Aaliyah Edwards’s homecoming is a U-Conn. lovefest — and a Mystics loss
Aaliyah Edwards’s homecoming is a U-Conn. lovefest — and a Mystics loss
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Aaliyah Edwards stood against a wall in the bowels of Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday evening and conducted her second media session of the day. It has been a busy couple of days for the Washington Mystics rookie as she and the team returned to the state where she developed into a national star at the University of Connecticut.
Not surprisingly, everyone wanted to catch up with the No. 6 pick in the WNBA draft.
“It’s like I can never leave Connecticut. I’m always coming back every other weekend,” Edwards said with a laugh, noting she recently returned for graduation. “It’s cool to be back at Mohegan.”
The evening was a showcase for several of the Mystics’ newcomers despite an 84-77 loss to the Connecticut Sun. Karlie Samuelson scored a team-high 18 points and was 4 for 5 from beyond the arc. Rookie Julie Vanloo posted career highs of 12 points and eight assists. Stefanie Dolson had nine points on three three-pointers and added six rebounds. Shakira Austin, who is still on a minutes restriction and played just over 21 minutes, had 10 points and nine rebounds.
“The first game, I was a bit nervous,” Vanloo said. “But I felt today that I was more ready than last game. So I already had a pretty good feeling toward this game. I was just ready to play.”
Washington (0-2) took a four-point lead after three quarters but was outscored 32-21 in the fourth, in which it surrendered a 15-0 run. DeWanna Bonner scored 14 of her game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter and added six rebounds and six steals. The Sun also got 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists from Maryland alum Alyssa Thomas. Another former Terrapin, Brionna Jones, who was an assistant for the Terps last season, had seven points and seven rebounds as she slowly works her way back from a torn Achilles’ tendon that ended her 2023 season after just one game.
The Mystics lost starting point guard Brittney Sykes to an ankle sprain in the first quarter. Sykes was helped to the locker room by trainers and never returned. She later left the arena wearing a walking boot and will be further evaluated Saturday.
“The biggest difference was we turned the ball over directly for layups,” Coach Eric Thibault said. “You can’t do that against them. … Those run-outs really put a dagger [in us].
“I liked our resiliency. But we’ve got to have higher-quality possessions.”
The fans in the building got the best of both worlds — a Sun victory to go along with a U-Conn. lovefest. A young fan sat in the second row wearing Edwards’s No. 3 Huskies jersey and long braids similar to Edwards’s. Dolson, another former Huskie, received a sizable round of applause when she was introduced.
The Sun also features Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Edwards’s former teammate in Storrs. The two had a moment to share hugs and catch up in the morning as the two teams crossed paths at the shoot-around. The two caught up again when Nelson-Ododa blocked Edwards’s shot in the early going. Edwards’s parents also attended the game.
The early returns on Edwards have been positive, and her game is translating to the professional level. She has brought energy to the floor and can defend multiple positions out to the arc. Coaches have raved about her maturity and basketball IQ, which are no surprise for those coming out of Geno Auriemma’s program.
“You just got to be on top of things and always be prepared and always be ready. So I watch a lot of film,” said Edwards, who scored six points Friday off the bench. “I kind of got that niche from Kobe [Bryant]. Growing up watching him, he was always about mental toughness and always just being mentally prepared as well as physically prepared.
“Every experience I’ve been through — national team, college, here — you just always wanted to be a student of the game first and foremost.”
Edwards said she used to watch Bryant’s games on television with her brother. In eighth grade, she started rocking her trademark purple and gold braids as a nod to the late star.
Like Bryant, Edwards sees herself as a student of the game. During practice, she will come off the court and immediately connect with associate coach LaToya Sanders, a defensive specialist. After some practices, the two sit on the sideline for another session, looking at video on a tablet. Sanders explained that they take some extra time to go over personnel because this is the first time she has played against these teams. Sanders calls them mini-film sessions.
“We want to focus on our foundational pieces, offensively and defensively,” Sanders said. “It’s a lot of terminology and changes and schemes and all that she has to adjust to each individual game.
“She’s got to give herself grace. All rookies are going to have that moment where a vet is going to do something, and they’re good people. What could I have done? She does everybody. Sometimes I tell my bigs, like, shoot, she did it to me.”
A challenging start to the season continues Sunday when the Mystics host the Seattle Storm. Then comes a brutal week with road games at Los Angeles, Phoenix and Seattle.
“This is a team that’s a work in progress,” Sun Coach Stephanie White said of the Mystics. “You can tell by some of the things they want to do on the offensive end. But you can see the flashes, right? You can see the moments where it’s like, okay, they’re going to be fine. They’re just trying to figure it out right now.”