Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images
The 2021 Washington Mystics roster is more-or-less set before the beginning of this season which will likely start around May. They have signed the key free agents they needed to like Tina Charles and Natasha Cloud, extended key young players like Ariel Atkins and brought in other impact free agents like Alysha Clark. Along with franchise player and 2019 WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne, the Mystics will have a good shot at another Finals run this year.
There is still one player whom I didn’t talk about: Emma Meesseman, who hasn’t re-signed with Washington or any WNBA team.
Photo by David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images
Yesterday, the Washington Mystics announced that LaToya Sanders retired from the WNBA but will remain with Monumental Sports & Entertainment in a general player development capacity. The move was a surprise, and given that they also signed Theresa Plaisance yesterday, it’s always a good thing to take a step back and see where the team is after such moves. Here are three takeaways on where the Mystics are at this point.
No. 1: The frontcourt rotation seems clearer.
The Mystics’ frontcourt currently has Elena Delle Donne, Tina Charles, Myisha Hines-Allen, Erica McCall and Plaisance. It’s pretty clear that Delle Donne will get a starting role and major minutes while Hines-Allen and Charles will also get starter-level minutes. McCall and Plaisance have been reserves for their careers and will likely be in a similar role this season.
Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images
On Friday, the Washington Mystics announced that they signed Ariel Atkins to a two-year extension through the 2023 WNBA season. In addition, Rachel Galligan of Winsidr reported that the contract is guaranteed for two years where her 2022 salary is $170,000 and her 2023 salary is at $175,000.
Sources inform @Winsidr Ariel Atkins s contract has been extended to 2023 with the Washington Mystics. Is $170k in 2022, and $175k in 2023, fully protected. Rachel Galligan (@RachGall) February 26, 2021
Atkins is entering the final year of her rookie contract in 2021, where she will earn a salary of $70,040 according to Her Hoops Stats.
Weekly roundup of world briefs
By Andrew Silow-Carroll
(JTA) Haredi Orthodox Jews in Lakewood, New Jersey, are curtailing Purim festivities because of COVID-19.
For the first time in 80 years, Beth Medrash Govoha, the yeshiva at the center of the township’s 70,000-strong Orthodox community, won’t host festivities surrounding the holiday, the Asbury Park Press reports.
The community saw a surge in COVID-19 cases after last year’s celebrations, which came in the early days of the pandemic, before widespread school closures, crowd restrictions and stay-at-home orders were put in place.
Ocean County health authorities have reported 11,369 COVID-19 cases in Lakewood since the start of the pandemic among the 747,000 statewide. At least 268 township residents have died.
Lynchburgâs first Black Out Arts Weekend is today through Sunday.
Hosted by Kaleidoscope Studio of the Arts and Lynchburg Dance Studio, the event is a celebration of Black culture featuring various dancers who will host classes Saturday and others who will showcase the arts of song, music and poetry in performances Sunday.
Megan Guzik, artistic director of Kaleidoscope Studio of the Arts, a creative arts studio focusing on dance, said the studio wanted to hold a special event this year to focus on Black culture and the arts.
âWith all the Black Lives Matter protests, we wanted to bring this into the forefront and we wanted to recognize that this is still happening and this is still important,â she said. âA lot of what we do now stems from Black culture and we need to recognize that.â