Washington Mystics

The Washington Mystics are a team of North American women's professional basketball league the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association). The team play their home games at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC from.

The Mystics are the sister team of the Washington Wizards in the NBA, but the two teams since 2005 have different owners.

The Mystics were able to celebrate any notable success until now.

• 2.1 Sporting achievements
• 2.2 Individual Awards
• 2.3 season statistics

• 4.1 squads of the 2012 season
• 4.2 first-round choice in the WNBA Draft Rights

History

Founding and first season (1998 to 1999)

The Washington Mystics are one of the first expansion franchises of the WNBA. The 1998 season was the first season of the Mystics in the WNBA. Led by Nikki McCray won the Mystics just three of the 30 season games. In the WNBA Draft 1999, the Mystics for Chamique Holdsclaw decided. In the 1999 season, the Mystics were able to gain a foothold for the first time in the league and won 12 of 32 games, which was also due to the strong performance of Holdsclaw and Nikki McCray. Both players were selected in the All-Star team.

Highs and lows (2000 to 2003)

Holdsclaw and McCray made ​​it into the 2000 season with only 14 victories the season Mystics for the first time in the play-offs to lead where they failed in the Conference Semifinals at the New York Liberty. After the Mystics finished the 2001 season as the worst team in the league, put head coach Tom Maher and General Manager Melissa McFerrin her office. With Marianne Stanley, the assistant coach of the Mystics to the new head coach was appointed. Under the leadership of Stanley the Mystics managed already in the 2002 season, again made ​​it into the play-offs. This was mainly due to the good performance of Holdsclaw and selected in the WNBA Draft 2002 Stacey Dales - Schuman. In the play-offs they won clearly 2-0 in games against the Charlotte Sting, but they divorced just in the conference finals with 1:2 again against the New York Liberty of. Having missed clear in the 2003 season the play-offs the Mystics Stanley was dismissed as head coach and Michael Adams took over for the 2004 season the post of head coach of the Mystics.

Midfield and sale of the franchise (2004 to 2007)

During the 2004 season, there were more and more rumors about Holdsclaw and that she is not very happy to play for Washington. At the end of the season Holdsclaw fell for unknown reasons from the rest of the season. Rookie Alana Beard but managed with great performances the Mystics still in the play-offs to lead where the Mystics already excreting Sun in the Conference Semifinals against Connecticut. In the 2005 season, Richie Adubato was named the new head coach of the Mystics. This season, the previous owner Washington Sports and Entertainment sold the franchise to the Lincoln Holdings LLC. Furthermore, Holdsclaw was transferred to the Los Angeles Sparks for Delisha Milton -Jones. Despite these major changes, the Mystics played a good season and missed the play-offs only just. In the 2006 season they managed again to jump into the play- offs after they won 34 games of 18. But, as in the play-offs two years ago failed the Mystics to the Sun in the Conference Semifinals. After the Mystics during the 2007 season threatened missing the playoffs, Richie Adubato was already released in the course of the season and replaced by Tree Rollins. The Mystics finished the season together with the New York Liberty in fourth place. However, since the Liberty was able to win the most games in the matches, got the Liberty awarded the last play-off place.

Restart and return to the play-offs (since 2008)

In the 2008 season, not the way back to the playoffs and could win only 8 of the first 22 games. Then Rollins was dismissed and replaced by Jessie Kenlaw who oversaw the team for the remainder of the season. Due to this poor placement, the Mystics were able to secure a good draft pick in the WNBA Draft 2009. In the lottery the Mystics the second draft pick was assigned. When they decided to draft the young Marissa Coleman. Before the start of the 2009 season gabes again some personnel changes at the Mystics. Julie Plank became the new head coach and Angela Taylor appointed as the new General Manager. Despite these many changes, the Mystics managed in a long time a consistently positive season and managed to play the last team to jump into the play- offs. Crystal Langhorne was selected at the WNBA Draft in 2008 in the sixth position, was awarded the WNBA Most Improved Player Award. In the play-offs the Mystics met the Indiana Fever, which has finished the season as the best team from the East. The Mystics were not able to stand against the Fever and lost the series 0-2.

Achievements and honors

Sporting successes

The biggest success of the franchise history celebrated the Mystics in the 2002 season, when they reached the Conference Finals for the first time. The series lost the Mystics with 1:2 against the New York Liberty.

Individual Awards

Season statistics

Note: GP = Games, W = Wins, L = Losses

Coach

Players

Squad of the Season 2012

As of July 19, 2012

First-round choice in the WNBA Draft Rights

Since 1998, the Mystics had a total of 17 draft rights in the first round of the WNBA Drafts, where they are currently the only team in the WNBA, which selects at each part taken Draft at least one player in the first round.

With Chamique Holdsclaw, the franchise has been able to select a player in the first position again. So far, all players who chose the Mystics since 1998 in the first round came, yet in the same season in the jersey of the club to their first use in the WNBA. In addition, Crystal Langhorne, Natalie Novosel and Jasmine Thomas were still three players who were selected to 2012 of the Mystics in a Draft, in the 2012 season in the squad of the franchise.