Connecticut Sun waive Griffin, sign Buss, Cave, Greene
By Ben Dull
The Connecticut Sun added three more players to their training camp roster in the past week. They also waived a five-year veteran that had been hoping to make a WNBA comeback. After informing the team that she’d be unable to participate in camp due to injury, the Sun waived Kelsey Griffin.
Griffin was a regular in the Connecticut rotation from her rookie season in 2010 through the 2014 season. Jessica January and Betnijah Laney were also signed to training camp contracts back in February. Griffin said the following in Tuesday’s team release:
"I am truly disappointed to not be able to start the WNBA season with the Sun. This issue has been causing me discomfort for a number of weeks. While I thought rest would help resolve it, it hasn’t. As a result, I did not want to let the ownership, coach Miller and the fans of the Connecticut Sun down. If I can’t train and play at 100 percent, then I believe it is unfair on the group and doesn’t sit well with me."
Griffin’s veteran presence and experience with the franchise would have made her a valuable presence in camp, competing alongside 2018 No. 9 overall pick Lexie Brown, 2018 No. 33 overall pick Mikayla Cowling and 2017 16th overall pick Leticia Romero. Romero did not play in the WNBA in 2017 due to her commitments to Spain’s national team.
Sun head coach and general manager Curt Miller added the following:
"We are disappointed that we had to waive Kelsey Griffin due to recent health concerns. We were truly excited to add her veteran leadership and presence to our young and exciting roster. Kelsey’s health is our number one concern at this time, but we look forward to continuing our relationship as we move forward."
The Sun signed Nikki Greene and Khadijiah Cave on Monday. Shortly after the team announced Griffin’s injury and that she had been waived, the Sun inked undrafted free agent guard Tyra Buss.
Buss set seven program records in her time at Indiana. The 5’8 guard led the Hoosiers to a WNIT championship this past season and was a two-time Honorable Mention All-American.
Related Story: Buss, Indiana defeat Virginia Tech in WNIT final
Cave graduated from Baylor in 2017 and participated in training camp with the Los Angeles Sparks last season. Though she never averaged more than 17 minutes per game in college, she posted a top-30 offensive rebounding rate in three of her four seasons at Baylor according to HerHoopStats.
Greene was selected by the Phoenix Mercury with the 26th overall pick in the third round of the 2013 WNBA Draft out of Penn State. She made her debut with the Sparks in 2014, appearing in 11 games that season. Greene made her next stop in Connecticut, where she logged 101 minutes in 12 games in the 2015 regular season.
The Sun return nine players from last season’s team that earned the No. 4 seed. Restricted free agent Alyssa Thomas and unrestricted free agent Shekinna Stricklen re-signed with the team in February. Chiney Ogwumike will return to the court in 2018 after missing all of last season (Achilles).
Connecticut acquired Cayla George in a sign-and-trade with the Phoenix Mercury to add valuable depth up front. 2017 All-Stars Jonquel Jones and Jasmine Thomas are set to return along with Courtney Williams, Brionna Jones, Rachel Banham, Alex Bentley and Morgan Tuck.
The Sun acquired Bria Holmes from the Atlanta Dream prior to the 2018 WNBA Draft, but the young wing will miss the upcoming season (pregnancy). Though the Sun arrived ahead of schedule last season, they’ve managed to add even more young talent to the mix in support of their dynamic frontcourt headlined by Jones, Thomas and Ogwumike.