Mohegan — Anne Donovan resigned as the Connecticut Sun’s head coach Thursday, leaving a franchise once defined by stability to search for its third coach since 2012.

Team officials will begin a search for her successor immediately.

"It’s not easy walking away from a team that I put my heart and soul into, but I think it is in my best interest to move on at this time,” Donovan said in a statement released by the Sun. “I will miss the ladies and the passion of the Sun fans. I was proud to serve as their head coach.”

Further attempts to reach Donovan were unsuccessful.

“Obviously, we never got the results on the court we had hoped for — for a variety of reasons,” Sun CEO Mitchell Etess said in a telephone conversation. “We have amassed a great level of talent over time. But Anne was brought in with the idea of winning a championship and unfortunately, neither of us got one. It’s what Anne wanted, too.”

Donovan replaced former coach Mike Thibault following the 2012 season. Connecticut won 28 games in 2012 and lost to Indiana in the Eastern Conference finals. It was won 38 games since.

“We are grateful to Anne for her efforts here over the past three seasons, and respect her decision to step down,” Sun vice president and general manager Chris Sienko said.

Donovan an Olympic gold medalist, Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and FIBA Hall of Fame member, became the Sun’s second head coach in early 2013.

Donovan finished her tenure with the Sun with 38 wins and 64 losses. Connecticut failed to make the playoffs in all three seasons.

Donovan’s teams here were often ravaged by injury. The 2015 team, which finished 15-19, played without reigning Rookie of the Year Chiney Ogwumike and former all-star Allie Hightower for the entire season. The Sun played without leading scorer Alex Bentley, starter Alyssa Thomas and reserve center Elizabeth Williams for virtually the entire final month of the season.

In 2014, four players missed a total of 39 games, following the 2013 season in which seven players missed a total of 78 games and the Sun had a full 11-player roster available for an entire game twice.

Donovan, the first female coach to win a WNBA championship, also became the first female coach to achieve and eclipse 200 career wins in the league.

Donovan has also coached Indiana, New York, Seattle and the defunct Charlotte Sting in the WNBA.

Etess would not speculate about potential names on the coaching list, but promised a “diligent” effort, acknowledging the pressure that comes with the hire.

m.dimauro@theday.com

Twitter: @BCgenius