Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
Friday, June 2, 2006, Washington Post

The WNBA Finds Its Way

Women's sports took a step forward recently, although you might not have noticed. The Women's National Basketball Association has begun to list players' weights along with their heights.

Not so long ago, hardly anyone mentioned how much female athletes weighed, even though it was common to list male athletes' weights. Folks seemed to think it was impolite to talk about a woman's weight, even if she were an athlete.

I think it's great that papers and Web sites now list the weight of WNBA players. I hope other women's sports will do the same. Some television shows and entertainment magazines make people think that women are supposed to be super-thin like actresses and models.

Now that the WNBA lists its players' weights, kids might learn that female athletes come in different sizes, just as male athletes do. Maybe kids -- especially girls -- will realize that it's cool to be strong and athletic like WNBA stars Ruth Riley (6 feet 5, 195 pounds), Diana Taurasi (6 feet, 172), Sue Bird (5-9, 150) and Dawn Staley (5-6, 134). Maybe kids will learn that the most important thing is to be healthy and help your team.

Speaking of teams, let's take a look at this year's Washington Mystics. I think the Mystics are ready for a breakout season. Coach Richie Adubato returns to a team that missed the playoffs by one game last season. That's good news for an organization that has changed its coach and style of play too often in the past 10 years.

As for the Mystics roster, versatile guard Alana Beard (5-11, 160) should become one of the league's top stars. Beard will get plenty of help from DeLisha Milton-Jones (6-1, 185) and new power forward Latasha Byears (5-11, 206).

I will miss Temeka Johnson (5-3, 145). The Mystics traded their sparkplug guard and fan favorite to Los Angeles. But Washington's new point guard, Nikki Teasley (6 feet, 169), is bigger and more experienced. She should fill the gap left by Johnson.

The WNBA has a 24-second shot clock this season, so games should be faster and have more scoring. The Mystics, especially Beard, seem to like the new run-and-gun style. Three games into the season, the team is averaging 82 points, and Beard is averaging more than 20 points per game.

Weighing all the possibilities, the Mystics appear to be in good shape to make the playoffs.