Olympic dreams on hold, Hartley adjusts

Bria Hartley intended to take a break. Not now, of course, but sometime later this year.

She was to make her Olympic debut with France this summer in Tokyo and finish up her seventh WNBA season — and first with the Phoenix Mercury — in September, if not later. And then, she was going to stay home rather than head overseas.

Mind you, that’s before her plans were thrown into disarray because of the coronavirus.

Instead of being with the Mercury, whom she signed with in February, Hartley’s currently stationed at her parents’ house in New York. On a positive note, the unexpected break has meant more time with her 3-year-old son, Bryson.

“He’s comfortable here,” Hartley, 27, said. “He’s got his own room.”

It remains unclear when the WNBA season, originally scheduled to tip off May 15, will get off the ground. So, like many of her peers, Hartley — a former UConn standout — is trying to keep active, stay occupied for the time being. Of course, working out from home isn’t ideal, but she was able to get in the gym earlier this offseason while staying with her boyfriend in Minnesota.

“Things are a lot more strict here. My dad has keys to a gym because he coaches boxing, and they have a basketball court in there,” Hartley noted. “But they don’t want anyone in the gym regardless.”

On the heels of a solid season with New York, in which she averaged career-highs in points (9.8) and rebounds (3.2) across 24 games, Hartley joined the Mercury in free agency. Connecticut and Las Vegas also showed interest in the 5-foot-8 guard, as did the Liberty, but the opportunity to play alongside Diana Taurasi — a fellow UConn alum, and the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer — Brittany Griner and the newly