There's a new Belgian in town for
@WashMystics
, and you're going to want to watch her play. She's an Olympian, she plays with "European flash," and her first
#WNBA
bucket came on a 36-foot buzzer beater.
My latest for
@TheNextHoops
on
@julie35vanloo
:
Your periodic reminder:
@HarvardWBB
was the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament back in 1998. The club is now 3 teams deep, not 2.
Today
@WashMystics
practice,
@Mooks_22
told me she makes a point to welcome newbies because 1) the vets did that for her & 2) she knows how hard it is to join a new team.
@machirui
is her new bestie, & "besties gotta have handshakes."
"Want to see it?" she asked.
@TheNextHoops
Myisha Hines-Allen (
@Mooks_22
) is out of health and safety protocols & back in the
@WashMystics
’ facility, per players’ IG stories. One teammate who evidently really missed her, though, was her bestie,
@machirui
! ⬇️
@TheNextHoops
(Shoutout to
@NatalieHeavren
for the video help!)
It's all love between
@WashMystics
point guards
@T_Cloud4
&
@machirui
! (In fact, Cloud has a signed Rui poster in her locker in DC.) Here they are as Cloud subs in for Machida in tonight's win over Indiana. They combined for 10 assists & only 2 turnovers.
@TheNextHoops
#Mystics25
As a
#WNBA
writer, I was curious about the donations by WNBA team owners. So I used
@FiveThirtyEight
's data from the article to make a graph of just the
@WNBA
⤵️
(Engelbert's donation is hard to see, but it's $3750 to bipartisan causes.)
@herhoopstats
@TheNextHoops
.
@WashMystics
announce that former Nikki McCray will be posthumously inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame on Aug. 20. This was in the works and Mike Thibault was able to tell her before she passed away.
@TheNextHoops
#WNBA
I broke a basic rule of press conferences - ask an actual question - because I wanted to give
@T_Cloud4
the floor to talk about Juneteenth and it becoming a national holiday. I really appreciated her thoughtful answer and hope you do, too.
#WNBA
#Juneteenth2021
@TheNextHoops
That is former
@HarvardWBB
captain Maura Healey! Healey played for the legendary Kathy Delaney-Smith from 1988-92, won an
@IvyLeague
championship in 1990-91, and has her name all over the Crimson's all-time top-10 lists in the assists categories.
@TheNextHoops
#NCAAWBB
The fact that
@debbieantonelli
charted that Monika Czinano had only dribbled 16x to get 214 baskets entering today is one reason why Debbie's been getting big games for so long. Hat tip to her preparation, whether it's for a
#NCAAW
,
#NCAAM
or
#WNBA
broadcast! (Also, what a stat!)
.
@WashMystics
head coach Mike Thibault said just now that, for the first time in 2 years, he will probably have a full roster for tomorrow’s game vs. Seattle - including Elena Delle Donne. She will have a minutes limit but looks good in practice.
@TheNextHoops
#WNBA
Christyn Williams is not in Washington Mystics camp because she is not fully recovered from tearing 3 knee ligaments a year ago, Mystics GM Mike Thibault told reporters at practice today. She’s leaving DC and going home soon and is an unrestricted free agent.
@TheNextHoops
#WNBA
Congratulations to Iliana Rupert, whose $30K bonus for
@LVAces
winning the
#CommissionersCup
nearly equals her season salary ($37,420, per
@herhoopstats
), & Kierstan Bell & Aisha Sheppard, whose bonuses add nearly 50% to what they're making in salary (~$66K, $63K).
@TheNextHoops
On Instagram Live just now, Natasha Cloud confirms she'll sign with a
#WNBA
team tomorrow - but doesn't specify which team. Tomorrow is the first day free agents can sign negotiated contracts with teams.
@TheNextHoops
(1/2) In an Instagram story yesterday,
@WashMystics
point guard Rui Machida (
@machirui
) said she had arrived back in Japan. She’ll play for the Fujitsu Red Wave this winter, but she wrote in an IG post, “Hopefully I can come back and play for the [Mystics] again.”
@TheNextHoops
For 9 years,
@T_Cloud4
was everywhere in Washington, running the show for
@WashMystics
& helping to lift up the city through activism.
Now, she's on to Phoenix, & there's a unique sense of loss. My latest for
@TheNextHoops
, on what Cloud means to D.C.:
Cute moment pregame: As
@machirui
ran off the court after her individual warmup, multiple girls in the stands called her name and asked her to sign their shirts. Machida gave a big smile and gladly signed their shirts, including one Machida
#13
shirt.
@TheNextHoops
#Mystics25
Per Mystics PR,
@tinacharles31
just joined Maya Moore & Diana Taurasi as the only players ever to score 30+ points 10+ times in 1 season.
Tina had 31 pts (10-19 FGs) vs. Chicago today, and she's played 25 games this season, so she's scoring 30+ once every 2.5 gms.
@TheNextHoops
.
@WashMystics
just announced their injury report on the big screen, and fans erupted at the sight of "No injuries to report." The players, too, threw their hands in the air to celebrate having everyone available for the first time since June 9.
@TheNextHoops
#WNBA
Karlie Samuelson's deal with
@WashMystics
is a two-year protected contract worth $115,000 in 2024 and $118,450 in 2025, a source familiar with the situation tells
@TheNextHoops
.
#WNBA
.
@T_Cloud4
stepped up for
@WashMystics
in an elimination game. Sound familiar? It should: She's done it consistently in the
#WNBAPlayoffs
since cementing her starting spot in 2018.
For
@TheNextHoops
, I wrote about Cloud's elite performance in Game 2:
Per Leilani’s Instagram, former
@WashMystics
point guard Leilani Mitchell and former WNBL player Mikaela Dombkins have welcomed their second child, daughter Elle. Elle joins big brother Kash, who will be 4 in July.
@TheNextHoops
#WNBA
.
@WashMystics
rookie Aaliyah Edwards wasn't on the bench late in tonight's game because her back stiffened up after taking contact, head coach Eric Thibault told reporters postgame. They'll see how she's doing after their flight back to Washington.
@TheNextHoops
#WNBA
This week alone,
@WashMystics
players and coaches have allotted all or part of 2 postgame media availabilities and 1 post-practice availability to discuss
#Uvalde
and
#WeAreBG
(no basketball questions allowed during the blackout portions).
#WNBA
Inbox: The
@WashMystics
have moved their game vs.
@IndianaFever
on Friday, June 7, to Capital One Arena instead of the Entertainment and Sports Arena (ESA) due to "unprecedented demand." Capital One seats up to 20,356, while ESA seats 4,200.
@TheNextHoops
#WNBA
(2/2) Several
@WashMystics
players left heartwarming comments on
@machirui
’s IG posts summing up the season, and she was a locker room and fan favorite this season. ICYMI, here’s my story on DC’s love for Machida for
@TheNextHoops
.
#WNBA
#Mystics25
.
@WashMystics
cut their roster to 11 players today (max they can fit under the salary cap) by waiving Linnae Harper & Steph Mavunga.
@HarvardWBB
/
@TerpsWBB
alum Katie Benzan is now in pole position for the last roster spot, but Coach T could also sign someone new.
@TheNextHoops
Mike Thibault says in his post-draft press conference that Aaliyah Edwards (No. 6 pick) will be on the roster, Kaylynne Truong will have a real chance to make it as a PG, and Nastja Claessens (No. 30) will not come to the
#WNBA
from Belgium this season.
@TheNextHoops
#WNBADraft
.
@WVUWBB
has had three head coaches in three years. At first this season, there were some doubts. Then the team gelled into one of the best defenses in
#NCAAWBB
. And then it locked down Iowa on Monday.
My latest
@TheNextHoops
, live from Iowa City:
Thanks to
@WBBTimeline
, I can tell you this fun story: Elena Delle Donne (
@WashMystics
) & Emma Meesseman (
@chicagosky
) will face off today in DC. They've done it before, back when EDD played for Chi & Emma for DC. In 15 previous games (all reg-season), EDD is 12-3.
@TheNextHoops
.
@WashMystics
rookie
@Theylove_kira
will play in Israel this offseason, she told
@TheNextHoops
this weekend. Per the EuroBasket website, she'll play for Elitzur Ramla, which has previously had
#WNBA
players including Betnijah Laney, Allisha Gray and Tiffany Mitchell.
#Mystics25
Thanks
@FiveThirtyEight
for asking me to preview the NCAA women's tournament! Shoutout to
@herhoopstats
for many of the stats & whoever does the graphics at FiveThirtyEight (I certainly didn't make those!).
Please read/share, but more importantly, watch a game this weekend. ⛹️♀️
The noise level inside Carver-Hawkeye for
@IowaWBB
is like nothing I've ever heard. You read about it, but it's different being in it. Seeing how much the fans care about women's sports and this team in particular is truly special.
#MarchMadness
#NCAAWBB
The Mystics flew commercial to Los Angeles today, and several players and head coach Eric Thibault were not happy about not getting a charter.
For
@TheNextHoops
, I spoke to some of the Mystics yesterday about the
#WNBA
's rollout of charter flights:
There are some folks at the Entertainment and Sports Arena with a sign asking
@breannastewart
@S10Bird
to autograph their baby. No one watches the
#WNBA
, huh?
From Marine Johannès to Emma Meesseman to Rui Machida to Ezi Magbegor, international players are all over the
#WNBAPlayoffs
. For
@FiveThirtyEight
, my colleague & friend
@cwetzel31
& I answered the question, Are there more internationals in 2022 than usual?
Shakira Austin (
@Theylove_kira
) "oozes talent" and is "radiating" confidence. Not a bad combination!
Here's my latest for
@TheNextHoops
on Austin's rise, impact and approach to her rookie season with
@WashMystics
:
I asked
@WashMystics
guard & local product Abby Meyers today about this moment after Friday's game. She said she heard her name & turned to see some kids in the stands. "And I figured ... if I was that kid, I'd want the person to acknowledge me."
@TheNextHoops
📸:
@DomenicAllegra
I asked Mike Thibault about the excitement of Elena Delle Donne & Breanna Stewart facing off in this Mystics-Storm series.
"From a coach's standpoint, we would never use the word 'excitement.' We would use 'headache.'"
(He did note the appeal for fans, though.)
@TheNextHoops
I’ve been waiting so long to say this: Greetings from the Entertainment & Sports Arena, home of
@WashMystics
! (See the new 2019 banner!)
Scrimmage coming up at 7pm ET vs.
@AtlantaDream
. I’ll do my best to tweet, though we’re having Internet issues.
@TheNextHoops
@herhoopstats
Big family rivalries news: Dara Mabrey has 272 career 3-pointers, just 2 behind older sister Marina (274). (Michaela Mabrey finished with 228.)
Dara could set the family record as soon as Saturday, when
@ndwbb
takes on Cal in St. Louis.
@TheNextHoops
(1/2) The
@ConnecticutSun
announced today that
@CULionsWBB
guard Abbey Hsu, the 34th pick in the
#WNBADraft
, will not come to training camp this season. Instead, the Sun will retain her rights so they can bring her back in future years.
@TheNextHoops
#WNBA
The only thing that could make this better is if
@ESPN
had separate cameras that stayed on each of
@T_Cloud4
and
@ReneeMontgomery
the whole time. To show Renee's face when she yelled, "Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?!" for instance. 👌
(2/2) Over my 4 seasons covering
@WashMystics
, I have covered several media blackouts.
@T_Cloud4
has led them all, & I marvel at her strength & thoughtfulness. But I wish things would change & she didn’t have to leave her heart on the podium like this every year.
@TheNextHoops
It's official:
@WashMystics
PG
@T_Cloud4
is the
#WNBA
assists champion w/ 7.0 per game (239 total). "Thank you to my shooters," she said when she heard.
Also, per
@kareemcopeland
, Cloud said on IG Live today that she'll play Thurs despite a knee injury yesterday.
@TheNextHoops
The
@WashMystics
crowd chants, "Ru-i! Ru-i! Ru-i!" after
@machirui
makes a driving layup to close the 3Q.
@T_Cloud4
raises the roof to urge them on. The crowd has consistently loved Machida all season, cheering even when she simply subs in.
@TheNextHoops
#Mystics25
More to come on Rui Machida’s introductory presser with
@WashMystics
tonight, but for now, here’s part of Rui’s message to young players.
@TheNextHoops
“I just wanted to tell you, even if you’re short, you can play. You can play overseas, in [the] WNBA.”
Caitlin Clark. Paige Bueckers.
@IowaWBB
.
@UConnWBB
.
Celebrate both, appreciate both, recognize that both of their success is growing the game.
But only one can make the Elite Eight, and that will be decided tomorrow at 1pm ET. My story for
@FanSided
:
A source tells
@TheNextHoops
that Shatori Walker-Kimbrough's new contract with
@WashMystics
is for 2 years at $95,000 and $97,850, with the 1st year protected. That's about $20,000 above the veteran minimum each year and a raise from her $72,141 salary in 2022.
#WNBAFreeAgency
Here's a mind-blowing stat: Elena Delle Donne & Myisha Hines-Allen have been
@WashMystics
teammates since 2018, but they've played just 93 minutes together due to injuries/MHA being buried on the bench early in her career. Let's hope that number rises soon.
@TheNextHoops
#WNBA
(2/2) "My mom's a really big scarf person and she says that if her neck is warm, then she's warm,"
@_shatori
told me. "So I don't know. I just ... was like, okay, maybe if my neck is warm, then I'll be warm. That's really why."
@TheNextHoops
#Mystics25
#WNBATwitter
I asked
@QueenEgbo_
today about
@T_Cloud4
's game-high 19 points and what Egbo has noticed about Cloud as a leader since Egbo joined the
@WashMystics
on July 4.
"Oh my gosh," Egbo jokingly groaned as Cloud looked on expectantly. "I'm about to toot her horn."
@TheNextHoops
#WNBA
Asked what got
@CULionsWBB
into
@MarchMadnessWBB
, selection committee chair Lisa Peterson pointed to the Lions winning 21 of their last 23 games. Committee watched Ivy final & thought that was more about "what
@PrincetonWBB
had done than what Columbia hadn't done."
@TheNextHoops
.
@WashMystics
cut their roster to 11 players today (max they can fit under the salary cap) by waiving Linnae Harper & Steph Mavunga.
@HarvardWBB
/
@TerpsWBB
alum Katie Benzan is now in pole position for the last roster spot, but Coach T could also sign someone new.
@TheNextHoops
Sports journalist friends,
@pewresearch
published interesting new data on our industry*:
-83% of sports journalists are men
-82% are white
-68% are full- or part-time employees; 30% are freelancers
*Note: I work for Pew full-time and freelance on sports.
(1/2) A player who quietly had a big overseas season this winter was
@WashMystics
guard
@_shatori
. For Cankaya in Turkey, she averaged 21.4 pts, 6.6 rebs, 5.2 asts and 2.7 stls in 24 games. She scored under 10 pts only once and shot 54.6% from 2 and 39.5% from 3.
@TheNextHoops
.
@USCWBB
and
@CULionsWBB
forward Kaitlyn Davis will start her pro career in Mexico next week and join
@nyliberty
for 2025, she told reporters on Friday. She'll finish her USC degree remotely. That's an even faster turnaround than from college to
#WNBA
training camp.
@TheNextHoops
I love seeing “the nerds” getting the spotlight on ESPN during the Pac-12 final — and the ESPN crew is doing a great job telling the backstory of why they had to grad transfer, too.
@Kenzie4bs
has a game-high 14 points, plus 3 rebs & 2 steals, for
@USCWBB
.
@TheNextHoops
#NCAAWBB
Lots of updates from Mike Thibault today on
@WashMystics
roster beyond
#1
pick: Elena Delle Donne & Alysha Clark are progressing well in injury rehab. But he's "not optimistic" that Emma Meesseman will play in
#WNBA
in 2022 because of Belgian national team duties.
@TheNextHoops
OK,
#WNBA
Twitter: I'm live for
@AtlantaDream
vs.
@WashMystics
(a preseason scrimmage, not televised). What do you want to know? I'll try to be your eyes and ears.
(And follow me and my colleagues at
@TheNextHoops
@herhoopstats
while we're waiting for tipoff at 7pm!)
Harvard senior guard McKenzie Forbes commits to play for
@CoachLindsayG
and
@USCWBB
as a graduate transfer.
Forbes started her career playing for Gottlieb at Cal, so this is somewhat full circle - and Gottlieb also played in the
@IvyLeague
at Brown.
@TheNextHoops
So remind me why I subscribe to
@WNBA
League Pass if I can't watch the local team home *or* away on it? Used to be I could get road games, at least, but now I'm paying for Monumental Sports Network on top of cable, on top of League Pass. 🙄
.
@T_Cloud4
is just consistent. Late in 2Q, she already has 6 assists, giving her a
@WashMystics
franchise-record 18 straight games with 5+ assists. (That includes every game this season.)
Entering today, it was the 5th-longest streak in
#WNBA
history.
@TheNextHoops
#Mystics25
(2/2) Here's what
@De11eDonne
said postgame when I asked about that interaction with
@machirui
. ⬇️
@Mooks_22
, who is also known as Rui's bestie, added, "And she got stops on the defensive end ... she definitely came prepared and ready to play."
@TheNextHoops
.
@T_Cloud4
is the special guest at today’s
@redbull
3X event on the D.C. waterfront. Between games, she got a ball from a very cute kid and shot around a little. “I AM A BUCKET!” she said.
@TheNextHoops
#Mystics25
#3X3
This is a pretty incredible visualization of the
@CULionsWBB
turnaround, from the
@herhoopstats
website. Green is wins, red is losses, gray is future/canceled games. This goes from 2010-11 at the bottom to 2022-23 at the top;
@CUCoachG
's tenure is everything above the blue line.
.
@WashMystics
' Japanese Heritage Day on Sunday, celebrating
@machirui
, was fun for everyone. As
@_shatori
put it, “Rui Day! Shoutout to Rui Day."
For
@TheNextHoops
, I wrote about that day and about what Machida brings to the Mystics every day.
#Mystics25
Source familiar with the situation tells
@TheNextHoops
that the Washington Mystics are shutting down Kristi Toliver (foot) for at least 2 weeks. That gives them 9 active players with Li Meng also unavailable (at Asia Cup), allowing them to sign Abby Meyers to a hardship contract.