UNCASVILLE, Conn. (March 27, 2003) -- The Connecticut Sun, the first independently-owned and operated WNBA franchise, revealed their new logo and colors today and conducted a teleconference to announce the hiring of Bernadette Mattox and Scott Hawk, the franchise’s first assistant coaches.

"The experience, enthusiasm and coaching abilities that Bernadette Mattox and Scott Hawk bring to the team will be invaluable to our athletes as we strive to bring the best professional basketball experience to Connecticut, “ said Chris Sienko, general manager of the Connecticut Sun. “Opening day is fast approaching and we’re moving ahead with season ticket sales, announcing exhibition games and now have a logo that fans throughout the region will wear with pride for years to come.”

The Connecticut Sun logo features a fiery orange sunburst, a WNBA basketball and a blue ribbon with four white semicircular domes, which is a modern interpretation of an ancient Mohegan symbol and represents the four corners of the earth under the sky dome. The Connecticut Sun partnered with NBA Entertainment and Essex, CT-based integrated brand and marketing agency Outthink to create the logo. Numerous designs were developed with the focus on simplicity, imagery and inclusion of a Mohegan Tribal symbol.

The Connecticut Sun will incorporate the colors of the logo in its uniforms, which are set to be unveiled prior to the season. Season ticket holders will each receive an official Connecticut Sun t-shirt as part of their season ticket purchase. Official team merchandise will soon be available at retail locations within Mohegan Sun.

Connecticut Sun Assistant Coaching Staff

Mattox

Bernadette Mattox, 43, has 18 years of Division I and international level coaching experience including the past eight seasons as head coach of the University of Kentucky women’s team. Mattox will come on board with the Connecticut Sun full time immediately. Mattox was named the first female Division I assistant bench coach for a men’s team in 1990 and spent four years with Coach Rick Pitino and the Wildcats, including an NCAA Final Four appearance in 1993. During her four seasons, the team also amassed an impressive 108 –24 record.

Mattox graduated from the University of Georgia, where she was an outstanding player, earning the school's first All-American player designation. After graduating she spent five years as an assistant and top recruiter to coach Andy Landers and two years as a graduate assistant. Mattox currently resides in Lexington, Kentucky and will move to the area with her husband and son.

Hawk

Scott Hawk, 46, brings more than 20 years of coaching experience in men’s and women’s basketball to the Connecticut Sun. For the past 13 years he has served as the Director of the Omaha Crusaders, a 501 C3 non-profit corporation created to benefit young people of Nebraska and Western Iowa and the parent organization of one of the largest high school summer basketball programs in Nebraska.

Since 1980, Hawk has served as a teacher, head coach and assistant basketball coach in top high school programs in Omaha including his alma mater Omaha Creighton Prepatory High School, Plattsmouth High School, Omaha Cathedral High School and Bellevue West High School. His coaching record includes two Nebraska State Championship titles and coach of the year awards. Hawk expects to earn a masters in educational technology from Lesley University this November and earned a bachelor of science from University of Nebraska (Omaha). Hawk will join the team immediately. He currently resides in Omaha and will move to the area with his wife and two daughters.

The Connecticut Sun will feature players from the former Orlando Miracle roster, including University of Connecticut star Nykesha Sales. Other stars include guard Shannon “Pee Wee” Johnson, a perennial WNBA all-star, and former Purdue all-star guard Katie Douglas. The team recently announced signing Mike Thibault as the franchise’s head coach and the acquisition of former UConn star Rebecca Lobo who will return to Connecticut after playing six years in the WNBA for the New York Liberty and the Houston Comets.

The Connecticut Sun will host 16 of the 17 regular-season home games in 2003 in the Mohegan Sun Arena. In addition, the team will play two pre-season games at Mohegan Sun Arena in May. The team will tip-off its inaugural season against the two-time defending WNBA champion Los Angeles Sparks at 4 p.m. EDT on May 24th. The game will be the first of seven Saturday afternoon games aired on the league’s new broadcast partner, ABC. Connecticut’s July game vs. the Charlotte Sting will be at the Hartford Civic Center on July 26 at 7 p.m. EDT.

Season tickets are available at the Mohegan Sun Box office or by calling 877-SUN.TIXX. Individual game tickets for preseason and regular season games will go on sale in April.

The Connecticut Sun joins the WNBA under the league’s new operating model. In October, the NBA Board of Governors voted to restructure the WNBA to allow individual team ownership and non-NBA owners and to allow teams to be located in non-NBA markets. The league will feature 14 teams in 2003, with the Eastern and Western Conferences comprised of seven teams apiece.

Mohegan Sun, owned by The Mohegan Tribe, is one of the largest, most distinctive and spectacular entertainment, gaming, shopping, hotel and meetings destinations in the United States. Situated in scenic Southeastern Connecticut, Mohegan Sun is within easy access of New York, Boston, Hartford and Providence.