Oct 19, 2023 | Community Relations, Special Events, Sports
All Six Teams are Featured in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 Rankings
UNCASVILLE, CT (October 19, 2023) – The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced that limited tickets remain for the Invesco QQQ Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase on Sunday, December 10, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
All six teams participating in the highly anticipated event are ranked in the recently unveiled Associated Press Preseason Top 25 List, including four of the top six (No. 2 UConn, No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Utah, and No. 6 South Carolina). All three matchups will be televised nationally on ESPN/ESPN 2.
Tickets for the 10th Annual Invesco QQQ Women’s Showcase are on sale via Ticketmaster and at the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office.
Schedule and broadcast information for the Invesco QQQ Women’s Showcase:
Sunday, December 10 (all times ET)
12:00 P.M. – #4 UCLA vs. #18 Florida State (ESPN2)
2:30 P.M. – #5 Utah vs. #6 South Carolina (ESPN)
5:00 P.M. – #2 UConn vs. #16 North Carolina (ESPN)
Credentials for the Invesco QQQ Women’s Showcase are available at hoophall.com/media
ABOUT MOHEGAN SUN ARENA
Mohegan Sun Arena finished 2021 with its first “#1 Indoor Arena” ranking for its capacity in the world according to Pollstar and VenuesNow, ranked among the top 10 venues in the U.S. regardless of size based on ticket sales, and was named “2021 Innovator of the Year” by Celebrity Access for its ViacomCBS residency. In recent years, the “Most Beloved Venue in America” has also been the “#1 Casino Venue in the World,” “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” and a seven – time national award – winner for “Arena of the Year.” For more information on concerts and other great events, visit Mohegan Sun. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711.
ABOUT NAISMITH BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and celebrating the game of basketball at every level—men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches, and contributors—both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits, and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo “Court of Dreams.” Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit hoophall.com, follow @hoophallU or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
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Mar 30, 2023 | Food & Beverage, General News, Special Events, Sports, Sports Betting
The former all-time great for the Huskies will meet & greet with fans on the same night his alma mater takes on Miami for a bid into the Championship game; ESPN’s Gordon Damer is also live inside the Sportsbook from 3:00pm-6:00pm
WHAT: MoheganSunCasino.com, which is Mohegan’s iGaming
platform equipped with hundreds of online casino games, is set to host a special event this Saturday, featuring former Huskies basketball star Charlie Villanueva. Villanueva, an all-time great for UConn who went on to play 11 seasons in the pros, will join fans inside the 11,000 square-foot Mohegan Sun FanDuel Sportsbook for a special meet & greet. The event is scheduled for 5:15pm and this appearance was made possible through Mohegan’s partnership with FanDuel! In addition to Villanueva’s M&G, ESPN’s Gordon Damer will also be broadcasting live from the Sportsbook from 3:00pm-6:00pm.
WHERE/WHEN: Mohegan Sun FanDuel Sportsbook | Saturday, April 1st from 3-6pm followed by a night of exciting semi-final college basketball | Charlie Villanueva M&G: 5:15pm – 6:15pm
IN DETAIL: In addition to the live broadcast and meet & greet with Charlie Villanueva this Saturday, the beer special at Mohegan Sun FanDuel Sportsbook will be Two Conn Easy Ale by Two Roads Brewing. Reservations (subject to availability) for the afternoon and evening can also be made at mohegansun.com/sportsbook.
(9) FAU vs. (5) San Diego State tips-off at 6:09pm and (4) UConn vs. (5) Miami will tip-off at 8:49pm. Mohegan Sun FanDuel Sportsbook is also home to a full dining menu and drink menu featuring popular offerings like the Nashville Chicken Sandwich and the Jesus Shuttlesworth mixed drink (Knob Creek Rye Mohegan Sun Series 1, Fruitful Blackberry liqueur, lime sour and Fever-Tree ginger beer).
ABOUT CHARLIE VILLANUEVA: Charlie Villanueva was a major part of the UConn men’s 2nd national title in 2004, a year in which he also led the team in scoring and averaged 8+ rebounds per game. UConn voted Villanueva team MVP in 2004 as well, and the star Power Forward was also second-team All-Big East that year. Drafted by the Toronto Raptors ahead of the 2005-06 season, Villanueva would go on to have a long career in the pros after being named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. His best year in the NBA was the 2008-09 season where he averaged 16.2 points to go along with nearly 7 rebounds per game.
ABOUT MOHEGAN: Mohegan is the owner, developer and manager of premier entertainment resorts in the United States, Canada, and Northern Asia. Mohegan’s U.S. operations include resorts in Connecticut, Washington, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Nevada; Canadian operations are based in Niagara Falls; and Mohegan Inspire is located in Incheon, South Korea. The brand’s iGaming division, Mohegan Digital, provides cutting-edge online gaming solutions to Mohegan’s loyal fan base and meets the digital needs of customers on a global scale. Mohegan Digital launched MoheganSunCasino.com and associated smartphone apps in Connecticut on October 19, 2021. The platform offers hundreds of online casino games and industry leading promotions. To download the real-money casino app, visit www.ct.mohegansuncasino.com, iOS or Google Play. For more information on Mohegan and its properties, please visit mohegangaming.com.
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Jul 6, 2021 | General News
Three Connecticut Sun players were named to the AT&T WNBA All-Star 2021
roster on Wednesday afternoon. Brionna Jones, Jonquel Jones and DeWanna Bonner will head to Las Vegas, NV on July 14 to compete in the 17th WNBA All-Star game. The game will be broadcast on ESPN at 7pm EST.
Brionna Jones, who received the first All-Star selection of her career, is averaging a career-best 14.4 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game in a career-high 31.1 minutes of action per game. Drafted eighth overall in the 2017 WNBA Draft, Jones has solidified herself as one of the top frontcourt players in the league. In 2020, the 6-3 forward saw her first career start and has been in the starting line-up for every contest she has seen action in since.
Jonquel Jones, is due to make the third All-Star appearance (2017, 2019) of her career in 2021. The 6-6 forward is currently leading the Sun in points per game (21.7) and rebounds per game (10.9). Averaging a career-high in points and a second-best in rebounds, Jones sits third in the WNBA for points per game and first in rebounds per game. In 2017 and 2019, when Jones was also selected as an All-Star, she led the league in rebounding both years.
Bonner, a 12-year WNBA veteran, will also be representing the Sun in this year’s All-Star Game. The 6-4 forward is currently second on the team in points and rebounds per game. Averaging 16.1 points and 7.4 rebounds. Bonner will appear in her fourth All-Star game.
Those selected as all-stars will compete against the USA Basketball Women’s National Team ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Team WNBA will be coached by Co-Head Coaches, Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson.
For more information on AT&T WNBA All-Star 2021, head to wnba.com/allstar. Below are the rosters for Team WNBA and the USA Basketball Women’s National Team.
TEAM WNBA
(Co-Head Coaches, WNBA Legends Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson)
| PLAYER |
TEAM |
POSITION |
HT |
BIRTHDATE |
COLLEGE/COUNTRY |
YRS. |
ASG |
| DeWanna Bonner |
Connecticut |
Frontcourt |
6-4 |
8/21/87 |
Auburn |
11 |
4 |
| Liz Cambage |
Las Vegas |
Frontcourt |
6-8 |
8/18/91 |
Australia |
4 |
4 |
| Kahleah Copper^ |
Chicago |
Backcourt |
6-1 |
8/28/94 |
Rutgers |
5 |
1 |
| Dearica Hamby^ |
Las Vegas |
Frontcourt |
6-3 |
11/6/93 |
Wake Forest |
6 |
1 |
| Brionna Jones^ |
Connecticut |
Frontcourt |
6-3 |
12/18/95 |
Maryland |
4 |
1 |
| Jonquel Jones |
Connecticut |
Frontcourt |
6-6 |
1/5/94 |
George Washington |
4 |
3 |
| Betnijah Laney^ |
New York |
Backcourt |
6-0 |
10/29/93 |
Rutgers |
5 |
1 |
| Arike Ogunbowale^ |
Dallas |
Backcourt |
5-8 |
3/2/97 |
Notre Dame |
2 |
1 |
| Candace Parker |
Chicago |
Frontcourt |
6-4 |
4/19/86 |
Tennessee |
13 |
6 |
| Satou Sabally^ |
Dallas |
Frontcourt |
6-4 |
4/25/98 |
Oregon/Germany |
1 |
1 |
| Courtney Vandersloot |
Chicago |
Backcourt |
5-8 |
2/8/89 |
Gonzaga |
10 |
3 |
| Courtney Williams^ |
Atlanta |
Backcourt |
5-8 |
5/11/94 |
South Florida |
5 |
1 |
USA WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM
(Head Coach Dawn Staley)
| PLAYER |
TEAM |
POSITION |
HT. |
BIRTHDATE |
COLLEGE |
YRS. |
ASG |
| Ariel Atkins^ |
Washington |
Backcourt |
5-8 |
7/30/96 |
Texas |
3 |
1 |
| Sue Bird |
Seattle |
Backcourt |
5-9 |
10/16/80 |
Connecticut |
17 |
12 |
| Tina Charles |
Washington |
Frontcourt |
6-4 |
12/5/88 |
Connecticut |
10 |
8 |
| Napheesa Collier |
Minnesota |
Frontcourt |
6-1 |
9/23/96 |
Connecticut |
2 |
2 |
| Skylar Diggins-Smith |
Phoenix |
Backcourt |
5-9 |
8/2/90 |
Notre Dame |
7 |
5 |
| Sylvia Fowles |
Minnesota |
Frontcourt |
6-6 |
10/6/85 |
LSU |
13 |
7 |
| Chelsea Gray |
Las Vegas |
Backcourt |
5-11 |
10/8/92 |
Duke |
6 |
4 |
| Brittney Griner |
Phoenix |
Frontcourt |
6-9 |
10/18/90 |
Baylor |
8 |
7 |
| Jewell Loyd |
Seattle |
Guard |
5-10 |
10/5/93 |
Notre Dame |
6 |
3 |
| Breanna Stewart |
Seattle |
Frontcourt |
6-4 |
8/27/94 |
Connecticut |
4 |
3 |
| Diana Taurasi |
Phoenix |
Backcourt |
6-0 |
6/11/82 |
Connecticut |
16 |
10 |
| A’ja Wilson |
Las Vegas |
Frontcourt |
6-4 |
8/8/96 |
South Carolina |
3 |
3 |
^ denotes first-time All-Star selection
YRS denotes number of seasons completed entering 2021
ASG denotes number of All-Star selections including 2021
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Apr 20, 2021 | Breaking News, General News, Sports
Former UConn Women’s Basketball Star and Current Assistant Coach of the USA Women’s Olympic Basketball Team to Lead Mohegan Tribe owned WNBA Franchise
Mohegan Sun is excited to announce today that Jennifer Rizzotti has been 
named President of the Connecticut Sun (CT Sun). In this role, Rizzotti will be responsible for the overall business operations and marketing strategies of the Mohegan Tribe owned WNBA franchise that plays its home games in Mohegan Sun Arena.
“I am so honored to rejoin the WNBA family in this leadership position with the Connecticut Sun,” said Rizzotti. “This league employs the very best women’s basketball players in the world. But more importantly, the WNBA is an inclusive and diverse community of women that inspire, lead and in their own words, “provide a voice for the voiceless.” I am proud to have won two championships as a player in the WNBA and will work tirelessly to help bring a championship to the Sun franchise.”
“When you open the official website of the Mohegan Tribe, the first thing you read is Honor the Past. Building for the future,” continued Rizzotti. “I believe the immediate future of the WNBA has never been more exciting. The level of talent, growing support around the sports world, and the league’s commitment to be a keystone for cultural change in these tempestuous times, makes this upcoming season one of the most important in its already rich history.”
Jennifer Rizzotti had a storied career for the UConn Huskies from 1992 – 1996, where she helped lead a 1995 team to a 35-0 season that ended in a Division 1 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship. She finished her college career with 637 assists and nearly 350 steals, while averaging just over 11 points per game. After playing eight seasons of professional basketball following college, which included two championship seasons with the Houston Comets (1999 & 2000), Rizzotti embarked on a coaching career that led her to the University of Hartford (UHart) where she spent 17 seasons. During her tenure with UHart, Rizzotti became America East Conference “Coach of the Year” in 2006, 2007 and 2010. Rizzotti has also been an integral part of USA Women’s Basketball, and she currently serves as an Assistant Coach for both the Women’s USA Olympic team and the USA AmeriCup Team. In 2011, she was named USA Basketball “Coach of the Year.”
“Jen Rizzotti brings instant credibility and is a powerhouse within the women’s basketball community. She has deep roots here in Connecticut and we could not be more thrilled to have her joining our team,” said Connecticut Sun Board of Governors Representative and Recording Secretary for the Mohegan Tribal Council, Kathy Regan-Pyne. “Her passion, talent and expertise, along with her shared values and philosophies, make her a natural fit within our organization. We look forward to the team’s continued success and path forward under her leadership and alongside our incredible staff, coaches and players.”
“The Connecticut Sun has had so many great seasons, and incredible athletes, coaches and leaders throughout their impactful history here at Mohegan Sun,” said Jeff Hamilton, President & General Manager of Mohegan Sun. “Mohegan Sun is honored to have Jennifer Rizzotti joining our executive team, and we’re incredibly excited about the future of the Connecticut Sun under her vision.”
A press conference on this special announcement will be scheduled for members of the media on Tuesday, April 27th, where Rizzotti will be joined by Mohegan Sun, Mohegan Tribe and CT Sun leadership. More details are to come on this event.
Rizzotti was also head coach of the George Washington Women’s basketball team for five years, that began with a 20-10 season in 2016-17 and a share of the A-10 regular season title. A trip to the NCAA Tournament would come in 2018 as well, after coaching George Washington to an A-10 Tournament title. Rizzotti was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, joining fellow UConn legends, Coach Geno Auriemma (2006 inductee) and Rebecca Lobo (a 2010 inductee).
“I’d be remiss if I didn’t recognize the contributions that Amber Cox made to this franchise over the past five years,” said Rizzotti. “She and head coach & GM, Curt Miller, have made the Connecticut Sun one of the most successful teams in the WNBA. I look forward to using this foundation and the overall culture of the Mohegan Tribe and Mohegan Sun to attract players, fans, and sponsors to be a part of our bright future.”
The Connecticut Sun recently announced their schedule for the upcoming 2021 season, which starts on the road against the Atlanta Dream on Friday, May 14th. The Sun, led by DeWanna Bonner, Jonquel Jones and Jasmine Thomas, have their first home game of the season on Sunday, May 16th, which marks their first return to Mohegan Sun Arena since Game 4 of the WNBA finals on October 8, 2019.
ABOUT MOHEGAN SUN
Owned by Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, Mohegan Sun is one of the largest, most spectacular entertainment, gaming, dining and shopping destinations in the United States. Situated on 185 acres along the Thames River in scenic southeastern Connecticut, Mohegan Sun is home to two unique casinos, 1,600 deluxe hotel rooms, two world-class spas, a golf course, over 80 shops, restaurants and bars as well as three award-winning entertainment venues including a 10,000-seat Arena. Mohegan Sun is within easy access of New York, Boston, Hartford and Providence and located 15 minutes from the museums, antique shops and waterfront of Mystic Country. More information is available by calling 1.888.226.7711 or visiting mohegansun.com. Connect with us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @mohegansun, view us on YouTube and find us on Snapchat at username MoheganSun.
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Jan 5, 2021 | Boxing, Entertainment, General News, Sports
One of the premier casino and entertainment destinations in the United States made a vital pivot during the pandemic to safely host major sports, primarily inside the award-winning Mohegan Sun Arena
UNCASVILLE, CT (January 5, 2021) – 2020 was a historic
year that resulted in every major entertainment venue across the globe shutting down due to the worst pandemic in a century, accounting for billions in lost live entertainment revenue. Mohegan Sun Arena still found a way to stay open and generate a new revenue stream by reimagining itself as a residency broadcast center. Industry leading safety protocols joined the hard-working entertainment division at Mohegan Sun, led by Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment’s (MGE) President of Sports & Entertainment, Tom Cantone – and soon major sporting events (Bellator MMA, SHOWTIME Sports and College Basketball), were planned and executed without fans in attendance. As a result, Mohegan Sun Arena became one of only few venues in the United States open and producing live events. In all, these residencies in 2020 brought in 650+ professional and college athletes competing to audiences stretching in the millions across network TV, pay-per-view, social media platforms and streaming services, the latter of which had huge impacts on increased viewership.
“We wanted to adapt in an impactful way to the unforeseen challenges that Mohegan Sun, especially our award-winning Mohegan Sun Arena, suddenly faced when the pandemic arrived,” said Dave Martinelli, Chief Marketing Officer of Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE). “These high-profile sporting events that we signed on and in which were successfully and collaboratively ran, did just that.”
The first deal was struck by Cantone this past summer when a historic residency with SHOWTIME Sports and Bellator MMA was made, creating the opportunity for a string of nationally televised and much anticipated sporting events to be featured in Mohegan Sun Arena. These live broadcast events with the ViacomCBS owned SHOWTIME Sports and Bellator MMA, which will continue in 2021, featured Premier Boxing events on SHOWTIME and SHOWTIME Pay-Per-View (PPV) as well as action packed Bellator MMA fights most frequently broadcast on the Paramount Network and CBS Sports Network. The success of the ViacomCBS residencies soon led to additional interest from other major sports – including the NCAA. Martinelli netted a deal to host 25+ Division 1 NCAA men’s and women’s college basketball teams over the course of 10 days in late November and early December 2020. The agreement came together through partnerships with The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and Gazelle Group.
“We created positive momentum with the incredible bubble-site residencies Mohegan Sun Arena hosted for SHOWTIME Boxing and Bellator MMA,” said Cantone. “Our efforts to keep our Arena in action proved how important relationships can be and allowed for additional opportunities such as “Bubbleville” to come to fruition. Through all of these events, comprehensive health and safety standards were carried out with tremendous efficiency by everyone involved, including the healthcare professionals with the Mohegan Tribal Health Department and other healthcare teams assisting us. I’m extremely proud of what our Mohegan Sun management, team members and our partners executed in such a challenging year.”
“Bubbleville,” as it was billed and came to be known in national press coverage ahead of and during its run from November 25th – December 5th of 2020, saw multiple big-time teams from the likes of Villanova, Florida, Virginia, USC, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Uconn and Arizona State take the floor for the start of their seasons. Similar to the boxing and MMA events, in-person crowds were not present though various games were played to national audiences through ESPN networks and the online streaming platform, FLOHOOPS. After unfortunate setbacks to start, where some teams were not able to take part in “Bubbleville,” the tournaments moved forward, in large part due to the strict safety measures enacted and vital testing schedules conducted by Hartford Healthcare and Mirimus, who administered 2,800 tests among teams and staff.
“Bubbleville protocols included all teams, staff and other vital personnel like referees and broadcasters to take saliva based tests upon arrival and during their stay in the bubble,” said Dave Martinelli, Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment’s CMO. “We hit some setbacks just as the games were set to begin, though focus wasn’t lost, and what followed was 10 days of great College Basketball under a tight system of the type rarely seen before at a casino resort destination.”
Villanova’s championship winning head coach, Jay Wright, also commented to APNews mid-way through “Bubbleville” at Mohegan Sun by saying, “You feel safe, you know you can get a game in here and you know the team you’re playing is going to be safe. I think that’s going to be important throughout this year to find environments like this.”
More than 17,000 hotel room nights were booked at Mohegan Sun’s Sky Tower and Earth Tower during these three major sporting deals. In total, Mohegan Sun gained vast exposure on a variety of media platforms including CBS Sports, ESPN, Paramount Network, Showtime Network, YouTube, the Bellator App, DAZN, TV Spots 5 UK and additional streaming services like FLOHOOPS.
“The exposure we were able to receive as part of these opportunities last year was highly significant,” said Jeff Hamilton, President & General Manager of Mohegan Sun. “Bubbleville hosted a game on Thanksgiving night, live on ESPN, where the Arizona StateSun Devils battled and fell to the #4 Villanova Wildcats. This game had a household Television audience of 591,000, equating to nearly 1 million overall potential viewers. This was just one of many big-time national audiences our venue and brand was a part of in 2020.”
Additional highly rated events, live from Mohegan Sun Arena last year, included Bellator 249 (Cyborg vs. Blencowe on October 15th), Bellator 250 (Mousasi vs. Lima on October 29th) and Bellator 254 (Macfarlane vs. Velasquez on December 10th), among others. And one of the most anticipated boxing events came on September 26, 2020, when in a WBC World Middleweight title fight, Jermall Charlo defeated Sergly Derevyanchenko in a 12 round unanimous decision. Boxing history was also made on this night as the fight card included four other World Championship Title fights live from Mohegan Sun Arena and broadcast to viewers worldwide on Showtime Pay-Per-View (PPV). The pandemic created an opportunity to capture a home audience of more than 12 million viewers during the ViacomCBS broadcasts, with ratings in the double digits.
“During an unprecedented year, we found a way to generate a new revenue stream, create impactful brand exposure, fill hotel rooms and bring back an entertainment workforce,” said Cantone. “No virus could kill the spirit of this incredible team who made the words, “Live from Mohegan Sun Arena,” a monumental achievement in 2020.”
ABOUT MOHEGAN SUN ARENA
Mohegan Sun Arena is now ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and Venues Now and is also consistently ranked top 15 in the world for “All Size Venues.” The award–winning venue was named “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” in 2016 and is a seven–time Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM) national award–winner for “Arena of the Year,” with the most recent recognition coming in 2019. In 2020, Mohegan Sun Arena remained one of the top venues in the world according to year-end reports by both Pollstar and Venues Now. For more information and updates on Mohegan Sun Arena, call 1.888.226.7711 or visit Mohegan Sun.
ABOUT MOHEGAN GAMING & ENTERTAINMENT
Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) is a master developer and operator of premier global integrated entertainment resorts, including Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, Inspire in Incheon, South Korea, and Niagara Casinos in Niagara, Canada. MGE is owner, developer, and/or manager of integrated entertainment resorts throughout the United States, including Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Northern Asia, Niagara Falls, Canada, and coming soon pending regulatory approval, Las Vegas, Nevada. MGE is owner and operator of Connecticut Sun, a professional basketball team in the WNBA and New England Black Wolves, a professional lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League. For more information on MGE and our properties, visit www.mohegangaming.com.
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