Mystics Win, Hope Abounds For D.C. Pro Basketball
Don’t know if you noticed or cared, but the Washington Mystics are 2-0 for the first time in franchise history after defeating the Atlanta Dream at home yesterday, 77-71.
If the Mystics can compete for this year’s WNBA championship, they will have done so with a strong model for building and sustaining a WNBA franchise. Two players, Marissa Coleman and Crystal Langhorne, starred for the nearby Maryland Terrapins, and are the linchpins for much of the Mystics’ local marketing. They are two of six players on the roster to have played in the ACC, bringing more regional awareness and loyalty to the club than most other WNBA teams enjoy.
Despite the homegrown talent, the Mystics have posted just one winning season in the last six years since reaching the WNBA Finals in 2002. Coaches have changed over, star players have defected, and inconsistency has been their hallmark on the court and in the front office.
But this year appears to be different. Among the new faces are head coach Julie Plank, whom in the first two games appears to be a good game manager and personnel. After a terrible first quarter in which the Mystics shot just 3-for-18 and were down 22-8, Plank inserted Coleman, Matee Ajavon and Tasha Humphrey off the bench to spark a 30-point second quarter.
The front office has developed the formula for attention, and the 11,759 fans at yesterday’s game attest to the area’s continued interest women’s pro basketball. The talent and size are there, and a fresh face in coaching is there. To meld the three would mean a certain summertime championship run.
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