Aneesah Morrow’s – Aneesah Morrow says her second offseason was built in the gym, and her numbers have followed: career highs, league-leading double-doubles, and a standout performance in Connecticut’s June 2 loss-and-learn moment. With Brittney Griner in the mix and support fro
For Aneesah Morrow, the change from Year 1 to Year 2 didn’t arrive as a speech. It arrived as routine—time in the gym, fewer distractions, and a clearer demand on her own body to produce.
The Connecticut Sun forward is now in the middle of that transformation. and it showed in a way fans could measure. During the Sun’s June 2 game against the Atlanta Dream. by halftime Morrow already had 11 points and eight rebounds—power that came from minutes where she fought for positioning. pulled up. jab-stepped and drove to the lane. then elevated early and often on the glass.
Morrow’s jump is also visible in the league-wide conversation around her. She currently leads the WNBA in double-doubles with eight. is ranked fourth in rebounds per matchup. and is posting career highs in multiple categories. including points (12.7 points per game). rebounds (10.4 rebounds per game). and field goal percentage (43.2).
In that second-year version of herself, she’s not just chasing stats. She frames her approach as sacrifice, and she credits the foundation for that mindset to her family. “It takes a lot of sacrifice when you wanna become successful and great. and this offseason. I spent a lot of time in the gym. ” Morrow told Sports Seriously.
She said the work carried through the summer. with her family providing the kind of support that made the grind feel sustainable. “I feel like I needed that throughout this summer. and (my family) just being there to support me throughout the process while I’m in the gym and the sacrifices that I was taking — I feel like right now I’m just super light. just focused on basketball. And I have the greatest support system ever.”.
That support traces back to the lessons she says she learned growing up. Morrow credits Edward Morrow and Nafeesah Morrow for instilling discipline and sacrifice. Edward Morrow played football at Nebraska and was a member of the Cornhuskers’ 1994 national championship team. Nafeesah Morrow, a women’s basketball athlete, helped Nebraska to the first NCAA Tournament win in school history in 1993.
As a college player at LSU, Morrow’s production was already hard to ignore. During her senior season with the LSU Tigers. she won the Katrina McClain award—given annually to the nation’s best women’s basketball power forward. The 6-foot-1 forward finished her final year leading the nation in rebounds at 13.5 rebounds per game and double-doubles with 30. She was also the Tigers’ leading scorer with 18.7 points per game.
That résumé helped push her into the first round of the 2025 WNBA Draft, where the Connecticut Sun selected her with the seventh overall pick. But the early adjustment was real. She started 23 games her rookie season, yet her output didn’t match the college dominance many expected.
Morrow averaged 7.7 points per matchup and 6.9 rebounds as a rookie, and she shot 37.5% from the field—an early shift away from the 47% she averaged in college.
Teammates noticed the reset coming. “When you come into your rookie season. you’re trying to make your mark. but I don’t think it’s as easy as people make it seem. So I think, coming in the second year, after you have a year under your belt. It’s easy to be like, ‘OK, I wanna do better than I did last season. I wanna prove myself even more,’” said Saniya Rivers, who plays alongside Morrow in Connecticut.
Her offseason wasn’t only about training that sounded familiar—it included additional competition. Morrow spent time playing in Athletes Unlimited (AU). a professional women’s basketball league in which 40 players compete in an individualized points-based format. Over the four-week league, she finished with eight double-doubles and ranked second in the overall points system.
Atlanta Dream guard Te-Hina Paopao. who faced Morrow at AU and in college during multiple South Carolina and LSU battles. put the focus on what shows up on the court. “She’s just a hard worker,” Paopao said ahead of a June 2 matchup against the Sun. “She’s gonna get in the paint, get the rebound, and no matter what, she’s gonna get that ball.”.
In Connecticut’s second-year leap, rebounding has become more than a stat line—it’s a momentum engine. Morrow says she understands that the work in the paint is what gives her opportunities to keep creating. “I just know that I gotta go up in there, and I gotta work hard. That’s as simple as it is,” Morrow said. “Rebounding is sacrifice, and it’s unselfish.”.
There’s another layer to her development, too: the connections she says she’s building inside the locker room as the season has gone on.
Ahead of the 2026 season, Connecticut signed Brittney Griner, a 2014 WNBA champion and 10-time All-Star. Morrow called the addition a turning point for her day-to-day routine and mental approach. “(Griner’s) a great leader. She’s a great role model when it comes down to just being on the floor and just being able to accomplish a lot of things. too. ” Morrow said. “Also, she is very open to receiving criticism from her young rookies as well. So I appreciate her for that because I wanna hold her accountable the same way she holds me accountable.”.
Rivers, who was drafted one pick behind Morrow in 2025, described their relationship as closer than ever. When asked by Sports Seriously to talk about her “favorite topic. ” Rivers said she and Morrow have grown closer this year. often spending time watching TV together. grabbing food. and making TikTiks. Rivers said she’s proud of Morrow’s accomplishments and “blessed” to call her a friend.
“Once (Aneesah) muted the noise in the outside world, I think it was easier for her to make a shift on the basketball court,” Rivers said.
Rivers added that making basketball a priority changed the way Morrow performs. “She made basketball a priority for herself. I think everybody does (the) same thing. You put things over things that probably aren’t the most important. and I think it forces you to not perform well in areas that you need to. So I think her confidence has just grown by prioritizing what she needs to prioritize. to put (it in) simple terms.”.
The throughline in Morrow’s season is clear in the facts that keep repeating: she spent the offseason focusing on basketball. she produced in Athletes Unlimited with eight double-doubles over four weeks. and she’s now leading the WNBA in double-doubles while climbing into career highs. Her rebounding—where she says she’s willing to go up and work harder—has turned into the kind of physical insistence that shows up early. too.
On Friday, Morrow continues that push during her sophomore season. Connecticut travels to play the Chicago Sky at the United Center at 7:30 p.m. ET on ION.
The Sun are also trying to bounce back. They’re looking to get back in the win column after their 91-75 loss to Atlanta, and Morrow will aim to add to her league-leading double-double streak.
The intensity around her is something opposing coaches have begun to notice. Dream coach Karl Smesko described Morrow as a constant problem to solve. “She’s relentless. She goes every time. She doesn’t pick and choose,” he said. “She is going every time, and you have to put a body on her.”
Aneesah Morrow Connecticut Sun WNBA Paige Bueckers on Sports Seriously Saniya Rivers Brittney Griner Athletes Unlimited Atlanta Dream Chicago Sky Karl Smesko WNBA draft 2025 second year leap