Day 1
Washington, D.C– The Washington Mystics opened training camp on
Sunday at Verizon Center with 16 players including rookies Tamara
James, Nikkie Blue and Veteran players, Chasity Melvin and Coco
Miller. On the first day, the Mystics coaches kept practice to two
hours before jumping into various offensive and defensive drills,
individual shooting and free throw shooting. Washington ended
practice with a 5-on-5 game to three.

Training Camp Quotes:

Head Coach Richie Adubato:
"I liked what I saw today. I liked everyone's enthusiasm and
everyone's energy. That's usually how it goes the first day of
training camp. There are draft picks, vets and free agents all
trying to show that they belong here. I liked the groups focus and
this group picked up quickly."

Rookie Nikki Blue:
"I loved it today. It was a great experience. I'm so blessed to be
amongst the best players not only in the league but in the world.
This team definitely has a bright future. I just look forward to
helping them win."

Veteran Chasity Melvin:
"I thought today was good. With the league going into its 10th
Anniversary, college players that come in here are just getting
better and better. You can really see that women basketball players
are stepping up." "You could tell that Nikki (Blue) and Tamara
(James) were nervous but once they calmed down, they played well.
You can tell they are real competitive."

Free Agent Evan Unrau:
"Linda contacted me at the Final Four about coming out to training
camp and I figured, why not give it a try. I haven't played in a
year but I just came out and played how I play." On reuniting with
Alana Beard and Kaayla Chones… "It was cool to see some familiar
faces. We kept in contact so it helps on the first day so there
isn't that anxiety about not knowing anyone."

Veteran Coco Miller:
"We lost some great players but we got some great players. We have a
chance to put it all together and go far this season."

Notes:
Some familiar faces were missing from the first day of training
camp, including DeLisha Milton Jones, Crystal Robinson, Nikki
Teasley and Mactabene Amachree, all players are finishing
commitments to their overseas teams… All three players from the 2004
WNBA Draft were in attendance at training camp on Sunday. Alana
Beard (2nd overall pick), Kaayla Chones (15th overall) and Evan
Unrau (28th overall)… Coco Miller is going into her fifth season
with the Mystics, making her the longest tenured Mystic player… The
Mystics opened training camp at Verizon Center but will move to
Galludet University for the remainder of the week… Injury Report:
Nakia Sanford sat out of practice because of a broken right pinkie.
Sanford will be evaluated on Monday.