The WNBA Mystics yesterday “decided not to renew the contracts" of GM & coach Trudi Lacey and her coaching staff following “the worst two-year stretch in franchise history,” according to Mark Giannotto of the WASHINGTON POST. The Mystics finished the '12 season “with a WNBA-worst 5-29 record, including a 13-game losing streak to end the season” (WASHINGTON POST, 9/25). In DC, Carla Peay writes Mystics Vice Chair, President & Managing Partner Sheila Johnson “knows she has angered fans with the organization’s recent moves but hopes to win them back by moving in a new direction.” Johnson said, “We have the most dedicated fan base in the WNBA, and they deserve a team that will be competitive against the best in the league. I want to give my fans and my team a chance to succeed.” Peay notes “many Mystics fans haven’t gotten past what they deem the organization’s biggest mistake -- the dismissal of general manager Angela Taylor and coach Julie Plank following the 2010 season, the best regular season in franchise history.” Mystics attendance “rose to 12,324 in 2010,” but fell in ‘11 to 10,449. Figures have “not yet been released for the 2012 season” (WASHINGTON TIMES, 9/25).
