When the Toronto Tempo make their WNBA debut by hosting the Washington Mystics on Friday night, it might be difficult to tell which team is the expansion group.
The Tempo have several proven WNBA players (and a two-time WNBA champion head coach in Sandy Brondello), and the Mystics are one of the youngest teams in the league.
Both teams have reason to be optimistic that they’re headed in the right direction, but expectations for this season are relatively modest.
“This doesn’t feel like an expansion team for me,” said Brondello, who has a 271-181 record in 13 seasons as a WNBA head coach (San Antonio, Phoenix and New York).
Toronto is led by experienced guards in Brittney Sykes (nine seasons with four teams), Kia Nurse (seven seasons, five teams) and Marina Mabrey (seven seasons, four teams).
Brondello acknowledged that even with experienced players, the Tempo have a lot to learn.
“We know that with an expansion team you have to have a little bit of patience in the beginning,” she said. “It’s not that we have a young group. We have a lot of veteran players with experience that can help the process go quicker.”
Toronto added former UCLA guard Kiki Rice with the sixth overall pick in the draft.
Each of Brondello’s previous 13 teams reached the playoffs.
The Mystics failed to reach the playoffs last season, finishing 16-28 as they began a youth movement. Only two players — sixth-year forward Michaela Onyenwere and fifth-year center Shakira Austin — have more than one year of prior WNBA experience.
The team has three first-round picks from each of the last two drafts. Wing Sonia Citron and power forward Kiki Iriafen were All-Stars as rookies last season, and point guard Georgia Amoore is healthy after missing her entire rookie season because of a knee injury.
The Mystics added center Lauren Betts (UCLA) and forwards Angela Dugalic (UCLA) and Cotie McMahon (Ole Miss) in this year’s first round.
“We want to play fast,” Washington coach Sydney Johnson said. “We feel like we have some athletic ability that we want to exploit. … In the half court, I’m leaning into our ball movement and people movement.”
–Field Level Media
