Rayah Marshall Sets Stage for Sophomore Season with Connecticut Sun

The Connecticut Sun rookie didn’t get to play much in 2025, but Rayah Marshall has the potential to be a key piece of the franchise’s future.

Connecticut Sun center Rayah Marshall (13) shoots the ball against Atlanta Dream forward Nia Coffey (12) during the fourth quarter at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. / Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

Rayah Marshall didn’t get many opportunities to show what she could do for the Connecticut Sun in 2025. But her WNBA debut showed what impact she could make.

The former USC star made his season debut on May 20 against the Las Vegas Aces, who went on to win the league’s championship for the third time in four years. Playing behind Tina Charles, a future member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Marshall came off the bench to grab six rebounds. That turned out to be six of her 26 rebounds for the season.

Perhaps the Sun should have used her more often, based on that one game. But, the 6-foot-4 forward only played in 11 games and averaged 1.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.3 assists, and 0.2 blocks. They’re small numbers. But it could be a sign of things to come.

Rayah Marshall’s First WNBA Season

David Butler II-Imagn Images

Per Sun PR on X (formerly Twitter), Marshall matched her career-high of five points twice in 2025 — first on June 22 against Golden State and again on July 28 against Seattle. Her longest outing came on Sept. 3 against Chicago, where she logged a career-high 11 minutes.

She had just 25 points. For a team that won 11 games and had five rookies, more playing time for Marshall should have been a given. But Charles — who at 36 years old put together another terrific season — took most of the playing time in the pivot. She is a free agent after the season and if she doesn’t return, Marshall should immediately benefit.

To get a sense of what Marshall’s impact could be, a review of her college career is worth the time. She left USC among the top forwards and centers in program history. In 2022-23 she was the first USC player since Tina Thompson in 1996-97 to average a double-double. She wrapped up her time in L.A. with 1,265 points, 1,161 rebounds, 197 assists, 156 steals and 306 blocks.

While with USC she was one of the top defensive players in the country. She was named Pac-12 defensive player of the year in 2023, along with Pac-12 all-defensive team that season and Big Ten all-defensive team in 2025. She was also named all-Pac-12 first team in 2023.

Unlike many players these days, the Lynwood High School star out of Los Angeles played her entire collegiate career at USC. She played the latter stages of her college career alongside one of the top collegiate players in the country, JuJu Watkins. But Marshall carved out a reputation among collegiate and WNBA scouts before her arrival.

Even as a high school player, college scouts knew who she was. She was a McDonald’s All-American and played in the Jordan Brand Classic in 2021. She was one of the top recruits in the country.

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