What a decade this was in New England sports! As we move into the 2020s, join NESN.com in looking back at the decade that was with the best Connecticut Sun team of 2010-2019! (And check out the rest of our “Best of the Decade” content here.)
They may not have won the ultimate hardware in the 2010s, but the Connecticut Sun certainly came close in the final year of the decade.
Connecticut fell one win shy of the 2019 WNBA title, losing to the Washington Mystics in the fifth and final game of an epic series. Though it wasn’t the only Sun squad to dominate during the regular season, the 2019 team had one of the most impressive postseason runs in franchise history, making it our NESN.com Sun Team of the Decade.
The 2019 Sun sported arguably their most dynamic roster of the last 10 years. All five of Connecticut’s starters — Courtney Williams, Jonquel Jones, Alyssa Thomas, Jasmine Thomas and Shekinna Stricklen — had at least three years with the team under their belts entering the season, and it paid off down the stretch as the women brought consistency and ferocity to the floor while starting a WNBA record 37 regular-season games and all eight postseason contests.
And while their starters were stellar, the Sun’s bench was just as impressive. Bria Holmes and Natisha Hiedeman saw the most success off Connecticut’s bench, providing some much-needed support on both ends of the court. Brionna Jones, Rachel Banham and Morgan Tuck also played significant (albeit smaller) bench roles, capitalizing on quality scoring chances when the team needed it most down the stretch. Theresa Plaisance, who joined the Sun via trade in August, added an extra layer of depth to the squad, both beyond the arc and in transition.
In the playoffs, Connecticut bounced back from back-to-back second-round eliminations at the hands of the Phoenix Mercury in previous years to sweep former teammate Chiney Ogwumike and the Los Angeles Sparks in the Sun’s first conference finals appearance since 2012. And while the Sun fell just short of winning it all, there’s no touching the impressive 2019 team.
