McFerrin: "We Expect to Be a Playoff Team That
Gains Home Court Advantage"<br><br>The Washington
Mystics have taken incremental steps during their three
seasons to improve their level of play. Now the franchise
hopes to shed its image as an expansion team whose
biggest claim to fame is a wildly enthusiastic fan base
that has led the WNBA in attendance the past three
years.<br><br>"We see ourselves being a consistent contender in the
East," General Manager Melissa McFerrin said yesterday
during a meeting with Washington Post editors and
reporters.<br><br>"What does that mean? We expect to be a playoff team
that gains home court advantage. And if we take care
of home court advantage, we will find ourselves in
the Eastern Conference finals."<br><br>McFerrin said
the Mystics intend to build around a core of veteran
players who led the team to its first postseason
appearance last year. Washington was 14-18 last season and
was swept in two games by the New York Liberty in the
first round of the WNBA playoffs.<br><br>At the same
time, the Mystics want to upgrade certain positions.
McFerrin said that improving the caliber of play at the
point guard spot is a top priority. Incumbents Andrea
Nagy and Keisha Anderson will be given a chance to
compete for the job, but Washington is looking to draft
or trade for a point guard.<br><br>"We are
concentrating on the first and second rounds of the [April 20]
draft," McFerrin said. "We have four or five players we
are homing in on that should be available at the
number nine. We want to upgrade at the point guard
position... but I don't know whether there'll be a quality
guard available at that position when we pick. We could
find ourselves drafting a wing player. There is a lot
to still be decided."<br><br>The Mystics' most
significant move during the offseason was to hire a new
coach, their fifth coach in three seasons. Tom Maher,
48, led the Australian national team to a silver
medal at the Sydney Olympics. During his 11-year career
in the Australian Women's National Basketball
League, Maher directed his teams to six championships and
became the league's all-time winningest coach. Maher had
few reservations over leaving his successful career
in Australia to join the WNBA, now entering its
fourth season.<br><br>"The public wants to support
women's sports, but they also want a good product," Maher
said. "...What the WNBA must do [to continue to thrive]
is to get a longevity about it."<br><br>When
training camp opens on May 2, the Mystics expect forward
Chamique Holdsclaw to return from playing in Turkey, her
first stint abroad.<br><br>"I think its wonderful,"
McFerrin said. "But there is the concern of injury. The
Europeans don't train like the Americans. In basketball,
players need to play to get better. The experience is
going to be wonderful, barring any injury."