Sun COO stepping down from all positions with team

Vice President, General Manager, COO and Alternate Governor of the Connecticut Sun, Chris Sienko announced today he would be stepping down from his positions at the end of September, per the Connecticut Sun.

Sienko had this to say on his new decision:

“This has been an amazing journey over the past fourteen years, and it is certainly going to be very difficult to leave the organization I helped to build. But I believe the time is right to explore opportunities with a singular focus and I am looking forward to the next challenge. I know the Sun is well-positioned for the future, with a great nucleus of young talent and an outstanding coaching staff. It will be fun to be a fan, and I look forward to cheering them on in the future.”

When it comes to the longest-tenure in an executive position, Sienko held it for the Sun. He also holds the position of Vice President and General Manager of the New England Black Wolves and a Vice President at the Mohegan Sun with day-to-day oversight of sponsorship for all Mohegan Sun-owned companies and regional marketing in Connecticut.

Under his belt, he has assisted in overseeing preparations for the WNBA All-Star games four times, three WNBA Drafts and the American Athletic Conference tournament at the Mohegan Sun three times.

As Sienko will be stepping away, what he brings to the organization will be missed. CEO of Mohegan Sun, Mitchell Etess gave praise for Sienko:

“Chris has had a huge impact on making the Connecticut Sun the model franchise in the WNBA and then relocating the New England Black Wolves to the Mohegan Sun Arena. The energy and enthusiasm he brought to this and all the areas he oversaw here will be missed. On a personal note, I will miss working with Chris as I have for the last 14 years.”

Since 2013, Sienko has served on the USA Basketball Women’s National Team player committee (2013-2016). With his help, he picked the 2014 World Championship team and the current Olympic team in Brazil.

He became the Sun General Manager in 2003, after the Mohegan Tribe bought the Orlando Miracle and then relocated to Connecticut.

By the end of Septemeber when Sienko walks away, he will take with him leading the Sun to being the first profitable team in the league and maintaining a positive revenue flow since 2007. He has been a part off 22 trades for Connecticut, as well as getting the Sun to the postseason eight times, the Eastern Conference Finals five times and the WNBA Finals twice. It was Sienko who hired Curt Miller as the coach, as well as Mike Thibault and Anne Donovan.

Coach Miller spoke on what Sienko has done for the league, himself and the Connecticut Sun.

“Chris has played an instrumental role in the success of professional women's basketball both in the ABL and the WNBA and I can't begin to thank him enough for the confidence and continued belief he has showed in our staff. He was a tremendous mentor in our short time together, and I truly value our friendship. We shared a vision for this young and developing team and I promised him that I would continue to work tirelessly to help turn our dreams into a reality.”