I have said time and time again on this site, social media, or at the day job that Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger’s biggest job at the moment is to hire the next Washington Mystics General Manager and Head Coach — in separate bodies. Quite frankly, the Washington Wizards aren’t his biggest focus right now. And today, we have more clarity in terms of the people they have interviewed for the General Manager position, and who their next head coach could be.
General Manager interviews
We know who interviewed AND who WILL NOT be the next General Manager of the Washington Mystics. According to Kareem Copeland of The Washington Post, Los Angeles Sparks Assistant General Manager Eli Horowitz was interviewed by Monumental Basketball. However, Horowitz will stay with the Sparks.
Phoenix Mercury Assistant General Manager Monica Wright Rogers also interviewed, according to Copeland. Wright is a former WNBA player who spent her professional playing career with the Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm. She played college basketball for the Virginia Cavaliers and is from Northern Virginia, where she graduated from Forest Park High School in Woodbridge, a suburb in Prince William County.
You may have been wondering if Winger decided who decided which Mystics players would be protected in the Golden State Valkyries’ expansion draft. That person was Mystics Assistant General Manager Maria Giovanetti, who has been the Mystics’ de facto General Manager since Mike Thibault left. She wasn’t fired after the initial changes. And as I wrote before on candidates of the GM position, Giovanetti was also one of the candidates I listed.
And on that note, I’ll add this personal anecdote. Maria was actually my guest services rep from way back in the day, so I’m very happy to see how her career has progressed.
Finally other NBA affiliated folks are in the running for the Mystics’ GM position.
No additional head coach candidates were specifically named, but they were mostly former WNBA players
Copeland added that most of the Mystics’ current candidates for head coach are former WNBA players. One is a current NBA assistant coach, whom is almost definitely Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Lindsey Harding. The others appear to be with other WNBA teams.
I do anticipate that Winger and Monumental Basketball will wrap these searches up soon. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.