It's been said that 'you never get a second chance to make a first impression.'
New Washington Mystics head coach Jessie Kenlaw doesn't need one.
With solid defense and opportunistic offensive plays from tip-off to the final buzzer, the Mystics (9-14) handed the visiting Seattle Storm (15-8) an 89-57 drubbing.
Kenlaw, the Mystics third skipper in less than two seasons, says she's delighted about the result in her debut, but gives the players copious credit.
"We were in a bad place mentally, so I just started trying to change the way that they were thinking," says Kenlaw, reflecting on the Mystics' own recent woeful performance, a 99-62 debacle at home against Detroit Friday...which ended up being Henry "Tree" Rollins' final game as coach. "It was all about our effort and our execution. We wanted to open up the court and run a little bit more, so we did a combination of things."
A combination of excellence was seen from Washington forward Taj McWilliams-Franklin. Just three months shy of her 38th birthday, the ten-year WNBA veteran tallied a game-high 22 points, 4 steals, 3 assists and got one rebound.
"If we can build on this...we're gonna be able to stop any player in the league; any team," McWilliams-Franklin says. "(Kenlaw) said if you're hitting the three's, keep shooting 'em. If you're not, you need to do something else. In your mind you see something clearly, and now you're able to execute and I think that's what opened it up."
By the numbers the game was blown wide open by Washington in every category. The Mystics shot 54.8 percent from the floor, 58.8 from 3-point country, 78.6 from the free throw line and comitted 15 turnovers to Seattle's 24. The Storm's numbers in the first three aforementioned categories: 38.2, 28.6, and 50 respectively.
"We were all just ready to get out there and prove, not only to ourselves but to our fans and our organization that we can play with the best of them," says forward Monique Currie, Washington's second-highest scorer on the afternoon with 12. She also grabbed six rebounds. "We're all really proud of coach; we love her a lot."
Storm Still Confident
Seattle remains proud of the fact that they are in second place in the western conference. The loss ended a league-high 7-game winning streak for the Storm, which has made many consider them a legitimate WNBA Finals contender. They are also without the services of 2007 league MVP Lauren Jackson, taking the last few weeks before the 2008 Summer Olympic games to work out with her national squad in Australia.
"I'm sure she would have helped," says Storm guard Sue Bird about her best friend LJ. "But tonight was just one of those nights. The best part about this league is that you generally have a game right after a game like this. We play Minnesota in two days, and that's where our focus is."
Seattle's Katie Geralds topped the Storm scoring with 13 points, as the second half saw mainly their bench players on the court. Bird was second with 11 points in 20:38 worth of action. Seattle plays two more road games and returns home for one on Sunday July 27th, the last day of WNBA action before the season's month-long olympic stoppage.
Continuing A Turnaround
The Mystics will now try to write a successful second chapter in the new Kenlaw chronicles, as they hope for a much-needed first win of the year against the New York Liberty at home Wednesday.
"We've got to get through New York; that's really been our achilles heel," McWilliams-Franklin says after being outscored by 40 in two combined contests against the Liberty this season. "We've already beaten Connecticut and L.A. We just beat Seattle. The real test will come for us on Wednesday."
