‘Rookie moves’ are a good thing for Washington Mystics in season-opening win

“Y’all know what day it is! Let’s get it,” Amoore texted her teammates on Friday morning, according to center/forward Shakira Austin.

Amoore kept up that energy all game, posting on her Instagram story and texting general manager Jamila Wideman throughout the night. And the Mystics reciprocated, as forward Aaliyah Edwards brought a cutout of Amoore’s face on a stick and placed it on the team’s water cooler.

The IX Basketball, a 24/7/365 women’s basketball newsroom powered by The Next

The IX Basketball: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX Sports. 24/7/365 women’s basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young, diverse staff and dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections about the game we love.

All four of the Mystics’ rookies had a presence on Friday, from Amoore’s energy in absentia to the on-court contributions from Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen and Lucy Olsen. In what is expected to be a rebuilding year in Washington, the rookies helped the Mystics to a 94-90 win over the Atlanta Dream.

“We’re kind of all in this together, so we don’t feel alone out there,” Iriafen told reporters postgame about the Mystics’ rookie class.

Citron, Iriafen and Amoore were all top-six WNBA draft picks, while Olsen was a second-round selection. Citron, a 6’1 guard from Notre Dame, started on the wing on Friday and had 19 points on 6-for-7 shooting, two rebounds and two assists. The 6’3 Iriafen, a forward from USC, also started and had 14 points on 4-for-10 shooting, four rebounds and two assists. And Olsen, a 5’10 guard from Iowa, came off the bench and made her only shot attempt, a midrange jumper over 6’9 Dream center Brittney Griner.

Citron and Iriafen’s point totals each ranked in the top six in Mystics history for a debut game. They were the first pair of Mystics rookies since 1999 to score in double figures in their first career game, according to Mystics PR.

“I saw a lot of what I see from them in our gym every day,” first-year head coach Sydney Johnson told reporters postgame. “… They’re going to start moving up in people’s scouting reports, I’m pretty sure. …

“I just appreciate how confident they are, but how coachable they are. They’re just so open to wanting to get better, and they’re so open to their teammates. And usually, when you give yourself that way, you get a lot back. And that’s what we saw tonight.”

Citron was expected to start, as she is the Mystics’ only true wing and started both preseason games. But Iriafen plays a position where the Mystics are much deeper, and her start was somewhat surprising. In the preseason, she came off the bench behind forward Emily Engstler, even with Austin and Edwards out with injuries.

“She’s just practiced really hard and has continued to grow,” Johnson said of Iriafen. “… It’s like, I don’t know if she needs to sit by me. She can just kind of start the game, jump ball, let’s go.”

Before the game, Citron and Iriafen talked through their nerves together. Then neither showed any jitters as they contributed to a balanced Mystics offense and guarded multi-time All-Stars.

They even combined for the Mystics’ first field goal of the game. Citron cut backdoor and caught a pass from veteran center Stefanie Dolson underneath the basket. With no hesitation, she flipped it to Iriafen cutting into the lane for an easy layup.

Just 20 seconds later, Iriafen caught the ball in the post and finished strong against Dream forward Brionna Jones. The pass came from veteran guard Brittney Sykes, who had team highs of 22 points and five assists.

Then Iriafen started to show what she could do even with Griner defending her. She forced Griner to foul her on a post move late in the first quarter, and Griner swatted the ball afterward, seemingly frustrated by the call. Early in the second quarter, Iriafen went around Griner for a layup, and in the third quarter, she caught the ball on the perimeter, took two dribbles and freed herself for a baseline jump shot.

“How awesome is it that you get to go against one of the best post players in your first game?” Iriafen said afterward. “It’s only going to get me better for the rest of the season.”

By the third quarter, Iriafen’s confidence was on full display. With under a minute left in the period, she battled for an offensive rebound and drew a foul on Jones. After the whistle, she walked away, nodding to herself in satisfaction.

And Iriafen wasn’t done in the quarter. With about 35 seconds left, she sprinted the court after a steal by point guard Jade Melbourne; caught Melbourne’s pass; and wrested it away from Dream defenders closing in on her, drawing a foul in the process. Running the court in transition was something Iriafen had promised to do as soon as she was drafted, and it fits perfectly in Johnson’s up-tempo style.

“I’m 22 years old; Kiki, Sonia, they’re 21. We want to run,” Melbourne told The Next postgame. “We want to use these fresh legs and play fast basketball. So it’s fun. There’s no hesitation passing to anyone on this team. You’re confident in everyone.”

Late in the game, Iriafen returned the favor to Citron for the guard’s first-quarter assist, somehow seeing Citron cut as Griner hounded her on the perimeter.

“They’re not your average rookies,” Melbourne said. “They’ve come in and they look like they’ve done it before. … I think my favorite play of the night was when Kiki looks like she was under pressure, Sonia back cuts and [Kiki] finds her over Bri Jones. I was like, ‘That’s their first game. This is so cool.’”

It wasn’t a perfect night for Iriafen: She gave up two and-ones with under five minutes to play and fouled out in the process, and she fell short of her goal of a double-double. But her instincts and aggressive play were more than enough to leave the Mystics excited about the future, knowing this is only the floor for both her and Citron.

Meanwhile, Citron missed her first shot of the night, a midrange jumper 56 seconds into the game.

It would be the only shot she missed all game.

For her teammates, Citron’s shooting looked just like what they’ve seen throughout training camp. Over an hour into practice, Johnson sometimes has to ask the group, “You realize Sonia hasn’t missed a shot all day?”

“We’re like, ‘Soni, what the hell?’” Austin told The Next before Friday’s game. “And it’s been every day. … It’s not to say we aren’t surprised or shocked by it anymore, because I’m still like, ‘Damn, that girl is good.’ But she was really a great steal [in the draft], just on both ends.”

Citron had a relatively quiet first half offensively, taking just two shots and scoring 4 points. But she helped hold All-Star Rhyne Howard to 4-for-14 shooting all game.

“It’s a challenge that I like,” Citron told reporters about defending Howard. “I told Coach that I want to be able to play both sides of the ball, and defending players like Rhyne [is] only going to make me better.”

Fourteen seconds into the second half, though, Citron drained a 3-pointer to cut Atlanta’s lead to 1. That shot set the tone, as the Mystics scored 53 points in the half — and Citron scored 15 — to get the win.

Citron hit another 3-pointer a few minutes later to give the Mystics a 55-52 lead — their first since 6-5. Sykes, who had the assist, celebrated by pointing to the vein in her elbow.

In the fourth quarter, Citron touched off another boisterous celebration when she crossed over and blew by Howard for a layup. That put the Mystics up 77-70, and the arena erupted in cheers. On the sideline, Melbourne stood and whipped her towel with all her might.

“Our vets … [are] pouring so much confidence into us and telling us to take shots, telling us to make plays,” Iriafen said. “So … this whole environment allows us to thrive because we’re not afraid to make mistakes.”

With the game tied with 34 seconds left, Sykes and Citron combined for the decisive play. Sykes sliced to the rim for an impressive layup, then stole the inbounds pass and threw it to Citron as she was falling out of bounds.

“I saw her almost going out of bounds, so just trying to help a teammate out who just hustled to get the ball,” Citron said. “And she was able to pass it and get it to me. And then I got a little nervous.

“I knew not to shoot it, so I was trying to dribble out. But I was trying to look for [point guard] Sug [Sutton] or [Sykes], but at the same time not turn it over.”

Citron kept the ball, and her nerve, long enough to force the Dream to foul her, and she sank both free throws to give the Mystics their final 4-point lead.

After the Mystics survived Atlanta’s final offensive possession — three misses and two offensive rebounds in total — the four rookies and their new head coach got to feel the emotions of a Mystics win for the first time. As the team celebrated at center court, Iriafen looked out at the crowd and spread her fingers to make a W with her hand.

Order ‘Rare Gems’ and save 30%

Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The IX Basketball and The IX Sports, wrote this deeply reported book. “Rare Gems” follows four connected generations of women’s basketball pioneers, from Elvera “Peps” Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.

If you enjoy Megdal’s coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday at The IX Sports, you will love “Rare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.” Click the link below to order and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout to save 30%!

Going forward, Mystics players and staff alike are excited about Citron and Iriafen’s potential. Their instant impact was exactly what the front office had hoped to get in the draft this year, and in this season of development, the coaches hope to see a ton of growth. They know Friday was just one game, but based on what they’ve seen in practice, they also know Citron and Iriafen will be much more than one-hit wonders.

Austin didn’t even wait for Friday’s game to start before campaigning for the rookies to win end-of-season honors.

“We got some great girls,” Austin said. “I’m hoping some of them and all of them get on the [WNBA All-Rookie team]. And hopefully we got a Rookie of the Year over here.”

The Next’s Rob Knox contributed reporting for this story.