AP Honors Miller, Jones

Sun head coach and general manager Curt Miller has been named the
WNBA's Coach of the Year by the Associated Press.

UNCASVILLE–Connecticut Sun head coach Curt Miller and center Jonquel Jones were both honored by the Associated Press on Tuesday. Miller was named the AP’s WNBA Coach of the Year, receiving 14 of 15 votes from the media panel. In his second season, Miller led the Sun to a 21-13 record and the fourth-best record in the WNBA after the team was projected to finish 11th at the beginning of the season. 

Those dire predictions were based in large part to the loss of Sun star Chiney Ogwumike. The No. 1 overall pick in 2014 injured her achilles tendon while playing abroad in China last winter. She was signed by the Sun to a contract extension, then suspended for the year to create roster space. The WNBA does not have an injured reserved list.

“I'm humbled because there weren't a lot of expectations on this group,” Miller said. “Such a credit to those players. Every adversity we had, they responded.”

Prior to joining the WNBA coaching ranks, Miller was a five-time WBCA Regional Coach of the Year and a five-time finalist for National Coach of the Year. Since 2005, only Miller, UConn coach Geno Auriemma and Stanford coach Tara Vanderveer have been National Coach of the Year finalist five or more times. While he was at Bowling Green, he won a Mid-Atlantic Conference record six Coach of the Year awards.

Jones earned AP Most Improved Player honors after breaking the single-season rebounding record set by Tina Charles in 2010. A second-year center, Jones became the first player in WNBA history to collect 400 rebounds in a season. She finished with 403 while also amassing 20 double-doubles in 2017.

“She's a very special elite rebounder and she's only scratched the surface,” Miller said of his second-year player. “She will get better defensively and offensively. She will only get stronger around the basket.”

The Sun will host their first playoff game at 3 p.m. on Sunday at Mohegan Sun Arena. For more information, visit www.connecticutsun.com or call 877-SUN-TIXX.

More Kudos for JJ

In addition to her “Most Improved” nod, Jones was named the WNBA’s “Peak Performer” in the rebounding category. The WNBA presents Peak Performer Awards annually to the players who lead the league in scoring, rebounding and assists during the regular season.  Each winner receives a trophy crafted by Tiffany & Co. Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner (scoring) and Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot (assists) won Peak Performer Awards.

Jonquel Jones has hauled in "Most Improved" and "Peak Performer"
awards.

Jones won her first rebounding title with a historic performance on the glass.  In her second season, the 6-6 Jones set WNBA records for rebounding average with 11.9 per game and total rebounds with 403 in 34 games.  Both single-season marks were previously held by Charles, who averaged 11.7 rebounds and grabbed 398 boards for Connecticut in 2010, her rookie season in the league.

A first-time All-Star in 2017, Jones registered three of the WNBA’s four games of 20 or more rebounds this season. Washington center Krystal Thomas had the other.  On Aug. 29, Jones hauled down a WNBA season high 22 rebounds against the Mystics – two boards shy of Chamique Holdsclaw’s all-time single-game record of 24.

Behind Jones, the Sun made the playoffs for the first time since 2012.  As the No. 4 seed, Connecticut will host a second-round, single-elimination game against a yet-to-be-determined opponent on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 3 p.m. ET. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2. 

A four-time All-Star selection, Griner recorded six games of at least 30 points this season after entering 2017 with none in 121 career games.  On June 7, Griner scored a career-high 38 points (on 15-of-19 shooting from the field) in a 98-90 overtime victory against the Indiana Fever – the highest-scoring game in the WNBA this season. She averaged 21.9 points per game in 26 appearances to earn the first scoring title of her five-year career, surpassing her previous career high of 15.6 points in 2014.  The 6-9 Griner also topped the WNBA in blocked shots with 2.50 per game, making her the first player ever to lead the league in scoring and blocks in the same season.

Griner scored at least 29 points in each of Phoenix’s last three games, all wins for the Mercury, which earned the fifth seed in the 2017 WNBA Playoffs.  The Mercury will host the Seattle Storm in a first-round, single-elimination game on Wednesday, Sept. 6 at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Former UConn star Breanna Stewart ranked second in the WNBA in scoring with 19.9 points per game for the Seattle Storm, followed by another UConn alum, New York Liberty center Tina Charles (19.74 ppg), Washington Mystics forward/guard Elena Delle Donne (19.72) and Minnesota Lynx center Sylvia Fowles (18.9).

Fowles was the WNBA’s other player to average double-figure rebounds this season, with 10.4 per game.  Thomas (9.6 rpg) ranked third in the league in rebounding average, Charles (9.4) finished fourth and Wings forward Glory Johnson (9.1) was fifth. 

Like Jones, Vandersloot earned her Peak Performer Award with a record-setting season.  Vandersloot averaged 8.1 assists per game, breaking Ticha Penicheiro’s record of 8.0 assists with the Sacramento Monarchs in 2002.  This marks the second assists title in seven seasons for Vandersloot, who averaged a league-leading 5.8 assists in 2015 – her previous career high.

The 2015 All-WNBA Second Team selection set a WNBA record this season with six consecutive games with at least 10 assists.  The 5-8 Vandersloot notched a career-high 14 assists against the Los Angeles Sparks on July 20, tied for the most in a WNBA game this season. 

Atlanta Dream guard Layshia Clarendon was second in assist average with 6.65 per game.  New all-time assists leader Sue Bird of Seattle (6.63 apg), Wings guard Skylar Diggins-Smith (5.8) and Sun forward Alyssa Thomas (4.5) rounded out the top five.

—Staff Reports