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Connecticut Sun rising star DiJonai Carrington sounds off on upcoming season and issues surrounding WNBA

Carrington is entering her second year in the WNBA with the Connecticut Sun.

MONTVILLE, Conn. — The 2022 WNBA Season is around the corner, which means it's another opportunity for Connecticut Sun guard/forward DiJonai Carrington to further make an impact in her young and promising career.

Carrington was selected 20th overall in the 2021 WNBA Draft out of Baylor and finished her rookie season with 68 points, 47 rebounds, 12 assists, and 13 steals. 

She said there are many aspects to her game she wants to improve on. 

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"My decision making, coming off-screen especially, knowing when to get my own sho, knowing when to get a re-screen, knowing when to advance the ball,  hit the pocket, just knowing when to make the right decision," said Carrington. "I think now I'm really able to read what the offense is doing. It's just repetition."

The 24-year-old even set a few goals for herself by the end of the season. 

"I wanna win a championship, that's number one," said Carrington. "I want to have a positive assist to turnover ratio and a positive steals to turnover ratio, that's my goal, write it down, at the end of the season we're gonna circle back and at the end of the season we'll see."

Carrington also sounded off on topics surrounding the WNBA, including those who don't give the WNBA its due respect. 

"The only people who honestly talk down on 'The W' or women's sports are non-athletes," said Carrington. "You don't see the NBA bad-mouthing the WNBA because they know the elite level that we play at." 

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The WNBA has also been subject to talks of expansion with a limited draft selection and player salary raises as WNBA players balance their time playing in the U.S. and overseas.

Her teammate, reigning WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones, played in Russia in the off-season. Carrington said changes must be made on both fronts. 

"It's so tough to make a team and stick on a roster for an entire season, so definitely expansion needs to happen and I'm hoping it happens sooner than later," said Carrington. "A lot of players make more money overseas so that's a selling point."

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UConn fans may know Carrington from her days at Baylor, wherein the Elite 8, was given a "no-call" on a contested shot she put up that could've potentially won Baylor the game.

The no-call was heavily debated after the game, but Carrington expressed no hard feelings toward the Huskies. She did admit she was rooting for South Carolina in the NCAA Championship game for other reasons. 

"I wasn't personally rooting for either team," she said. "I always love to see black women thriving and Dawn Staley being the head coach of South Carolina, I love to see that success, so if I had to pick someone I was rooting for it'd have to be her."

Carrington said in her free time she doesn't do much around Connecticut besides hanging out with her teammates but said she'd love to head down to the shore once the weather warms up.

Carrington and the rest of the Connecticut Sun will be in action starting May 7. If you'd like to buy tickets click here

Daniel Dashefsky is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at ddashefsky@fox61.com.

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