Uncasville, CT (Jan. 8, 2021) – The Connecticut Sun announced today Natisha Hiedeman has signed the qualifying offer extended by Head Coach and General Manager Curt Miller.
Per team policy, no details were released.
“Natisha is a fantastic teammate and has been an important spark plug for us,” said Miller. “She has established herself as one of the best young back-up point guards in the league and has a bright future heading into her third year.”
Hiedeman, who has been an integral component to the Sun’s offense off the bench, returns for her third season in the league. Adding relief at the point guard position, she appeared in all 22 regular season games during 2020 and led the team in points and assists coming off the bench. She averaged a career-high 6.1 points per game, tied her career-high in assists averaging 1.9 per game and grabbed a career-high 1.9 rebounds per game. She also scored 45 made field goals on 127 attempts in 22 games which nearly doubled her made field goals recorded in 2019 in 20 games.
In Connecticut’s game against the Phoenix Mercury on Sep. 9, the 5-8 guard posted a career-high 16 points on six field goals made. Not only did she set a career-high in points and field goals this past season, she also set personal bests in total rebounds (7), defensive rebounds (4), offensive rebounds (3), assists (5), steals (2) and minutes (34). During the postseason Hiedeman scored a career-high 14 points in 17 minutes against Las Vegas (9/20). In the same contest she netted four baskets from behind the arc which notched yet another career best.
As a rookie, Hiedeman averaged 3.7 points per game, 1.9 assists per game and 1.5 rebounds per game in 20 contests for the Sun. During the 2019 season, Connecticut battled their way to game five of the WNBA Finals against the Washington Mystics. On their way to the finals, the Sun defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 3-0 in the best of five game series. Hiedeman saw action in seven of the team’s eight playoff matchups and scored a then career-high eight points on two separate occasions.
The highest draft pick to come out of Marquette, Hiedeman was selected 18th overall in the 2019 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx and was traded to the Sun in exchange for Lexie Brown in a draft-day trade.
The Connecticut Sun will gear up for its 19th year in the league in 2021 and also celebrate the WNBA’s 25th anniversary. For additional information or to purchase tickets, visit ConnecticutSun.com.
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