New London, CT (November 20, 2025) – On Thursday, November 20, the Connecticut Sun assistant coach Ashlee McGee spoke at a youth leadership conference in New London, Connecticut. The inaugural Youth Empowerment Conference brought together over 200 middle school students from New London, Groton, and Norwich with the goal of inspiring the region’s future leaders by highlighting the accomplishments of current local leaders. The forum featured Ashlee McGee; State Representative Anthony Nolan; former baseball coach and athletic director of UCONN Avery Point Roger Bidwell; 2012 Connecticut High School Assistant Principal of the Year Tiffany Caouette; Community Level Up founder Miles Daniels; and longtime financial adviser Dwayne Stallings. Police Chief Brian Wright served as a panel moderator.

McGee spoke on building a resource where coaches can converse, share experiences, and gain new ideas to help young people be the best versions of themselves on and off the court or field. She stated that she is working with a lot of coaches to continue providing leadership and safe spaces for young people who have shared interests. The resource would operate as an open forum and safe space for people to share like-minded ideas. McGee then spoke about her upbringing and choosing to create positivity within her life through friendships. Below is a quote from her statement:

“I didn’t allow certain situations to define me and I didn’t choose those situations. Some of my family members really struggled with mental health and a little bit of addiction, so I decided that I didn’t want to choose that life. So, I chose something different. I didn’t have a parent that said, “Hey, you have to do these things.’ I just decided I didn’t want that, I didn’t want to be like that, and I didn’t want to live like that. I just did everything the complete opposite of what I saw and what I witnessed. That’s really how I got here in this moment. I really encourage you all to really embrace your friends, [they] can sometimes really be your family and now as an adult, I create my own families. I travel around the world and I’ve got friends and know someone in almost every city. I do that because I always create love around the people that love me for who I am and where I’ve been no matter what. I’m a good person and they’re a good person to me, and it’s a reciprocal relationship [while] being a friendship and a family. Your family doesn’t actually have to be the people that you grew up with, it can be anything that you want. I grew up and created that. So, I just hope that you guys can take that with you no matter what your situation or scenario is. You don’t have to choose that, you can be whatever you want. Just choose to not do those things that you know could potentially hurt you or impact you in a negative way. Choose the positive, choose the light and choose the love,” said McGee.

Established in 2003, the Connecticut Sun is a professional women’s basketball team in the Women’s National Basketball Association that takes residence at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. For more information on the team’s community events and initiatives visit https://sun.wnba.com/community. To purchase season tickets, visit www.connecticutsun.com or call 1-877-SUN-TIXX.

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