Open Look

Fans were invited to an open practice today of the undefeated, league-leading, No. 1 Power-ranked, revamped, remodeled and re-energized Washington Mystics, and the BasketCases took advantage of the invitation.

What a difference a year makes! The practice conducted by Coach Plank and her assistants was organized, efficient, positive, professional, competitive and exhausting! It's pretty clear to the BasketCases that the growth we've seen in the team in the first 3 games this season is the result of seeds planted on the practice court.

Plenty of half-court and full-court scrimmaging . . . with and without referees.

Though Coach Plank was in charge of the practice as a whole, her assistants -- Vicky Bullett here demonstrating a post move to Nakia -- helped individual players with some one-on-one work.

Near the end of practice, the White team faced off against the Black team in a free throw drill. When Nakia ended the White team's streak of 12 in a row, a grinning Lindsey Harding decided she would get a close-up look at her teammate's form . . . from about 3 inches away. While Mo Currie and Coach Luby looked on, a laughing Kia managed to hit one.

It's not a stretch to say that the BasketCases really liked what they saw in the practice today. Afterwards Coach Plank told us that after so many days of practice, the team can't wait to get back to playing games again. Following practice tomorrow (Thursday), the team flies to Atlanta, and then on Friday night at 7:30 PM they get their wish . . . they play an actual WNBA game vs the Atlanta Dream -- a rematch of the Mystics' home opener. We'll be watching -- and so can you -- on WNBA.com Live Access.

Photo dis-Credit: BasketCase Eileen