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The Rep-Am did a nice article on Kaleena today. Thought I'd share it with you:
WNBA
Mosqueda-Lewis quickly rediscovers her touch
Ex-UConn sharpshooter gives Sun outside option
BY ROGER CLEAVELAND
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
“KALEENA PROVIDES SUCH GREAT SPACING FOR US. ... EVERYTHING IS SMOOTH WHEN KALEENA IS ON THE FLOOR.”
CURT MILLER, CONNECTICUT SUN COACH ON FORMER UCONN STAR KALEENA MOSQUEDA-LEWIS.
During the first surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rims were taken down on the outdoor basketball courts near Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis’ home to discourage people from playing pickup games.
She was able to work out plenty because her parents have a nice weight room in their garage to which she added a Peloton stationary bike to get in plenty of conditioning. It was working on the actual basketball part of her game that was difficult.
On the first day of WNBA training camp with the Connecticut Sun at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., last week, she could feel the effects of the layoff as her shot was a little bit off.
By the second day, however, the smooth effortless stroke that made Mosqueda Lewis the all-time leader in 3-point baskets made at UConn found its rhythm again.
“It is better than what I
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis
ASSOCIATED PRESS
thought it was going to be,” Mosqueda-Lewis said on a Zoom call with media. “It is still good. It is always different practicing and getting up game-like shots. The first day was a little rough, but now that we are into our third practice it has gotten better and better, and I think it is good. For me it is just a matter of repetition. It is just like riding a bike at this point.”
“Still deadly,” Alyssa Thomas happily added off to the side, out of camera range.
That sentiment is exactly what everyone on the Sun hopes will come to fruition when the team starts competing for real July 26 against Minnesota to open what will be a 22-game regular season played all in Florida.
The team had its star player, Jonquel Jones, opt out of playing this season due to COVID-19 concerns over playing in the IMG bubble. The Sun also had two players – Briann January and Natisha Hiedeman – test positive for the coronavirus, so a lot is expected out of Mosqueda-Lewis, the former No. 3 overall pick for Seattle in the 2015 draft.
In order to sign its core players like Jones, Thomas and Jasmine Thomas as well as sign the premier free agent this past offseason in DeWanna Bonner from Phoenix, the Sun had to let a few of the key players from last year’s WNBA Finals runner- up team leave due to salary cap constraints.
With starters Courtney Williams and Shekinna Strickland moving, along with key reserve Morgan Tuck, the Sun needed someone to score more points, especially from the perimeter. That allows the team to open up the lane for Bonner, Alyssa Thomas and Brionna Jones.
“Kaleena provides such great spacing for us,” Coach Curt Miller said. “We will probably give her more opportunities with the ball in her hands than she had maybe the last couple of years in Seattle. Everything is smooth when Kaleena is on the floor.”
During her five seasons in Seattle, Mosqueda-Lewis averaged just 5.3 points in 12.8 minutes per game. She does, however, still have the prettiest 3-point
shot that Coach Geno Auriemma has ever seen, and if the Sun can find ways to get her open it could pay huge dividends.
“The (Alyssa Thomases) and DeWannas really find her a lot,” Miller said. “She is really talented in transition a lot, too. She is very similar to Shekinna Strictland in that if you don’t find her coming out of transition, she is going to make a three. It is going to be fun coaching Kaleena.
“I think this is a spark to her, a fresh start. I love when I have her on the court right now, especially on the offensive end, because she provides the spacing that I so covet.”
Miller runs the most uptempo offense in the league, creating tremendous balance and plenty of open shots that benefit great shooters.
He says the same things about Mosqueda- Lewis that Auriemma said over and over: “You just never expect her to miss. When she misses a couple of shots you are actually shocked. That is how talented a shooter she is.”
Now it is a matter for the 26-year old, who the Sun acquired for their 2021 second- round draft pick, to prove that she does have more to offer. She was, after all, a two-time All-American who finished her UConn career with 2,178 points and 398 threes, which at time was the NCAA record.
She also won a WNBA championship with the Storm in 2018, and Miller is counting on that valuable experience making her a confident, respected leader.
“I am obviously supposed to bring spacing to the floor and that outside shooting,” Mosqueda-Lewis said. “I need to bring another scoring option and just try to be a spark off the bench as someone who brings energy and knocks down the open shots. I need to open up the lane so Alyssa can bulldoze over people like she usually does. Now having (Bonner) in there, too, I need to open things up so she can kind of drive the lane and create balance.”
WNBA
Mosqueda-Lewis quickly rediscovers her touch
Ex-UConn sharpshooter gives Sun outside option
BY ROGER CLEAVELAND
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
“KALEENA PROVIDES SUCH GREAT SPACING FOR US. ... EVERYTHING IS SMOOTH WHEN KALEENA IS ON THE FLOOR.”
CURT MILLER, CONNECTICUT SUN COACH ON FORMER UCONN STAR KALEENA MOSQUEDA-LEWIS.
During the first surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rims were taken down on the outdoor basketball courts near Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis’ home to discourage people from playing pickup games.
She was able to work out plenty because her parents have a nice weight room in their garage to which she added a Peloton stationary bike to get in plenty of conditioning. It was working on the actual basketball part of her game that was difficult.
On the first day of WNBA training camp with the Connecticut Sun at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., last week, she could feel the effects of the layoff as her shot was a little bit off.
By the second day, however, the smooth effortless stroke that made Mosqueda Lewis the all-time leader in 3-point baskets made at UConn found its rhythm again.
“It is better than what I
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis
ASSOCIATED PRESS
thought it was going to be,” Mosqueda-Lewis said on a Zoom call with media. “It is still good. It is always different practicing and getting up game-like shots. The first day was a little rough, but now that we are into our third practice it has gotten better and better, and I think it is good. For me it is just a matter of repetition. It is just like riding a bike at this point.”
“Still deadly,” Alyssa Thomas happily added off to the side, out of camera range.
That sentiment is exactly what everyone on the Sun hopes will come to fruition when the team starts competing for real July 26 against Minnesota to open what will be a 22-game regular season played all in Florida.
The team had its star player, Jonquel Jones, opt out of playing this season due to COVID-19 concerns over playing in the IMG bubble. The Sun also had two players – Briann January and Natisha Hiedeman – test positive for the coronavirus, so a lot is expected out of Mosqueda-Lewis, the former No. 3 overall pick for Seattle in the 2015 draft.
In order to sign its core players like Jones, Thomas and Jasmine Thomas as well as sign the premier free agent this past offseason in DeWanna Bonner from Phoenix, the Sun had to let a few of the key players from last year’s WNBA Finals runner- up team leave due to salary cap constraints.
With starters Courtney Williams and Shekinna Strickland moving, along with key reserve Morgan Tuck, the Sun needed someone to score more points, especially from the perimeter. That allows the team to open up the lane for Bonner, Alyssa Thomas and Brionna Jones.
“Kaleena provides such great spacing for us,” Coach Curt Miller said. “We will probably give her more opportunities with the ball in her hands than she had maybe the last couple of years in Seattle. Everything is smooth when Kaleena is on the floor.”
During her five seasons in Seattle, Mosqueda-Lewis averaged just 5.3 points in 12.8 minutes per game. She does, however, still have the prettiest 3-point
shot that Coach Geno Auriemma has ever seen, and if the Sun can find ways to get her open it could pay huge dividends.
“The (Alyssa Thomases) and DeWannas really find her a lot,” Miller said. “She is really talented in transition a lot, too. She is very similar to Shekinna Strictland in that if you don’t find her coming out of transition, she is going to make a three. It is going to be fun coaching Kaleena.
“I think this is a spark to her, a fresh start. I love when I have her on the court right now, especially on the offensive end, because she provides the spacing that I so covet.”
Miller runs the most uptempo offense in the league, creating tremendous balance and plenty of open shots that benefit great shooters.
He says the same things about Mosqueda- Lewis that Auriemma said over and over: “You just never expect her to miss. When she misses a couple of shots you are actually shocked. That is how talented a shooter she is.”
Now it is a matter for the 26-year old, who the Sun acquired for their 2021 second- round draft pick, to prove that she does have more to offer. She was, after all, a two-time All-American who finished her UConn career with 2,178 points and 398 threes, which at time was the NCAA record.
She also won a WNBA championship with the Storm in 2018, and Miller is counting on that valuable experience making her a confident, respected leader.
“I am obviously supposed to bring spacing to the floor and that outside shooting,” Mosqueda-Lewis said. “I need to bring another scoring option and just try to be a spark off the bench as someone who brings energy and knocks down the open shots. I need to open up the lane so Alyssa can bulldoze over people like she usually does. Now having (Bonner) in there, too, I need to open things up so she can kind of drive the lane and create balance.”
