Young Mystics eager to hit ground running as WNBA tipoff approaches

The Washington Mystics’ team-building efforts began with seafood.

Before the Mystics could hit the ground running with one of the youngest rosters in the WNBA, they had to get to know each other.

It wasn’t a difficult task.

Many of the new Mystics were playing with or against each other during an NCAA season that ended just two weeks ago. Now reunited in the District, all it took was a seafood dinner for the 18 players on the roster to become a team.

“At the beginning, you have to sort of break the ice,” Angela Dugalic, the 11th pick in this year’s draft, said during the Mystics’ annual Media Day on Monday. “After that, we were just yapping the whole time. There was not a moment where it was silent.”

Washington’s 18-woman training camp roster features 11 rookies, 12 if you count 2025 first-rounder Georgia Amoore, who missed the entirety of last season with a torn ACL. Even the veterans are young, with just 13 combined seasons of WNBA experience under their belt.

“It’s a young group, but that shouldn’t throw anybody off. The clarity is there in terms of what we’re trying to accomplish. …” Mystics second-year coach Sydney Johnson said. “They want to compete. They want to get better. They want to work together.”

Three of this year’s rookies arrived in the first round. The Mystics held the Nos. 6, 9 and 11 picks, using the bevy of selections to add UCLA center Lauren Betts, her Bruins teammate Dugalic and Ole Miss guard Cotie McMahon.

They’re all learning on the fly. Nyla Harris, an undrafted free agent, is still finishing classes for her spring semester at North Carolina while fighting for a roster spot in Washington.

“I mean, we just finished the [college] season, and I played all these girls, so I feel like we have so much to talk about,” said Betts, who won a national title with UCLA on April 5. “We’re all transitioning to this at the same time, so it’s really special to have that connection with all of them.”

Unlike last year, when long-time veterans Stefanie Dolson and Brittney Sykes stepped up to shoulder the leadership load, there aren’t many established WNBA stalwarts in Washington’s locker room.

Part of the leadership duties fall to newly signed forward Michaela Onyenwere, who at just 26 found herself as Washington’s elder stateswoman. Onyenwere and center Shakira Austin are the only two Mystics who have played more than a single season in the WNBA.

Onyenwere described the feeling as “crazy,” but it isn’t totally unfamiliar. The UCLA product returned to coach at her alma mater during the WNBA offseason, setting up a unique dynamic between her and former Bruins Betts and Dugalic.

“It’s kind of weird. I’m trying to get used to being on the court with her,” Betts said.

But the coaching experience has allowed Onyenwere to step into a leadership role quickly with the Mystics.

“I’m just so happy with that perspective; it’ll definitely help me in this new experience,” she said. “Just seeing things a little bit differently, obviously being an older player too, being able to help the younger players. It’s like a perfect transition into this.”

Beyond Onyenwere, many of the leadership duties will fall to the dynamic second-year duo of Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron. The pair made the WNBA’s All-Star and All-Rookie teams during their first year in the District. Now, they’re preparing for a league that has film on them while shepherding a new crop of youngsters into the league.

“It feels weird,” Citron confessed. “I feel like I still see myself as a rookie, and I have to remind myself: you’re not.”

“I definitely need to take up more of a leadership role this season,” said Iriafen. “Not that I’m claiming I’m a vet or anything, but I’ve been through one season. Just being able to help the rookies that we have coming in on this team.”

Amoore might technically be a rookie, but she’s a wild card on this Mystics roster. Johnson listed her as part of the Mystics core — alongside Iriafen, Austin and Citron — whose development will be prioritized this season.

But the Kentucky product has a reputation as “Coach Georgia” around the Mystics facility. Unable to join her teammates on the court last season, she locked into the margins. How do the best players prepare for games? How do they recover afterwards? What’s their routine like on road trips?

“I peep everything,” she said, noting the extra “1%” that could help the team going forward.

Even before making her WNBA debut, Amoore counts herself as one of the Mystics’ leaders. She’ll be a vocal presence in every practice as Washington prepares for its regular-season opener against the Toronto Tempo on May 8.

“I’m ready for it. There’s no shortage of confidence that thinks I won’t be able to adapt or adjust. …” Amoore said. “I know there’s going to be ups and downs like there is with anyone, but, with my physical way of playing, I’m trying to make it not shake how I can be as a leader.”