Sun coach Rachid Meziane is focused on giving Connecticut fans the best his team can

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Even though his experience in Uncasville only goes back a year, Sun coach Rachid Meziane understood the gravity of the franchise’s final home opener at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Read more With a win Wednesday over visiting Nashville, the Revolution’s season will have come full circle

There were no speeches, no tributes, no farewell messages. Not on the first game day of the 2026 season, at least. There were subtle acknowledgements — from the “Sunset Season” signage, to a brief video montage, to the violin striking somber notes for the national anthem.

After a year of wondering whether the Sun would leave the Nutmeg State, the franchise and its fanbase took the first steps toward the inevitable, largely letting the obvious go unsaid.

“We wanted to win this game because we know that we have the last chapter of this story and we know that this story started a long time ago,” Meziane said. “We wanted to start this last chapter with a win, and we also want to finish this chapter — we never know how we’re going to land — but we want to make sure we give everything to our fanbase.

“This story is going to end with us, so we want to give the best memories to our fanbase and to Connecticut.”

But as real as the move to Houston now feels, the Sun still have a final season to play. And starting the season 0-2 — being overwhelmed Friday in a 106-75 blowout loss in Brooklyn to the Liberty, then letting a third-quarter lead slip away Sunday in an 89-82 loss to the Storm — was a reminder that the season is still about more than sentimentality.

The Sun are in the unusual position of having a roster built for the future, but with a future in Connecticut that won’t last beyond this season.

“The goal is different when you have a young team, when you are in a rebuilding process,” Meziane said.

While the Sun are led by veterans such as Brittney Griner, Kennedy Burke, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa, they’re counting on the potential of Aneesah Morrow, Saniya Rivers, and Hailey Van Lith — who have little or no WNBA experience.

Even with the Sun’s time limited, Meziane said he’s committed to seeing those players reach their ceiling.

“It’s about time,” he said. “Just be patient with them and we just want to be sure that they show up every day being 1 percent better and being a better version of themselves every day.

“So it’s probably too much pressure for them today to be leaders in our team, but I’m trying to support them and to help them to become the best players in the league. [Saniya] can do it, [Aneesah] can do it. A lot of them have potential. For me, it’s just time.”

In two games, the Sun have already had to navigate ebbs and flows.

Rivers, who broke through as an energizing defensive force last season, started at point guard against the Liberty but came off the bench against the Storm in favor of rookie Charlisse Leger-Walker.

Read more Black residents upset at Wu’s policies are directing their ire at a new target: Boston city councilors of color

For Rivers, those were her first real reps running an offense.

“I think for Niya it was better, too, to not have to overthink what I have to call for who and when,” Meziane said.

For Leger-Walker, it was her first time doing it at this level.

“She’s a rookie and she’s playing against players with more experience, so we have to give her credit to learn and to be a little bit patient with her,” Meziane said.

For both young guards, Griner said, the experience was valuable, especially with consecutive games at home against the defending champion Aces this week (Wednesday and Friday).

“It’s a learning curve,” Griner said. “Games come fast, they come quick. We’ve got Vegas coming up, got Chelsea Gray coming in here. So we’re just speaking to them and helping them out. It’ll get better each game. You’ll see.”

After the loss to the Liberty, it was impossible to ignore the 31-point, 10-rebound performance by Breanna Stewart, particularly for Morrow because that was her defensive assignment. She was ready for the offday film session before Meziane fired up the tape. She responded with a 17-point, 16-rebound night that nearly pushed the Sun past Seattle.

“I’m already ahead, so I know what to expect going into film,” she said. “I knew it was going to be a tough film for me specifically. And just taking that accountability, taking it personal. That’s the biggest thing when it comes down to defense.”

Putting together a successful season will be difficult. The last team to pull off a winning season in their swan song was the Tulsa Shock, who went 18-16 in 2015 before moving to Dallas. Before the San Antonio Stars moved to Las Vegas in 2018, they went 8-26.

Meziane believes he has a team that will try to reach its ceiling — however high it may be.

“I have a group that has desire to play hard and play together,” he said. “So I hope that our fans can recognize that — that we are not cheating on the floor and we are trying to give our best. But we know that it’s part of the business that outcome is still important, win or lose.”

Read more Iran and the US are at an impasse ahead of Trump’s China trip