“It was obviously a tough decision to let Le’Coe go somewhere else, but from a basketball and financial standpoint for her, it makes sense,” Sun head coach Mike Thibault said. “She will have the opportunity to play a lot more minutes with a guaranteed contract in Phoenix. We just couldn’t justify matching the contract. She has been an important part of our success, but sometimes there are players that need to make a move for the long term. We wish her success.”

The 6-foot Willingham, a restricted free agent this offseason, was signed by the Sun to a free agent contract on April 25, 2004. In her four seasons in Connecticut, Willingham played in 98 games with five starts, all of during the 2007 season. She averaged 2.2 points two rebounds per game with the Sun.

The Connecticut Sun will open its sixth season of play on May 17th by hosting the Atlanta Dream in Mohegan Sun Arena. Season tickets and mini-plans are on sale now and can be reserved by calling a Sun Ticket Representative at 1.877.SUN.TIXX (786-8499).