Here are our All-Time Mystics first and second teams

The Mystics are playing their 20th season this year. Today, they’re hosting their last home game of the regular season against the Seattle Storm and the preview’s here.

With Washington’s 20th regular season ending this weekend, now is a good time reflect on who the Mystics’ best players were over the years. So with that in mind, I now have my All-Time Mystics first and second team rosters.

I had some criteria in mind before picking the All-Time teams. Any player I considered had to play for the Mystics for at least three seasons. So that eliminates players like Elena Delle Donne, but also some other players I liked to see over the years like Lindsey Harding, who played from 2009-2010. Other than that, I considered the players’ accomplishments and to some extent, the “fan favorite” factor as well. So, let’s get right to it. Here are my picks.

The All-Time Mystics First Team

Let’s first get to the five Mystics players who make up the first team. I selected two guards and three frontcourt players.

Nikki McCray, Guard

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College: Tennessee

Years with the Mystics: 1998-2001

The Mystics didn’t have much to root for in their early days, but McCray was one of their few bright spots, where she averaged over 17 points a game in their first two seasons. She is also one of two Mystics players who played for the USA Basketball women’s national team while in D.C. As an Olympian, McCray won the gold medal in the 1996 and 2000 Games.

Today, McCray is the head coach of the Old Dominion Lady Monarchs basketball team after serving as an assistant for the South Carolina women’s basketball team from 2008-2017 when they won the national championship.

Alana Beard, Guard

Stewart W. Small

College: Duke

Years with the Mystics: 2004-2011

Beard is widely known as the best guard to have ever worn a Mystics uniform, and the best overall player since Chamique Holdsclaw. She was the 2nd pick in the 2004 Draft and was a four-time All-Star from 2005-2007, and 2009. Beard was a talented scorer in D.C., but her strongest suit was perimeter defense, where she made the WNBA All-Defensive team in four of her first five years in the league.

Though Beard was on the Mystics roster in 2010 and 2011, she missed both seasons due to ankle injuries. After the 2011 season, she signed with the Los Angeles Sparks where she has played ever since where she won a title in 2016 and has continued to show her defensive prowess.

Chamique Holdsclaw, Frontcourt

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College: Tennessee

Years with the Mystics: 1999-2004

Holdsclaw is regarded as the best player to ever wear a Mystics uniform and was called the “female Michael Jordan” when she first came to the league. Holdsclaw was the 1st pick in the 1999 Draft and was a five-time All-Star with the Mystics. She also was the only Mystics player to be an All-Star Game starter until Elena Delle Donne this season. Finally, Holdsclaw was on the 2000 Olympic team with McCray.

While she was in D.C., Holdsclaw also led the Mystics to their only Conference Finals appearance in 2002. She was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks before the 2005 season and also spent some time with the Atlanta Dream and San Antonio Stars before hanging them up.

Since her retirement, Holdsclaw has dedicated her passion to serving as a mental health advocate after suffering from depression. She also has a movie called “MIND/GAME: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw” that details her life journey.

Crystal Langhorne, Frontcourt

Stewart W. Small

College: Maryland

Years with the Mystics: 2008-2013

Before Emma Meesseman became the Mystics’ starting power forward, Crystal Langhorne held the role for many seasons. Langhorne was a fan favorite, in large part because she played for Maryland and was part of their 2006 national championship team.

Langhorne played six years for the Mystics. Though her rookie season was mediocre, Langhorne won the WNBA’s Most Improved Player award in 2009, and made All-Star appearances in 2010, 2011, and 2013.

Though Langhorne played in Washington during the Mystics’ best regular season in 2010, she also was the centerpiece behind the 2011 and 2012 teams that won a combined 11 games. That unfortunately put a shadow on her at the time.

After Mike Thibault became head coach in 2013, Langhorne played a major part leading the Mystics back to the playoffs, so she finished her Mystics tenure with some redemption when she was traded to the Storm in 2014. Today, Langhorne still plays for the Storm where she is one of their starting posts.

Murriel Page, Frontcourt

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College: Florida

Years with the Mystics: 1998-2006

Page is the Mystics’ all time leader in games played with 259 appearances in the Blue and Bronze. She was a starting post for most of her early career but played off the bench later in her career. As the Mystics’ first ever draft pick, Page is often referred to as “The Original Mystic.”

Though she was never an All-Star, Page was a consistent presence for Washington throughout their growing pains and was there for Washington’s lone Eastern Conference Finals run in 2002. Since her retirement, Page was an assistant coach at the college level, most recently for Florida.

The All-Time Mystics Second Team

Here’s the list of players who make my All-Time Mystics second team:

Ivory Latta, Guard - Latta played for the Mystics from 2013 through today. During her time in D.C., she was the team’s starting point guard and leading scorer each of her first three seasons. Latta also earned All-Star appearances in 2013 and 2014, all as a Mystic of course.

Coco Miller, Guard - Miller played eight years for the Mystics from 2001-2008. She was a starter on the 2002 team that made the Eastern Conference Finals and was a reliable option off the bench throughout her time in D.C. From 2009-2011, she played for the Dream and finished her career with the Los Angeles Sparks.

Monique Currie, Frontcourt - Currie was traded to the Mystics in 2007 and was the team’s starting small forward through the 2014 season. She was an All-Star in the 2010 WNBA vs. Team USA game, and was a major part of the 2010 team that finished first in the Eastern Conference standings. Currie remained a reliable scorer and rebounder throughout her time in Washington and ever since. She now plays for the Phoenix Mercury.

Emma Meesseman, Frontcourt - Meesseman played for the Mystics since 2013 and is regarded as the best draft pick in the current Mike Thibault Era. She was a second round pick where she came from Ieper, Belgium but played for a French team when she was drafted. Meesseman has been the team’s starting power forward since 2014 and was an All-Star in 2015. Overall, Meesseman has been one of the most efficient frontcourt players in the WNBA and could be a All-Time Mystics first team player when the Mystics play their 25th season in 2022.

Chasity Melvin, Frontcourt - Melvin had two stints in D.C., first from 2003-2007 and again from 2009-2010. Melvin was a starting center in Washington for the vast majority of her time in D.C. Though she did not earn an All-Star Game appearance as a Mystic (she did in 2001 for the now-defunct Cleveland Rockers), she was still regarded as one of the better centers in the league in her day.