Aaliyah Edwards is Raising the Sun

On August 7th, the Connecticut Sun announced an influential trade late in the season. University of Connecticut Alumni Aaliyah Edwards would be joining the Sun, on the account of Jacy Sheldon joining the Mystics. This was a huge deal for sun fans, as most people were UConn fans themselves and recognize her powerful playing style from her collegiate career. Aaliyah is an amazing player in all aspects of the game, especially offensively.

On Thursday I had the opportunity to attend the Connecticut Sun Vs. Washington Mystics game where Edwards scored 18 points, consisting of 9 rebounds over her 32 minutes on the court. This is impressive as a newcomer late in the season, adjusting to a whole new team, under a different management style.

And not only is she fitting in with the team in their style of play, but also socially. Tina Charles, Sun vet, and first WNBA player to reach 200 double doubles, described her as a knowledgeable player whom even herself could learn a lot from.

Since Edwards has joined the Sun, they have won 4/5 games, the one loss being against 8th in the standings, Indiana Fever.
The Mystics were lucky enough to gain some of the greatest up-and-coming players in college basketball. Just two of four rookies, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, have shown what they can bring to the Mystics, starting a majority of this season’s games.

So, what does this mean for Jacy Sheldon?

ust to soil her start on the team, Sheldon received a right ankle injury, unsure of when she may return. This surely throws a wrench in Jacy’s plans with the team. The staff is content with the young talent they have at the moment and are looking to see where the young rooks can take them.

With Edwards to hopefully stay with the Sun for more of her WNBA career, we could be witnessing the Sun rising from the depths of the standings.