THE Connecticut Sun announced Tuesday that the former UConn women’s basketball come out Morgane Tuck was promoted to general manager after two years as assistant general manager under former general manager Darius Taylor.
Tuck has been with the Sun since May 2021, when she was hired as director of franchise development, and she was promoted to the additional position of assistant general manager in November 2022. After helping UConn win four championships consecutive NCAA titles during his collegiate career. , Tuck was drafted No. 3 overall in the 2016 WNBA Draft by the Sun and played for the franchise until 2019. She was traded to the Seattle Storm in 2020 and helped the franchise to a WNBA championship before retire at the end of the season.
“I am honored and excited to take on this new role at The Sun,” Tuck said in a statement. “Being able to be a part of this organization in various roles has prepared me for this moment, and I am extremely appreciative of the guidance and support I have received from our staff and ownership group.” This is an exciting time for the Sun, and I look forward to working alongside our coaching staff, players and front office to continue the quest for our first championship. I look forward to this new chapter and the challenges ahead, as we aim to maintain a winning culture and create lasting memories for our fans.
Taylor, who was hired as general manager in 2022 alongside former head coach Stephanie White, will remain a part of the front office with Tuck’s promotion. He assumes a new role as Chief Basketball Strategist and Director of Scouting, where he will be responsible for providing strategic recommendations regarding upcoming expansion plans, free agency, roster management and research of talent.
“I want to recognize the tremendous work Darius Taylor has done as CEO over the past two years,” Sun President Jen Rizzotti said in a statement. “Darius is well respected in our industry, and you won’t find many with his extensive experience in women’s basketball. This move will allow Darius to continue to leverage this expertise and work alongside Morgan to shape the long-term direction of our team and overall basketball operations.
One of Tuck’s first tasks will likely be to hire a new head coach to replace White, who parted ways with the Sun to accept the head coaching job with the Indiana Fever in early November. Six teams have made coaching changes after the 2024 season, and Connecticut is one of three teams that have yet to make a hire alongside the Washington Mystics and Dallas Wings. Assistant coach Austin Kelly also joins White’s Indiana staff.
The Sun roster is in a tumultuous position heading into 2025, starting with the first expansion draft since 2008 for the Golden State Valkyries. Each team submitted a list of six protected players ahead of Friday’s draft, and the Valkyries will be able to choose from the remaining available pool, excluding unrestricted free agents who are not eligible for a baseline designation. Connecticut can protect most of its key pieces, but will likely have to leave one of Veronica Burton, Olivia Nelson-Ododa or Laila Lacan’s 2024 first-round draft selections available for Golden State.
Connecticut has five players in unrestricted free agency in 2025, including its All-Star trio of Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner and Brionna Jones. Thomas is the only one eligible for a base designation, and the Sun will face an uphill battle to retain Jones and Bonner as other franchises invest heavily in resources such as training facilities and player services. The team also doesn’t have a 2025 first-round pick after trading him to the Chicago Sky to acquire Marina Mabrey in July.
