Considering it was the first day of training camp and six of the 15 players in uniform are in their first season with the team, I'm not going to read too much into the scrimmage at Mohegan Sun Arena Monday night.

But I do have some observations from watching the 26-minute scrimmage and drills beforehand.

First, Danielle McCray showed more range on her jumper than I anticipated. She hit a couple of 3-pointers during the scrimmage and always seems to be in attack mode. If she reminds me of a player I covered at UConn, it would probably be Kalana Greene. I'm not sure if that is good or not since Kalana Greene is also on the team and if they end up being the same player, that is only a positive sign if that version of player is a difference maker.

Undrafted rookie Stefanie Murphy (according to my unofficial stats) led all scorers with 13 points. She was automatic finishing around the basket and reminded me of former Stanford star Jayne Appel with her ability to catch the ball in traffic and score with ease. I was surprised she wasn't drafted and while one scrimmage does not secure a spot on the team, it was a promising start for her.

Kelsey Griffin looked really good. She made all the hustle plays (no shock there) but also was very fluid on the perimeter.

Murphy and McCray were the only players in double figures. Renee Montgomery had nine points including a couple of sweet finishes in the lane and had the best pass of the night with a drive and dish to set up a Murphy layup. Tina Charles, Kara Lawson and Griffin had seven points each. Greene ended up with six.

It was a tough night for DeMya Walker. She did have five points but turned her ankle after stepping on Montgomery's foot. She came back into the game but later had a hard spill forcing her out of the scrimmage.

As mentioned in my previous entry, Connecticut Sun coach Mike Thibault wanted to make Sandrine Gruday's status clear to all the reporters so he came over right before the scrimmage started and said "we probably won't have her at all."

Judging by the way he spoke back in the winter when he said the team was preparing as if Gruda wasn't coming back, I got the sense that he felt this was a possibility. She wasn't going to be here for the start of the season because of the European championships and the team has grown accustomed to not having her for the start of the season. It will be interesting to see how this situation impacts the playing rotation. The Sun has been trying to turn Kelsey Griffin into a small forward but with McCray and Greene able to play the small forward, will Griffin get more time at her natural power forward position? Will this open the door for Murphy to make a run at a roster spot?

In my opinion, Charles, Greene, Griffin, Jones, Lawson, McCray, Montgomery, Walker and Tan White will make the opening-night roster. That leaves six players fighting it out for the final two spots. Will Kerri Gardin and Allison Hightower have an edge because of their previous experience with the team? Will the Sun look for another post giving a long look at a player like Murphy or even an undersized post like Rachele Fitz, who showed flashes of good stuff on Monday night? Perhaps third-round picks Tahnee Robinson and Adrienne Johnson will show enough to push for a roster spot.