UNCASVILLE, Conn. (June 2, 2015) – The Connecticut Sun announced today it has suspended veteran guard Allison Hightower and waived forward Kelsey Griffin.
Hightower played just 35 games over the last two seasons because of injuries, and was sidelined throughout training camp following arthroscopic knee surgery in Israel this past March.
Selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft out of LSU, Hightower appeared in 115 games for the Sun over five seasons, averaging 6.2 points with 189 assists and a 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio. In 2013, she averaged 12.8 points while earning All Star recognition.
But Hightower missed the last 13 games of the 2013 season with a right knee strain, and then was forced to miss 20 games in 2014 – including the last 16 of the season – with a strained left knee.
Griffin underwent season-ending arthroscopic surgery on her left hip last Friday, an operation that resulted in a micro-fracture procedure. The recovery time is at least three months.
“The loss of Ally and Kelsey are significant for this young team,” Sun Vice President and General Manager Chris Sienko said. “However, we look forward to Allison’s return next season, and are confident we can re-sign Kelsey, who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.”
Earlier in the week, the Connecticut Sun also waived Ka-Deidre Simmons
The Connecticut Sun open the 2015 regular season on June 5th, hosting the Washington Mystics at 7 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena.