The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Jonquel Jones is set to return to the WNBA tonight and the All-Star forward will take the floor in a Connecticut Sun uniform for the first time since the 2019 Finals.

Jones and the Sun are scheduled to officially begin their 2021 campaign on the road tonight when they face the Atlanta Dream at the Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Tip off is set for 7:30pm.

Jones, the Connecticut Sun star, opted out of the shortened 2020 WNBA season amid COVID-19 pandemic concerns and went on to have a successful season in Europe which included three titles.

“It means a lot to be back with this team and this organisation. This is where I’ve been my entire WNBA career. Just watching the games last summer, I felt like I was missing out and I missed being out there with them, so it’s good to be back. This organisation is world-class, they treat us very well, and I love being here because Connecticut is just a chill vibe,” Jones said to the Hartford Courant.

“I think our ceiling is as high as we want it to go,” she said. “I think we can be a very successful team, but it all comes down to how we mesh on the floor and how we’re able to problem solve as we hit adversity. I know that we’re going to be a good team.”

Without Jones last season, the Sun went 10-12 and advanced to the WNBA Semifinals. She returned to the Sun on Wednesday following her completion of COVID-19 protocols.

“Definitely when the team started to make that late playoff push, I wanted to be there. If I could have said, ‘Take me back for the rest for the playoffs and let me play,’ I would have done that for sure. I definitely wanted to be there, seeing how close the team was and understanding that we have a team that can compete for championships,” Jones said.

“Chemistry is just such a fickle thing, it can be quick, it can be a little bit slower. A lot of us know the plays, and we’re familiar with the sets and stuff like that. It’s just more about understanding tendencies and the things that people prefer to do on the court. I think that’ll take a little bit more time, but I think we have the hardest part down.”

The Sun will make their home debut at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on May 16 in a matchup with the Phoenix Mercury. It will mark the Sun’s first game in their home area since the 2019 WNBA Finals.

The Sun schedule will include 32 games - 16 on the road and 16 at Mohegan Sun Arena which features a month-long break between mid-July and mid-August while players will participate in the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

In the 2019 WNBA season, Jones was named to the All-WNBA Second Team, the All-Defensive Team and an All-Star for the second time.

The Sun advanced to the Eastern Conference final before they were eliminated by the Las Vegas Aces.

She signed a multi-year contract with the Sun in February as the league’s free agency period commenced.

“Personally I always feel like people underestimate me. For the things that I’ve been able to do in the league, I just don’t feel like there’s enough respect behind my name, and so I’m coming into the season definitely trying to prove something, especially because I sat out last year,” Jones said.

Jones’ extended offseason included three championship titles with the UMMC Ekaterinburg Foxes in Russia.

They became the champion of Russia for the fifteenth time in club history, and for the thirteenth consecutive season. The Foxes’ season of milestones also included the RFB Super Cup and their sixth FIBA Women’s Euroleague title.

The Foxes roster also included Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury), Breanna Stewart (Seattle Storm) and Courtney Vandersloot (Chicago Sky).

“We didn’t lose a game, so I don’t think you can do too much better from that standpoint,” Jones said. “I just worked on a lot of things and was able to sharpen myself playing against the best players every day in practice, playing with them on the court.”