Mystics Links: Elena Delle Donne goes on tour, Mike Thibault runs Virtual Town Hall

I was backed up with some things last weekend and couldn’t go through a round up of links. In this midweek links post, I’ll catch up on some Mystics material that I haven’t gone through in detail just yet. So, let’s do it.

Mike Thibault hosts Virtual Town Hall

On Tuesday, Thibault hosted a Virtual Town Hall, which was moderated by Jacob Raim of Monumental Sports. Here were some of the takeaways from the video which you can see above or clicking here:

• When asked about Monique Currie’s return to Washington, Thibault explained that he didn’t want her to leave before the 2015 season, but it happened because Currie wanted more money and Thibault didn’t want to core her. From hindsight, this was the right decision because I don’t see Tayler Hill and Tierra Ruffin-Pratt developing to where they are today if she was still here.
• The Draft is coming up in a few weeks. Thibault didn’t want to tip his hand, but it sounds like he’s probably picking a wing player. But then again, you never know.
• Thibault was frustrated about Emma Meesseman’s absence this season, and wishes that the WNBA would have more European stars in the future.
• Tayler Hill will miss the first month of the season as she recovers from her right ACL tear.

• At least until Hill returns, Thibault expects to see EDD and Toliver to be the Mystics’ go-to options this year.
• Finally, some news on Ivory Latta though I think it’s waiting for the shoe to drop: the Mystics will not re-sign her this year, and she is a free agent. Latta has been mulling over some options, including retiring and going into coaching. Thibault has explored the possibility of her coming back to the team in basketball operations.

Elena Delle Donne was on Megyn Kelly Today about her book

Last week, Delle Donne was on the third hour of The Today Show, hosted by Megyn Kelly. You can watch the video below or by clicking here:

In the interview, Delle Donne discussed about her short stint at Connecticut and her relationship with Lizzie, her older sister.

Delle Donne met up with Christyn Williams, the high school player of the year

Last Saturday, Gatorade announced that Christyn Williams, a UConn commit, was the 2017-18 Gatorade National Basketball Player of the Year. Delle Donne went to Little Rock, Arkansas, Williams’ hometown, to give her the award during a training drill. Williams played for Central Arkansas Christian where she led the Mustangs to a state championship this season. Williams also played on USA Basketball’s U19 women’s national team.

This is the at least the second time when Delle Donne gave the Gatorade HS Player of the Year Award to the winner. Last year, she gave the award to now-UConn freshman Megan Walker, a Richmond area native. We had a chance to talk to her last year, when she received her award at a Wizards game:

And more EDD pics this week

Just because.

European news

UMMC Ekaterinburg is in the EuroLeague Women semifinals. They will play intra-Russian Premier League rival Dynamo Kursk on April 20.

And in Belgian basketball news (since they do affect the Mystics), Sofie Hendrickx retired from international play. She was the captain of the team, but she didn’t do much for the Belgians on the scoreboard. Emma Meesseman is why Belgium is relevant in European and even worldwide play. Nevertheless, the bigger worry is whether Ann Wauters can still give it a go for the World Cup, and perhaps the Olympics.