Indiana Fever coach Marianne Stanley smiled when she saw her team’s season schedule.
The first matchup is against the Washington Mystics, the defending WNBA champions, and their former team.
“I don’t know if it was by league design or what, maybe, but yeah, I’m very familiar with Washington, obviously, but it’s exciting,” Stanley said. “I said to our team, you know you can only be a champion yes to play the champion, and then the way to our growth and to the playoff rounds and championships is to play against teams like Washington. What better way to start the season?
Stanley, a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee, who had been an assistant coach to Mystics since 2010, now leads a solid mix of proven veterans and promising young talents.
But don’t call it a reconstruction. This team is looking to compete now.
They certainly have the pieces: returning veterans, including Candice Dupree, Teaira McCowan, and Victoria Vivians, back after sitting last season with an ACL tear, and a back track with Kelsey Mitchell, Erica Wheeler, and Tiffany Mitchell. Also available is 2020 No. 3 overall pick, Lauren Cox, and guard Julie Allemand.
But an uphill climb awaits them: their last winning season was 2015, they haven’t made it to the postseason since 2016 and finished last year ranking fourth in the East at 13-21.
In any case, Stanley remains focused.
“We want to establish a culture of winning and a culture of players who play hard and play together. I hope you see us improve every time we go out on the street, ”he said. “That’s what good teams do, what championship teams do.”
