The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

After a successful off-season spent in Korea, Jonquel Jones is back in the Women’s National Basketball Association with the Connecticut Sun as the preseason gets underway.

Jones finished with eight points on an efficient 4-6 shooting night from the field and also added seven rebounds in the Sun’s 81-72 win over the Chicago Sky at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncansville, Connecticut, on Tuesday.

“I thought we accomplished what we wanted to,” Sun head coach and general manager Curt Miller said.  “Every single player out of the 14 played double-figure minutes. Nobody played more than 17 minutes, so we got to look at a lot of combinations, a lot of different patterns.

“Now, the film won’t lie. There will be good things that we learn from the film, there will be disappointing things that we need to grow and get better on. But ultimately, we came in looking to play a lot of people and look at a lot of combinations and rotations and we got that accomplished.”

The Suns returned to the floor last night to face the defending champion and the team that originally drafted Jones, the Los Angeles Sparks. However, results were unavailable up to press time. The Sun will open the season on May 13, hosting the Atlanta Dream.

Earlier this week at Sun media day, she shared her optimism on the team’s foundation headed into the season. “I think the way players are approaching training camp is really unique,” Jones said.

“It’s such a positive environment and there is nothing bringing us down. If there is a word I’d use to describe the team, it would be ‘genuine.’ There is a genuine, special relationship this team has. It’s rare for that to happen so quickly, but it’s so important considering we are a young team and still learning.”

In March, Jones ended her time in the Korean Basketball League with one of her best games of the season and a championship title for her club. She posted 27 points, 25 rebounds and three blocks in a 83-72 win for Woori Bank over the Samsung Life Blue Minx to complete a three-game sweep and claim the 2017 title, the fifth consecutive for the club.

Jones was particularly dominant in the finals where she averaged 15.3 points and 23 rebounds per game. She averaged 15.8 points, 14.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks – all team leads - in 24 minutes per game for Woori Bank in 38 games this season. She also shot 55 per cent from the field, 39 per cent from three. They finished the year 36-2 and undefeated on the road.

At the league’s award ceremony, Jones earned the Foreign Most Valuable Player award, Defensive Player of the Year award and was named “Best Five” in the league.

Jones finished her rookie campaign for the Connecticut Sun averaging 6.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shot in just over 14 minutes per game. She shot 53 per cent from the field and 33 per cent from three-point range.

She received one vote in the 2016 WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year tally to finish in a 5-way tie for fifth behind winner Jantel Lavender. The Sun finished last season 14-20, 5th in Eastern Conference, just missing the postseason after a dramatic midseason turnaround.