Storm Mercury Basketball

Phoenix Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham, left, drives past Seattle forward Natasha Howard during the second half of a WNBA game on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019, in Phoenix. The Storm won 82-70. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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Sophie Cunningham took an unconventional approach before her second season in the WNBA: She didn’t work out for a month.

Doctor's orders.

The former Mizzou star tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this summer.

Cunningham, who turns 24 next month, has recovered after suffering symptoms from the coronavirus. While in quarantine for 28 days in Missouri, she was prohibited from working out for the entire month.

“I was really fatigued, sore throat, headache and just didn’t feel good for three or four days,” Cunningham told the Post-Dispatch in a phone interview Tuesday from her hotel room in Bradenton, Fla., where she’s in isolation through Thursday before she can enter the WNBA bubble.

“I just had to chill and relax,” she said. “I haven’t exercised for a month because there’s a muscle in your heart that if you exercise and get it inflamed it can be bad news.”

Cunningham’s Phoenix Mercury play their first regular-season game in the league’s abbreviated 22-game schedule July 25 at IMG Academy.

"I hear it’s beautiful here, but we’re not allowed to leave at all," she said.

Cunningham isn’t sure how she contracted the virus, but she first tested positive while living in Springfield, Mo., where she was working out earlier this summer.

“I was training in a private gym, and in gyms, people use the same door handles and use the same floor, which has germs from the ball,” she said. “Who knows. I probably got it from someone at the gym, but I just don’t know.”

After testing positive she quarantined for 14 days in Springfield before returning to her home in Columbia, where the WNBA required her to quarantine for another 14 days. For Cunningham, who grew up in Columbia, won four state championships at Rock Bridge High and set Mizzou’s career scoring record, staying cooped up in a town where she’s still wildly popular was a new experience.

“I’m around my grandparents a lot and my dad’s a little older, so I just had to be very cautious,” she said. “I’m around a lot of people. People come up to me all the time, so I have had to be extra safe. When I got back to Columbia, I didn’t go out in public. I went to Hy-Vee once and wore my mask. I just tried to stay away from people and be extra safe.”

Cunningham was supposed to arrive in Bradenton with her Mercury teammates July 6 but the setback kept her in Columbia until this past Sunday. Under league protocol, she was tested five times before flying to Florida. 

“I’ve done every test you can possibly do,” she said. “I’ve done the nasal test, the throat swab, the blood test. I’ve done it all. And I had to spit into a tube for the league.”

What she couldn’t do is play basketball. But after a rookie WNBA season followed by a professional season in Australia, Cunningham made the most of the rare time away from the court. 

“That’s the first time in my whole life I haven’t worked out in a month,” she said. “I kind of enjoyed it. It let my body heal. But now I’m playing catch-up. I’m still confident in myself because this summer, before (testing positive) I put in a lot of work and worked on a lot of skills to get my craft right. My shot and my touch will come back pretty fast.”

That’s the expectation for the Mercury. The franchise went through a roster overhaul this offseason, giving Cunningham and fellow second-year players Brianna Turner and Alanna Smith larger roles alongside All-Star veterans Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner

“Phoenix cleaned house for this year,” Cunningham said. “What I was told is (general manager) Jim (Pitman) and (coach) Sandy (Brondello) brought in B.G. and Diana, and said, ‘You’re the leaders of the team. Who do you want as your teammates?’ They ended up keeping the three rookies from last year. That’s a real big deal. I don’t think I fully understand it, but Phoenix does not keep rookies. They’re known as a veteran team, so for them to keep us for two years in a row means a lot and means they’re expecting a lot from us.”

As a rookie last season, Cunningham made five starts but mostly came off the bench, averaging 3.1 points while shooting 30.4 percent from 3-point range. She expects to be one of the team’s most versatile defenders and trusted 3-point shooters this year.

“This is a really big year for me,” she said. “It (stinks) I had to take a month off before training camp, but they’re very understandable. They know I’ll bounce back quick. Once I’m back I’ll have to put in extra effort, extra shooting every night. I’ve got my mind right.

“A lot of people are not really liking the situation of being in the bubble. I get it. We’re not allowed to see family or friends for three to four months. But I think right now where I’m at in my career, I think it’s the best thing that could happen to me. I’m taking this opportunity and embracing it.”

While trapped in her hotel room, Cunningham is putting the final touches on her undergraduate degree, completing a few courses as part of an internship for her sports management major.

“I’m getting so much homework done,” she said, laughing. “I wish I had this mindset in college.”

Dave Matter

@dave_matter on Twitter

This article originally ran on stltoday.com.

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