DrafTEE Party

Eschewing their traditional mid-day draft party this year, the Mystics instead held a hugely successful (as in packed house!) meet-the-draft-pick party this evening so that Mystics fans could actually meet the newest member of the team, Marissa Coleman. To no one's surprise, many of the fans in attendance (including, of course, the BasketCases) had already met Marissa, but whether they had or not, it was clear that everyone in the room was absolutely delighted that Marissa is now a Mystic and was looking forward to the new season. The excitement was palpable. And while draft day parties have always been fun, having an evening event like this definitely allowed more fans to attend.

Frank "voice of the Mystics" Hanrahan em-ceed the event. Head Coach Julie Plank and GM Angela Taylor both spoke about their plans for this season, including the style of play we can expect from a Plank-coached team. Fast and up-tempo!

Speaking of up-tempo, point Guard Nikki Blue, fresh from her first year as an Assistant Coach at UNLV, was on hand. She told the BasketCases that she not only enjoys coaching, but that she's learned a great deal as a coach that she believes will improve her as a player. We're looking forward to seeing Nikki in action again.

It would not be a Mystics party without a raffle, and COO Greg Bibb pressed the rookie into service. Marissa also answered fans' questions, and we learned, among other things, that Rissa is completely ready to play in a Duke-blue uniform. And that her new Jack Russell puppy, Boston (love the name!), is adorable. (Marissa had the pictures on her iPhone to prove it.)

Trudi Lacey, the Mystics' newest Assistant Coach, was in the house as well, and very excited to be in Washington this summer.

A first: Marissa signed autographs tonight with her new number. While Terps fans will never forget Number 25, Mystics fans tonight extended an exceedingly warm welcome to Number 4.

Photo Credits: DC BasketCases

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Wednesday afternoon update . . . Facing the WNBA's new limit of 15 players on training camp rosters, the Mystics began making cuts today, waiving three-point specialist Laurie Koehn, as well as Andrea Gardner and Krystal Vaughn. By opening day, rosters must be cut to 11, so GMs across the league are having to make some very unpleasant decisions. That and the demise of the Houston Comets unfortunately means that many WNBA players are not going to have jobs this season, some of them popular players like Laurie.