Although the Connecticut Sun was able to win its first two Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) preseason games, the absence of 6’6” forward Jonquel Jones continues to loom over the team.
The Sun knocked off the Los Angeles Sparks 68-65 on Monday, cruised to a 79-58 win over the Dallas Wings on Tuesday, and will play its final preseason contest on Friday against the Las Vegas Aces, formally the San Antonio Stars.
The Sun begin the regular season on the road against the Washington Mystics on May 22.
Team coach and general manager Curt Miller said, the fact there is still no timetable in place for Jones’ return to the team is concerning, seeing that the regular season is right around the corner.
“She’s still at home taking care of some family stuff and a family situation that she’s going through and also finishing up paperwork,” Miller said.
“We’re staying patient, but supportive, and we’re disappointed with the amount of reps she’s missing, but she will get here as soon as she can.”
One of the people missing Jones the most is frontcourt mate Chiney Ogwumike, who has taken on a brunt of the rebounding load.
“In the first game we gave up a lot of offensive rebounds, but it’s just a matter of timing,” she said.
“We were also a little bit off on defense and were being a little nice.”
The Sun gave up 15 offensive boards to the Sparks and were outrebounded, 39-36.
Jones was dominant on the glass last season, setting a WNBA single-season record with 403 total rebounds, 280 defensive rebounds and 11.9 rebounds per game. She also finished with a 15.4 point per game average.
She spent the offseason playing in the Chinese Women’s Basketball Association (CBWA). In 33 games, Jones averaged 28.8 points and 18.3 rebounds per game for Xing Rui.
