{"id":91,"date":"2026-05-11T11:34:52","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T11:34:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=91"},"modified":"2026-05-11T11:34:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T11:34:52","slug":"sun-coach-rachid-meziane-is-focused-on-giving-connecticut-fans-the-best-his-team-can","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=91","title":{"rendered":"Sun coach Rachid Meziane is focused on giving Connecticut fans the best his team can"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<div>\n<p><span>UNCASVILLE, Conn. \u2014 Even though his experience in Uncasville only goes back a year, Sun coach Rachid Meziane understood the gravity of the franchise\u2019s final home opener at Mohegan Sun Arena.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=89\">With a win Wednesday over visiting Nashville, the Revolution\u2019s season will have come full circle<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>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 \u2014 from the \u201cSunset Season\u201d signage, to a brief video montage, to the violin striking somber notes for the national anthem.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>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.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>\u201cWe 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,\u201d Meziane said. \u201cWe wanted to start this last chapter with a win, and we also want to finish this chapter \u2014 we never know how we\u2019re going to land \u2014 but we want to make sure we give everything to our fanbase. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThis story is going to end with us, so we want to give the best memories to our fanbase and to Connecticut.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>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 \u2014 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 \u2014 was a reminder that the season is still about more than sentimentality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Sun are in the unusual position of having a roster built for the future, but with a future in Connecticut that won\u2019t last beyond this season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThe goal is different when you have a young team, when you are in a rebuilding process,\u201d Meziane said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While the Sun are led by veterans such as Brittney Griner, Kennedy Burke, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa, they\u2019re counting on the potential of Aneesah Morrow, Saniya Rivers, and Hailey Van Lith \u2014 who have little or no WNBA experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<blockquote>\n<p>BACK-TO-BACK BUCKETS FOR HAILEY\u203c#GetClose | #CTSun pic.twitter.com\/dCrvC2c7Cl<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) May 10, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Even with the Sun\u2019s time limited, Meziane said he\u2019s committed to seeing those players reach their ceiling.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt\u2019s about time,\u201d he said. \u201cJust 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. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cSo it\u2019s probably too much pressure for them today to be leaders in our team, but I\u2019m 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\u2019s just time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In two games, the Sun have already had to navigate ebbs and flows.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=87\">Black residents upset at Wu\u2019s policies are directing their ire at a new target: Boston city councilors of color<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<blockquote>\n<p>A lil\u2019 kiss to the crowd after that one \ud83d\udc8b<\/p>\n<p>Saniya Rivers comes up with the deflection and finds Aneesah Morrow in transition on the other end for two. <\/p>\n<p>SEA-CON I League Pass I WNBA Tip-Off 2026 presented by @CarMax pic.twitter.com\/QM6W7L39HS<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 WNBA (@WNBA) May 10, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>For Rivers, those were her first real reps running an offense.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI think for Niya it was better, too, to not have to overthink what I have to call for who and when,\u201d Meziane said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>For Leger-Walker, it was her first time doing it at this level.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cShe\u2019s a rookie and she\u2019s playing against players with more experience, so we have to give her credit to learn and to be a little bit patient with her,\u201d Meziane said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>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).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt\u2019s a learning curve,\u201d Griner said. \u201cGames come fast, they come quick. We\u2019ve got Vegas coming up, got Chelsea Gray coming in here. So we\u2019re just speaking to them and helping them out. It\u2019ll get better each game. You\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>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.<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Aneesah Morrow dropped a double-double in the first half \ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s racked up 12 PTS and 11 REB for the @ConnecticutSun and counting! Watch her back in action in the second half on League Pass.<\/p>\n<p> #WNBATipOff I @CarMax pic.twitter.com\/lrYVkc9vCO<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 WNBA (@WNBA) May 10, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>\u201cI\u2019m already ahead, so I know what to expect going into film,\u201d she said. \u201cI knew it was going to be a tough film for me specifically. And just taking that accountability, taking it personal. That\u2019s the biggest thing when it comes down to defense.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Meziane believes he has a team that will try to reach its ceiling \u2014 however high it may be.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI have a group that has desire to play hard and play together,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I hope that our fans can recognize that \u2014 that we are not cheating on the floor and we are trying to give our best. But we know that it\u2019s part of the business that outcome is still important, win or lose.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=85\">Iran and the US are at an impasse ahead of Trump\u2019s China trip<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cThis story is going to end with us, so we want to give the best memories to our fanbase and to Connecticut,&#8221; said the second-year Sun coach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":90,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Sun coach Rachid Meziane is focused on giving Connecticut fans the best his team can - 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