In the Connecticut Sun’s recent matchup against the Washington Mystics, Head Coach Rachid Meziane was absent due to illness. In light of this, Associate Head Coach Roneeka Hodges was called up to lead this group. Not only did she step up to the challenge, but she did so effortlessly.
Hodges led this team to its first back-to-back win this season with a 68-57 victory over the Washington Mystics on June 26. There were a number of reasons the Sun wouldn’t come out on top: injuries, illnesses, rebuilding — the list goes on. Despite this, Hodges powered through, and it wasn’t just luck that got her a win.
What Was Roneeka Hodges’ Gameplan?
Hodges came into Friday’s game with a clear, set plan. Rather than harping on the positives from Tuesday’s win against the Chicago Sky, she knew to only look forward.
“It’s a chance for us to build off the win that we had last game versus Chicago, and I would like to see how well our defense can fill our offense,” Hodges said in a pre-game press conference.
She remarked her goals for their matchup against the Mystics to be “play[ing] good basketball for 40 minutes and trying to see if we can close out this game”. This comes after several losses for the Sun this year that were a result of tight basketball for three quarters, all to just fall apart – but not this one.
Don’t be fooled, this game wasn’t a completely linear win for the Sun. The crowd’s nervousness set in when it started to look as though it was going to end like many Sun games this season. With just seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the Mystics were able to take the lead, but it was their last time doing so.
Instead of a fourth-quarter crumble, it became a fourth-quarter victory. Sun center Olivia Nelson-Ododa discussed how this team was adjusting their mindset this time around.
“Just be smart, be confident, trust yourself, trust yourself, trust your teammates, and keep your composure,” Nelson-Ododa said post-game. “I think those are things they’ve been hounding us on, especially those winnable games. I’m glad to just see it start coming together that way.”
Hodges Thrived Throughout the Game
Much of this also had to do with the mentality that Hodges was setting for her players. In moments of struggle, she kept them on track through her own sense of composure. Her overall great performance as head coach wasn’t just during times of desperation, but the entire game itself.
Going up to get players into the game as opposed to calling them over is just one key detail. This, along with showing a clear court vision with her eyes locked in on the action, set a tone for this entire matchup. She was determined, and if you couldn’t hear it, you could see it.
This is a coach that, in a short amount of time, showed the professionalism it takes to turn a team like the Connecticut Sun around.
“We’ve been in this situation so many times this season where we have played well for spurts during the game and established leads and didn’t do a good job of closing,” Hodges said post-game. “I think today we locked in, we were focused, and we did a good job of closing, and we found some success.”
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