As the 2017 WNBA season has finished and the playoffs are now in the semifinal round, the league has been handing out awards for the past season. On Thursday, it was learned that Sylvia Fowles of the Minnesota Lynx had been awarded the 2017 WNBA MVP Award. Now three other players and a coach have also been recognized for their past season of work. Here's the latest on Connecticut Sun star Jonquel Jones, her coach Curt Miller, the L.A. Sparks' Alana Beard, and New York Liberty's Sugar Rodgers.

Jones & Miller honored

The Connecticut Sun had one of the most impressive regular seasons of any team due to the fact they lost one of their stars ahead of the season.

However, even without Chiney Ogwumike, Connecticut was able to go on an impressive run this past season. The team finished fourth overall, earning the No. 4 seed in the postseason after several failed attempts to qualify for the playoffs in previous seasons.

Much of the team's success can be attributed to head coach Curt Miller and star player Jonquel Jones. Miller was awarded the league's Coach of the Year award for helping to guide the Sun to the No. 4 record in the league. He was also given the WNBA's first-ever Executive of the Year award.

Jonquel Jones was awarded the league's Most Improved Player award. Jones, a double-double machine, tallied 400 rebounds this past season, something that had yet to be done for a single season by any WNBA player.

She averaged 15.4 points per game, 11.9 rebounds, and led the team in points, rebounds, and blocked shots.

Unfortunately for Miller, Jones, and the Connecticut Sun, the team was eliminated early from the playoffs in a quarterfinal upset by the Phoenix Mercury. However, this team looks like they have a bright future ahead based on their surge during the past season.

Rodgers & Beard win

Two other awards were handed out by the WNBA as well. One of those awards went to New York Liberty All-Star Sugar Rodgers. She was given the Sixth Woman of the Year Award. Rodgers came off the bench in NY to average 10.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. She and the NY Liberty were also upset in the quarterfinal round as they lost to the Washington Mystics.

One team that is still playing on is the reigning WNBA Champions, the Los Angeles Sparks. Their guard Alana Beard received the WNBA's Defensive Player of the Year award for the past season. Beard accumulated 76 steals over the past season to help lead the team and was third in blocked shots with 17 this past season. That ranked her just one blocked shot behind center Nneka Ogwumike for the Sparks.
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