The Connecticut Sun have been quite active this offseason including their two All-Star bigs in DeWanna Bonner and Brionna Jones. But of their new additions, the most notable is Moriah Jefferson who was retained earlier this month in a sign-an-trade with the Phoenix Mercury for Rebecca Allen. Jefferson returns to the state where she won four straight national championships as a player for the UConn Huskies before being drafted No. 2 overall in 2016.
On Thursday afternoon, the Connecticut Sun held an introductory press conference for newly acquired veteran point guard. She discussed with the press multiple topics from her initial reaction to being traded to the Sun, her development as a player thus far over her seven-year career, her relationship with the Connecticut community, bouncing back from injuries, and her goals for the upcoming season.
Initial Reaction to Being Traded to the Connecticut Sun
An initial question for Jefferson was for her to recall her initial reaction to the news that she was being traded from the Phoenix Mercury to the Connecticut Sun.
"I was really excited. I was actually here [Connecticut] the week before everything happened for the UConn reunion for the championship. So, seeing everybody was great and then getting the news, for me was kind of like a full circle. Especially with Morgan [Tuck] being here as the assistant GM. You couldn't really ask for a better situation for me. Our 4 years in college were incredible to me. So being so close to UConn is going to be a good opportunity for me to get the chance to kind of go back there as well."
Family Atmosphere of Connecticut
As a well-regarded player fondly remembered for her contribution to the dominant 2012-2016 run through women's college basketball as a member of the UConn Huskies, Jefferson also spoke on the family atmosphere created by the Connecticut fans.
"It's great. Anytime you're in Connecticut it feels like a family. I think there's such a huge crossover from Suns fans and UConn fans. So for me, every time I come back to Connecticut, and I play in Mohegan, I always get a really good cheer from the crowd. So I'm excited to get a chance to be back here, not playing for UConn but playing for the Sun and it's really fun to see how the game has grown from college till now and get the chance to show the fans that."
Bouncing Back from Injuries
Tunnel Vision Sports also spoke with Jefferson about her perseverance through the injuries that plagued the early stages of her career and how she has been able to bounce back over the last two seasons.
"I think my mindset has always been the same. For me I'm going to show up everyday, work as hard as I can, play as hard as I can. I know that I've dealt with injuries in the past. But my biggest thing was not letting that affect my confidence. I think being fully healthy, my game was able to show more. But just going through so much, there's a lot of ups and downs in the WNBA career. It's not easy to stay in this league. But for me, keeping that confidence level high is always important and I've done my best to do that."
Jefferson Shares Her Goals for the Season
One of the last questions for Jefferson was regarding her goals for the season and moving forward in her career. As a seven-year veteran, Jefferson has previously played on four other teams and is slowly starting to establish a sense of rhythm in the league as she approaches her 30s.
"I've won on every level except the WNBA so obviously I want to get a championship. That's never an easy thing to do. We play in the hardest league in the world. But for me that's my end goal. So coming here, I want to make this team better and to get as close as possible to that goal. My thing has always been taking one day at a time. You can't look too far ahead and you can't look in the past. You just have to keep moving forward."
What's Next for Moriah Jefferson?
Jefferson will now look ahead to the start of training camp on April 28th and then kick off the season in the Connecticut Sun's home opener against the Indiana Fever on Tuesday, May 14th at 8 p.m. EST.
Photo: Moriah Jefferson/Instagram @_bonnbonn
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