78-77 | Jones (25) | Whalen (9) | Anderson, Gardin (5) | Mohegan Sun Arena 6,327 | 6-1 | 8 | June 8 | Washington | WCTX NBA TV | W 87-79 | Jones (16) | Whalen (7) | Whalen (7) | Mohegan Sun Arena 7,174 | 7-1 | 9 | June 10 | @ Minnesota | ESPN2 | W 75-66 | Jones (18) | Whitmore (12) | Whalen (6) | Target Center 7,186 | 8-1 | 10 | June 13 | @ Los Angeles | | L 93-98 (OT) | Whalen (20) | Whalen (7) | Jones (3) | STAPLES Center 8,702 | 8-2 | 11 | June 16 | @ Seattle | WCTX NBA TV | W 74-67 | Jones (15) | Raymond (9) | Whitmore (4) | KeyArena 6,872 | 9-2 | 12 | June 18 | @ Phoenix | | L 81-102 | Jones (18) | Turner (5) | Whalen (5) | US Airways Center 4,478 | 9-3 | 13 | June 20 | @ Sacramento | | W 72-56 | Jones (14) | Whalen, Anderson (6) | Whalen (5) | ARCO Arena 5,895 | 10-3 | 14 | June 24 | Detroit | WCTX NBA TV | W 85-68 | Jones (20) | Holt (8) | Whalen (6) | Mohegan Sun Arena 7,501 | 11-3 | 15 | June 26 | @ Detroit | FSN-D | L 61-70 | Jones (14) | Jones (7) | Whalen (4) | Mohegan Sun Arena 7,501 | 11-4 | 16 | June 27 | Atlanta | | W 109-101 (OT) | Jones (30) | Jones, Whalen (10) | Holt (8) | Mohegan Sun Arena 7,612 | 12-4 | 17 | June 29 | Phoenix | | L 80-87 | Jones (16) | Jones (9) | Whalen (8) | Mohegan Sun Arena 9,518 (sellout) | 12-5 | |
Game | Date | Opponent | TV | Score | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Location/Attendance | Record | 18 | July 1 | Houston | | W 78-68 | Jones (15) | Turner (9) | Whalen (9) | Mohegan Sun Arena 6,357 | 13-5 | 19 | July 5 | @ Indiana | FSN-I NBA TV | L 74-81 | Jones (20) | Gardin (9) | Jones, Whalen (3) | Conseco Fieldhouse 6,329 | 13-6 | 20 | July 8 | @ Detroit | FSN-D | L 82-88 | Jones (21) | Whalen (7) | Jones, Whalen (8) | Palace of Auburn Hills 7,623 | 13-7 | 21 | July 13 | @ Washington | ABC | L 64-69 | Whalen (33) | Whalen (8) | Jones, Whalen (6) | Verizon Center 9,610 | 13-8 | 22 | July 15 | New York | ESPN2 | L 71-77 | Whalen (19) | Jones (9) | Jones (5) | Mohegan Sun Arena 8,244 | 13-9 | 23 | July 18 | @ Chicago | WCTX NBA TV | L 65-73 | Jones (18) | Gruda (11) | Jones, Swanier (3) | UIC Pavilion 3,379 | 13-10 | 24 | July 20 | Chicago | | W 74-67 | Jones (23) | Jones (10) | Whalen (6) | Mohegan Sun Arena 7,367 | 14-10 | 25 | July 24 | Los Angeles | WCTX NBA TV | W 87-61 | Whalen (22) | Jones (8) | Whalen (4) | Mohegan Sun Arena 9,518 (sellout) | 15-10 | 26 | July 27 | @ Washington | CSN-MA NBA TV | W 82-60 | Jones (27) | Whalen (8) | Whalen (7) | Verizon Center 9,357 | 16-10 | |
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Playoffs
In the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs, the Sun had to face the New York Liberty. Since the Sun had the better record, the series would be played with game 1 at New York, game 2 at Connecticut, and game 3 (if needed) at Connecticut. The Liberty won the first game, but the Sun won the second to force a game three. The Sun were upset on their home floor by the Liberty and were eliminated from the playoffs.
- For the sixth consecutive season, the Sun advance to the playoffs.
- For the second consecutive season, the Sun do not advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
2008 Game Log: Postseason |
Eastern Conference Semifinals |
Depth
Pos. | Starter | Bench | Inactive |
C | Tamika Whitmore | Sandrine Gruda | Danielle Page |
PF | Asjha Jones | Tamika Raymond | |
SF | Kerri Gardin | Barbara Turner -- Amber Holt | |
SG | Svetlana Abrosimova | Erin Phillips | Ketia Swanier |
PG | Lindsay Whalen | Jamie Carey | |
Regular Season statistics
Legend |
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | TO | Turnovers per game |
PF | Fouls per game | | Team leader | | League leader |
Player statistics
Team statistics
Team | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PF | PPG |
Connecticut Sun | .422 | .330 | .746 | 36.4 | 17.9 | 6.2 | 2.8 | 14.3 | 18.5 | 79.1 |
Opponents | .418 | .321 | .740 | 35.3 | 16.3 | 7.4 | 3.1 | 14.7 | 20.7 | 74.7 |
Team Ranking
This table shows how the Sun rank compared to the other teams in the league (14 total teams):
FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PF | PPG |
8th | 8th | 12th | 3rd | 2nd | 14th | 12th | 13th | 13th | 3rd |
Playoffs statistics
Player statistics
Team statistics
Team | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PF | PPG |
Connecticut Sun | .360 | .218 | .800 | 34.3 | 13.7 | 7.3 | 1.7 | 12.3 | 15.7 | 63.0 |
New York Liberty | .448 | .433 | .606 | 33.7 | 16.3 | 6.7 | 5.0 | 18.7 | 18.7 | 69.3 |
Awards and honors
- Head coach Mike Thibault was named 2008 WNBA Coach of the Year.
- Lindsay Whalen was named to the All-WNBA First Team.
- Asjha Jones was named to the All-WNBA Second Team.
- Amber Holt was named to the All-Rookie Team.
- Lindsay Whalen was given the Peak Performer award (for assists) for leading the league in assists per game (5.4).
- Lindsay Whalen was the second player in WNBA history to average at least 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game for the season. Only Nikki Teasley has previously accomplished this feat.
- Lindsay Whalen was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the week of May 27, 2008.
- Asjha Jones was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the week of June 30, 2008.
- Lindsay Whalen was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the week of July 14, 2008.
- Asjha Jones was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the week of July 28, 2008.
[5]
Attendance
Regular Season Attendance Year | Average: Home | Average: Away | High | Low | Sellouts | Total for Year | WNBA Game Average |
2008 | 7,644 (11th) | 7,132 (14th) | 9,518 | 5,245 | 3 | 129,951 | 7,948 |
References
- ^ Sports Illustrated, October 6, 2008, Inside the WNBA, p.80
- ^ "WNBA.com: Atlanta Dream". Archived from the original on August 20, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
- ^ WNBA.com: 2008 WNBA Draft Board Archived 2013-10-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ WNBA.com: 2008 WNBA Transactions
- ^ "Players of the Week - WNBA.com – Official Site of the WNBA". Wnba.com. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
External links
Connecticut Sun
- Formerly the Orlando Miracle
- Founded in 1999
- Based in Uncasville, Connecticut
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