The Connecticut Sun hit an unexpected roadblock while preparing for their eighth consecutive playoff appearance. The players were forced to practice on a half-court before last Sunday’s Round 1 home game against the Indiana Fever. This frustrated the franchise staple, Alyssa Thomas, and prompted her to speak out on the situation.
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As per Hartford Courant’s Emily Adams, the controversy stemmed from a questionable decision from the ownership group, The Mohegan Tribe. They leased half of their community center in Uncasville for a birthday event on Saturday.
This created a huge scheduling conflict. The reason? This community center had served as the Sun’s practice court for years. The team thus had to share the facility with the event organizers just 24 hours before their crucial postseason matchup.
Just WNBA things! 24 hours before their first playoff game, the Connecticut Sun are finishing practice on a half court to share space with a community center event. pic.twitter.com/0hwKib1RLz
— Emily Adams (@eaadams6) September 21, 2024
The news of this troubling decision spread like wildfire. WNBA supporters criticized the Sun’s owners for prioritizing personal gains over the franchise’s ambitions. The tension peaked when Thomas echoed the sentiments of frustrated fans. She told The Next,
“It’s normal at this point. I mean, Mohegan has to do better. We’re [a] professional team. We’re competing for playoffs and yeah, to have share your court with a two-year-old’s birthday party, [it’s the] ultimate disrespect… We need more. We need to compete at the highest level.”
Alyssa Thomas told @TheNextHoops that Mohegan has to do better in providing facilities for the Sun, who had to share a practice court the day before their first playoff game.
“To have to share your court with a two-year-olds birthday party, [it’s the] ultimate disrespect.” pic.twitter.com/FSIRAm1ooS
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) September 23, 2024
Thomas’ annoyance was justified. After all, this wasn’t the first time Sun‘s players had to share their practice facility. They had previously been forced to accommodate community pick-up games, workout classes, and events. By the look of things, the owners have little intention of changing this dynamic anytime soon.
Fortunately for the players and fans alike, this situation didn’t hurt the Sun’s performance in Game 1 of the playoffs. They entered the Mohegan Sun Arena as favorites and played like it. The team outscored the Fever in every quarter to secure a convincing 93-69 victory.
