WASHINGTON — At a time when the WNBA has never been more popular, with room to grow, the Washington Mystics acknowledge they have catch-up work to do before they fully take part in that ascendancy.
But now franchise officials believe they have two people in place who will help the Mystics meet the moment, and, in the process, also help push the league further along. The Mystics formally introduced new general manager Jamila Wideman and new coach Sydney Johnson on Wednesday, saying they would focus on developing players off and on the court.
“This is a global city for what in the WNBA is a global game,” Wideman said. “If you look at the players who are coming into our league, if you look at the connectivity between our players born here in the U.S. with places around the world, you could not have a better place, a better market to embrace a game that has that range of diversity and reach, and I think that’s really where we’re focused on building.”
Wideman, 49, and Johnson, 50, were hired in December by Michael Winger, the president of Monumental Basketball, the umbrella organization that includes the Mystics, the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the NBA G League’s Capital City Go-Go. John Thompson III, Monumental Basketball’s senior vice president, also played a…
