The Connecticut Sun are officially putting the finishing touches on their preparations for the 2025 season, as they wrapped up their preseason action last week with an ugly 79-59 defeat at the hands of the Seattle Storm. The construction of the team’s roster is still underway, though, and it led them to a reunion with former UConn Huskies star Bria Hartley on Monday.
Hartley hasn’t played in the WNBA since 2022, when she coincidentally was suiting up for the Sun. In her most recent WNBA game, Hartley suffered a torn ACL that has sidetracked her career, as she’s struggled to find her footing since then. After playing in the 2025 Athletes Unlimited season, averaging 15.1 points per game, Hartley has earned another shot with the Sun as she looks to find a way to stick around in the WNBA this season.
Bria Hartley Signs Training Camp Deal with Sun
Not only is Hartley familiar with the Sun from her brief stint with the team in 2022, but she also played her college basketball for UConn. Hartley was a star while with the team from 2010-2014, as she helped the Huskies win back-to-back National Championships in 2013 and 2014. In her final season, Hartley averaged 16.2 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 47% from the field.
Hartley was selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2014 WNBA draft by the Seattle Storm, but she was immediately traded to the Washington Mystics. Hartley was part of the 2014 WNBA All-Rookie team, but she struggled to find her fit with the Mystics over three seasons, which led to her being traded to the New York Liberty.
Since then, Hartley has bounced around from team to team, as she spent three seasons with the Liberty, two with the Phoenix Mercury, before spending time with the Indiana Fever and the Sun in 2022. After playing overseas with Galatasaray in the Turkish Women’s Basketball Super League, Hartley has earned another shot with the Sun, as she signed a training camp deal with the team on Monday.
“Bria Hartley, former UConn women’s basketball guard, has signed a training camp contract with the Connecticut Sun,” Christine Butterfield of CT Insider reported.
Connecticut Sun Hoping to Return to Playoffs in 2025
GettyBria Hartley is signing with the Sun as she looks to make a return to the WNBA
The Sun will enter the 2025 campaign featuring a significantly different roster from the one that just led them to the semifinals in the playoffs last year. Of their six players who averaged 10+ points last season, only Marina Mabrey is still with the team, and they also lost their head coach after Stephanie White opted to bolt for the Indiana Fever’s head coaching gig.
Connecticut still has a solid core in place, with Mabrey leading the way alongside former MVP Tina Charles and veteran All-Star guard Diamond DeShields. However, there is room for a secondary scorer like Hartley to emerge for this team. It may be more difficult given the massive talent exodus this team has endured recently, but if all the pieces of the puzzle come together for the Sun, they could be a sneaky good team this year.
Sun Sign Former UConn Star to Training Camp Deal