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Connecticut Sun waive both 2023 draft picks, including national … – Hartford Courant

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11 months ago

November 5, 2023

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Connecticut Sun head coach talks with player Alex Morris, left, during an exhibition basketball game against the New York Liberty at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (Jessica Hill/Special to the Courant)

Connecticut Sun head coach talks with player Alex Morris during an exhibition basketball game against the New York Liberty at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (Jessica Hill/Special to the Courant)

LSU’s Alexis Morris, right, poses for a photo with commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected by the Connecticut Sun at the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 10, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

LSU’s Alexis Morris arrives at the WNBA basketball draft Monday, April 10, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

LSU’s Alexis Morris during the second half of the NCAA Women’s Final Four championship basketball game against Iowa Sunday, April 2, 2023, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

One month to the day after being selected No. 22 overall in the 2023 WNBA Draft, former national champion LSU guard Alexis Morris was waived by the Connecticut Sun.
Morris and No. 34 overall pick Ashten Prechtel of Stanford were both released following Wednesday’s preseason game with the New York Liberty, along with fellow rookie Diamond Battles, who signed with the Sun after going undrafted out of Georgia.
ROSTER UPDATE: Connecticut Sun Waives Diamond Battles, Alexis Morris and Ashten Prechtel. pic.twitter.com/zEnfyOoKeG
— Connecticut Sun PR (@CTSunPR) May 10, 2023

The team announced the moves following their game with the Liberty at Mohegan Sun Wednesday afternoon, which the Sun won, 63-57.
The rookies saw limited minutes in what turned out to be their first and only appearance with the Sun.
Morris played eight, grabbed three rebounds and finished 0-for-2 from the field. Prechtel played 13 and scored three points on 1-of-6 shooting. Battles played just five minutes and scored two points.
It was the first of two preseason games before the regular season begins on May 19. Rosters must be cut down to 12 players by May 18.
For WNBA draftees, being waived is an unfortunate possibility in the 12-team league, as roster space is limited. According to an article from NBC Sports’ Alex Azzi, an average of 13 of the 36 drafted players over the last five years have been cut prior to the first game of the season.
Welp I just got waived. Thank you Sun nation 😘😘😘
— Steelo (@AlexisMorrisWBB) May 10, 2023

“Welp I just got waived,” a tweet from Morris read at 1:48 p.m. on Wednesday, minutes after the game had come to an end. “Thank you Sun nation.”
Morris averaged 11.4 points and 3.0 assists per game for LSU last season.
“We’re very excited to get a first-round talent in the second round,” Connecticut Sun general manager Darius Taylor said of Morris on draft night. “We look forward to having Alexis come to camp and show us why she’s a champion.”
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