The Connecticut Sun announced Tuesday that a former UConn women’s basketball standout has been promoted to general manager after spending two years as assistant general manager under Darius Taylor. She initially joined the Sun in May 2021 as the director of franchise development and later added the assistant GM role in November 2022. After a stellar college career with UConn, where she helped the team win four consecutive NCAA championships, she was selected No. 3 overall in the 2016 WNBA draft by the Sun. She played for the team until 2019 before being traded to the Seattle Storm in 2020, where she contributed to their WNBA championship run before retiring at the end of the season.
“I am honored and excited to take on this new role with the Sun,” she said in a statement. “Being able to be a part of this organization in various roles has prepared me for this moment, and I’m extremely appreciative for the guidance and support that I have received from our staff and ownership group. This is an exciting time for the Sun, and I’m eager to work alongside our coaching staff, players and front office to continue the pursuit of 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 served as general manager since 2022, will stay in the front office following her promotion. He will assume a new role as chief basketball strategist and director of scouting, where he will provide strategic guidance for expansion drafts, free agency, roster management, and talent scouting.
“I want to acknowledge the tremendous work that Darius Taylor has done as our general manager over the past two years,” Sun president Jen Rizzotti said in a statement. “Darius is highly 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 leveraging that expertise and work alongside Morgan to shape the long-term direction of our roster and overall basketball operations.”
One of her first major tasks will likely be hiring a new head coach to replace Stephanie White, who left the Sun to take the head coaching position with the Indiana Fever in early November. With six teams making coaching changes after the 2024 season, Connecticut is one of three teams yet to hire a coach, along with the Washington Mystics and Dallas Wings. Assistant coach Austin Kelly is also joining White’s staff in Indiana. As Connecticut prepares for the 2025 season, the roster faces uncertainty, starting with the first expansion draft since 2008 for the Golden State Valkyries. Teams submitted their protected player lists ahead of Friday’s draft, and the Valkyries will choose from the remaining unprotected players, excluding unrestricted free agents not eligible for a core designation.
Connecticut can protect most of its key players but will likely need to leave one of Veronica Burton, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, or 2024 first-round pick Laila Lacan available for the Valkyries. The Sun also has five players hitting 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 core designation, and Connecticut will face challenges retaining Jones and Bonner, as other teams invest heavily in player resources. Additionally, the team traded its 2025 first-round draft pick to the Chicago Sky in July to acquire Marina Mabrey.
At the center of these changes and challenges stands “Morgan Tuck,” now positioned to lead the franchise as its new general manager.
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