How the Connecticut Sun are approaching the WNBA Draft in Darius Taylor’s first season as general manager

When Connecticut Solar executives and coaches collect in a “warfare room” at Mohegan Solar Area for the WNBA Draft on Monday evening, a brand new face will likely be making the choices.

Basic supervisor Darius Taylor, employed in late November shortly after the announcement of latest head coach Stephanie White, enters his first draft with the franchise. Curt Miller, who served as each head coach and normal supervisor for the Solar for the final seven seasons, departed for the Los Angeles Sparks in October.

Connecticut has made main roster adjustments since then, most notably the departures of stars Jonquel Jones and Jasmine Thomas by way of trades. Some vital new additions embrace Rebecca Allen from the New York Liberty and former UConn stars Tiffany Hayes and Olivia Nelson-Ododa. These strikes go away the Solar with out a first-round choose for simply the second time within the final decade.

The Courant spoke with Darius Taylor in an unique interview about how the Solar are approaching the draft, with subjects starting from what forms of gamers and particular prospects they’re concentrating on to the influence of gamers opting to spend a fifth or sixth 12 months in school and a few potential surprises on draft evening.

“I’m very excited concerning the alternative to maneuver ahead as a company and proceed to be aggressive and compete for championships,” Taylor stated. “We’ve been doing numerous legwork to only have a look at prospects and see who can be good matches. One of many points is gamers are persevering with to drag out of the draft, so it simply form of adjustments your technique. Individuals that you simply suppose could also be there once you choose are in all probability not going to be there, so it’s at all times good to have form of a backup plan and simply be prepared for something that may occur on draft day.”

As Taylor indicated, due to the Solar’s draft place numerous the choices will come right down to who continues to be left on the board. With a lot of the staff already set and really restricted cap area to work with, the most important goal with these picks is filling holes within the roster.

“Bigs that may shoot the ball from the perimeter are at all times a premium, so if there’s any individual like that out within the draft that’s draft eligible, that’s a risk,” Taylor stated. “We acquired fairly good wings and two guards, however at all times gamers that may rating at three ranges I believe is a giant factor as effectively. So if there’s a participant that occurs to be there that may rating at three ranges that we like, you already know, there’s a guard there, we will surely have a look at them as effectively to deliver them in. In order that’s form of the place we’re trying.”

Taylor stated the Solar even have their eye on worldwide gamers that followers may be much less acquainted with than gamers popping out of the NCAA.

“There are just a few on this draft and a pair I believe that may be actually good on this league,” Taylor stated. “I proceed to get emails from brokers telling me about their gamers and who they’ve abroad and who can be good in camp and who can be a very good third spherical choose, so we’re getting fixed data coming in.

“However I might say for us, we’re bigs that may fill a job, whether or not that’s once more capturing from the perimeter, stretching the ground, or some defensive rebounding and rim safety as effectively as a result of shedding JJ (Jonquel Jones) will influence us some, and so if we will discover any individual that may assist by committee fill that void we actually will likely be open to it.”

Taylor attended practices and video games to observe prospects in individual all through the school season and has consumed way more movie main as much as the draft. He was already acquainted with many gamers on this class from his time scouting and recruiting them when he was an assistant coach on the school degree, most not too long ago underneath Daybreak Staley at South Carolina from 2010 to 2015.

Because the draft nears, the Solar have been having conversations prospects over the cellphone and Zoom to get to know them higher and the way they could match into the group.

“We attempt to simply discover out from them how they deal with adversity, we attempt to study lots about their character, we attempt to discover out about their competitiveness, we attempt to learn the way they cope with when issues aren’t going effectively for them or altering their roles,” Taylor stated. “And simply making an attempt to get practical expectations of what they anticipate in a WNBA rookie 12 months, as a result of some persons are very self conscious, some persons are very assured, some persons are clueless and do not know what they’re about to embark on. So it’s at all times good to get a gauge from the gamers.”

Taylor and his workers have additionally had loads of conversations with the school coaches of gamers, folks near their school packages and others within the NCAA recruiting area.

When requested about particular gamers Connecticut is concentrating on, Taylor defined that it’s a troublesome course of due to how a lot fluctuates on a day after day foundation right now of 12 months.

“We’ve interviewed some gamers, some guards particularly like Abby Meyers and Taylor Mikesell and Dara Mabrey,” Taylor stated. “We’ve interviewed guards that may actually shoot the ball, that may rating at three ranges, which have nice basketball IQ. We’ve interviewed a number of the gamers have performed within the Ultimate 4. You simply don’t know who will likely be there. In order a workers we attempt to be practical at who we’re interviewing as a result of, once more, numerous gamers are gone earlier than we even choose.”

The bonus COVID 12 months eligibility makes issues even trickier with what number of gamers have opted to return to highschool, leaving much less choices in the direction of the tip of the draft. That impacts your entire WNBA not simply on this draft, however by way of planning for seasons to return.

“It’s stacks the opposite courses, so ’24 and ’25, they’ll  be numerous expertise in these swimming pools so all people’s reluctant to form of commerce these picks away as a result of we all know how loaded the courses might be,” Taylor stated. “This 12 months’s class, I believe there might be some sleepers. Clearly, I believe the highest is heavy with expertise after which it’s all people else is form of in the identical boat. So it’s all about good match, their dedication to growth and actually simply there being a roster spot obtainable for them.

“So I do know it’s a problem for us all, not simply the W but additionally for these gamers popping out of faculty as a result of there’s no like actual useful resource they will go to to essentially form of determine the place they’re, and even gamers that possibly have been projected to go greater nonetheless determined to return to school. Clearly, I’m positive different there are different elements that play into that with in NIL and issues like that of that nature.”

And talking of trades, Taylor expects some to go down across the league within the coming days.

“I believe there are some groups that also have some strikes to make that they simply haven’t made but for no matter motive,” Taylor stated. “I believe there are groups which have numerous picks that they will’t usher in to camp, or they will deliver them into camp however they don’t have roster spots for them. So I believe there will likely be some motion both on draft day or maybe afterwards. … I do suppose there’ll be some form of motion on draft day for positive.”