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NEW YORK, N.Y. — The Connecticut Sun entered the 2025 WNBA Draft in the midst of a massive rebuild after losing its entire starting lineup in free agency, and the team took the next step in that process Monday by adding a trio of rookie draftees to the roster.
The Sun picked back-to-back in the first round at No. 7 and No. 8 for the first time since 2016, when they selected former UConn star Morgan Tuck and current Chicago Sky guard Rachel Banham at No. 3 and No. 4. Tuck is now in her first year as general manager of the Sun, and she selected a pair of promising college stars with her first picks at the helm of Connecticut’s war room. The Sun took LSU forward Aneesah Morrow with the No. 7 pick and NC State guard Saniya Rivers with the No. 8 pick.
Tuck, alongside first-year head coach Rachid Meziane, completed her first draft class by selecting USC center Rayah Marshall with the last pick in the second round. Players will report for training camp on April 27, and the Sun play their first preseason game on the road against the Seattle Storm on May 4.
Morrow, a 6-foot-1 forward, is a familiar face for UConn fans after she began her college career in the Big East at DePaul. Morrow was an instant phenom, earning Big East Freshman of the Year in 2022, and she was an All-American in both of her two seasons with the Blue Demons. She transferred to LSU in 2023 and played behind 2024 first-round draft pick Angel Reese before emerging as a centerpiece for the Tigers in 2024-25. She was named a first-team All-American by the USBWA for the first time and won the Katrina McClain Award for the nation’s best power forward after averaging 18.7 points and 13.5 rebounds plus 2.5 steals per game. Morrow helped lead LSU to its third consecutive berth in the Elite Eight and finished her college career with 104 double-doubles, making her just the second player in NCAA history to surpass 100.
Morrow comes to Connecticut with the potential to replace franchise superstar Alyssa Thomas, who was cored and traded to the Phoenix Mercury this offseason after 11 years with the Sun. Thomas holds the WNBA record for triple-doubles in a career and a single season by huge margins, and Morrow said she has long looked up to Thomas as another smaller post player with elite rebounding ability.
“I always watch AT. She’s undersized, but she holds her own. She doesn’t take no s— from nobody,” Morrow said. “She can defend almost every position, and that’s hard. You have to know and have the skill to do that. You have to know who you’re guarding. You have to know your scouting report, and she’s very productive with that.”
Rivers, a 6-foot-1 guard, transferred to NC State after seeing limited minutes in her freshman year at South Carolina and blossomed in three years with the Wolfpack. She averaged 11.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks in her senior season, also shooting 41.9% from the field and a career-best 27.2% from 3-point range. Rivers AWARDS.
Rivers’s skillset is somewhat raw especially on the offensive end, but her athleticism could be a game-changer for the Sun if she’s able to harness it at the WNBA level. Because of her size, Rivers is capable of defending multiple positions at an elite level and should be able to handle the increased physicality of the professional game. Her downhill ability also serves as a strong complement to sharpshooter Marina Mabrey, who will likely be the centerpiece of Connecticut’s offense in 2024.
Morrow’s LSU squad ended NC State’s season in 2025 with an 80-73 win in the Sweet 16, and Rivers said that matchup makes her excited to team up with the former Tigers star in Uncasville.
“That’s my dog. I’m so happy to be playing with her, because I was literally telling people playing against her in the W is going to be so tough,” Rivers said. “I literally had to guard her in the Sweet 16 and I was just like, uh-uh. We’re not doing that … She has that dog mentality and she’s just a great person on and off the court, a great teammate. I’ve seen her be a great teammate to others. So I’m looking forward to playing alongside her and growing together, and we’re going to make some noise for sure.”
Marshall is another familiar face for UConn fans after the Huskies faced USC for a second straight season in the Elite Eight during the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Marshall took on a reduced role this season after the Trojans added star forward Kiki Iriafen — the No. 4 pick in Monday’s draft — in the transfer portal, but she averaged a double-double with 10.2 poitns and 10.5 rebounds in 2023-24. Marshall was a defensive stalwart for USC in her senior season averaging a team-leading 2.1 blocks per game plus 1.2 steals on top of her 7.9 points and 8.4 rebounds.
At 6-foot-4, Marshall provides some much-needed size for the Sun after losing 6-4 guard DeWanna Bonner and 6-3 forward Brionna Jones in free agency. She also fits perfectly with the defense-first mentality that Connecticut has often maintained as a franchise, joining a squad that ranked first in the league in defensive rating last season.
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The Sun picked back-to-back in the first round at No. 7 and No. 8 for the first time since 2016, when they selected former UConn star Morgan Tuck and current Chicago Sky guard Rachel Banham at No. 3 and No. 4. Tuck is now in her first year as general manager of the Sun, and she selected a pair of promising college stars with her first picks at the helm of Connecticut’s war room. The Sun took LSU forward Aneesah Morrow with the No. 7 pick and NC State guard Saniya Rivers with the No. 8 pick.
Tuck, alongside first-year head coach Rachid Meziane, completed her first draft class by selecting USC center Rayah Marshall with the last pick in the second round. Players will report for training camp on April 27, and the Sun play their first preseason game on the road against the Seattle Storm on May 4.
No. 7: Aneesah Morrow, forward, LSU
Morrow, a 6-foot-1 forward, is a familiar face for UConn fans after she began her college career in the Big East at DePaul. Morrow was an instant phenom, earning Big East Freshman of the Year in 2022, and she was an All-American in both of her two seasons with the Blue Demons. She transferred to LSU in 2023 and played behind 2024 first-round draft pick Angel Reese before emerging as a centerpiece for the Tigers in 2024-25. She was named a first-team All-American by the USBWA for the first time and won the Katrina McClain Award for the nation’s best power forward after averaging 18.7 points and 13.5 rebounds plus 2.5 steals per game. Morrow helped lead LSU to its third consecutive berth in the Elite Eight and finished her college career with 104 double-doubles, making her just the second player in NCAA history to surpass 100.
Morrow comes to Connecticut with the potential to replace franchise superstar Alyssa Thomas, who was cored and traded to the Phoenix Mercury this offseason after 11 years with the Sun. Thomas holds the WNBA record for triple-doubles in a career and a single season by huge margins, and Morrow said she has long looked up to Thomas as another smaller post player with elite rebounding ability.
“I always watch AT. She’s undersized, but she holds her own. She doesn’t take no s— from nobody,” Morrow said. “She can defend almost every position, and that’s hard. You have to know and have the skill to do that. You have to know who you’re guarding. You have to know your scouting report, and she’s very productive with that.”
No. 8: Saniya Rivers, guard, NC State
Rivers, a 6-foot-1 guard, transferred to NC State after seeing limited minutes in her freshman year at South Carolina and blossomed in three years with the Wolfpack. She averaged 11.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks in her senior season, also shooting 41.9% from the field and a career-best 27.2% from 3-point range. Rivers AWARDS.
Rivers’s skillset is somewhat raw especially on the offensive end, but her athleticism could be a game-changer for the Sun if she’s able to harness it at the WNBA level. Because of her size, Rivers is capable of defending multiple positions at an elite level and should be able to handle the increased physicality of the professional game. Her downhill ability also serves as a strong complement to sharpshooter Marina Mabrey, who will likely be the centerpiece of Connecticut’s offense in 2024.
Morrow’s LSU squad ended NC State’s season in 2025 with an 80-73 win in the Sweet 16, and Rivers said that matchup makes her excited to team up with the former Tigers star in Uncasville.
“That’s my dog. I’m so happy to be playing with her, because I was literally telling people playing against her in the W is going to be so tough,” Rivers said. “I literally had to guard her in the Sweet 16 and I was just like, uh-uh. We’re not doing that … She has that dog mentality and she’s just a great person on and off the court, a great teammate. I’ve seen her be a great teammate to others. So I’m looking forward to playing alongside her and growing together, and we’re going to make some noise for sure.”
No. 25: Rayah Marshall, forward, USC
Marshall is another familiar face for UConn fans after the Huskies faced USC for a second straight season in the Elite Eight during the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Marshall took on a reduced role this season after the Trojans added star forward Kiki Iriafen — the No. 4 pick in Monday’s draft — in the transfer portal, but she averaged a double-double with 10.2 poitns and 10.5 rebounds in 2023-24. Marshall was a defensive stalwart for USC in her senior season averaging a team-leading 2.1 blocks per game plus 1.2 steals on top of her 7.9 points and 8.4 rebounds.
At 6-foot-4, Marshall provides some much-needed size for the Sun after losing 6-4 guard DeWanna Bonner and 6-3 forward Brionna Jones in free agency. She also fits perfectly with the defense-first mentality that Connecticut has often maintained as a franchise, joining a squad that ranked first in the league in defensive rating last season.
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