Colby's Weekly Commentary
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Hello Sports fans. Today is Tuesday, April 14, 2026. The WNBA Draft took place on Monday night, April 13, 2026. A lot of good college talent was drafted. UCLA set a record for most players drafted in a WNBA draft first round; Lauren Betts, Gabrille Jaquez, KiKi Rice, Angela Dugalic and Gianna Kneepkens were all drafted in the first round and well deserved. All three of South Carolina's starters were drafted early. Raven Johnson went to the Indiana Fever. Madina Okot went to the Atlanta Dream and Ta'Niya Latson went to the LA Sparks. Speaking of Raven Johnson and Madina Okot, in my opinion they both landed on contenders, but my concern is the following. Raven Johnson to the Fever. Will Raven's services be utilized properly? Raven is a great point guard. Caitlin Clark is a great point guard. Will the Fever start Caitlin at the point guard position and bring Raven off the bench, or will Raven be the starting point guard and Caitlin moves to the 2 guard and Kelsy to the 3 guard? This is the way I would play it. You have Caitlin and Kelsey shooting the lights out at the 2 and 3 with Raven distributing the ball to these two and Aliyah Boston. Caitlin and Kelsey would catch and shoot. Neither would have to create their shots off the dribble. Teams would have a difficult time trying to stop Kelsey and Caitlin. And don't forget about Raven's shooting ability when needed, plus she is a lock down defender, defensive player of the year and All American. And when you need fresh shooters, bring in Cunningham and Hull with Raven or Caitlin on the floor still distributing. This combination of shooters and ball handlers would be the best in the W. This is something to think about, Coach White.
My other concern is Madina Okot in Atlanta. We all know what she did this season at South Carolina. She had 22 double doubles, averaged 11 rebounds with a 57 percent field goal percentage and a 47 percent 3-point field goal percentage. A 6'6" big averaging over 45% from the 3-point line, incredible. She is a great rim and paint protector. Her numbers do not really display her full potential. The sky is the limit for this young talent. Now, that being said, my starting five for Atlanta would be; Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Jordan Canada or Te- Hina Paopao, Brionna Jones and Madina Okot. In my opinion, this is your starting 5 All Star Cast for Atlanta. Will it happen this way? Will the coaching staff and management care more about winning a Championship, or their marketing? I will leave it there. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what I am talking about!
Another team that will be in the spotlight this season due to their talent and draft picks, the Washington Mystics. Last years rookies leading the pack; KiKi Iriafen, Sonia Citron and Georgia Amore. You have the new kids on the block, the 2026 draft picks; Lauren Betts, Cotie McMahon, Angela Dugalic, Cassandra Prosper and Rori Harmon. The Mystics are locked and loaded and, in my opinion, Mystics and Dream will be the Eastern Conference playoff contenders. In the West, I'm thinking Aces and Valkyries. I may change my mind later regarding the West, but I'm sticking to my predictions for the East. Now you can't count out the Fever. They have young guns also. My concern is will the coach put together the right combination. Bottom line, Mystics will be gunning for everyone. And you can take that to the bank! I call the Mystics, "The Firm" and the partners in the Firm are Iriafen, Citron, Amore, Mc Mahon and Betts.
I hope you enjoyed the Draft and are waiting for the season to begin.
Anthony D. Colby
Columnist
Sports Consultant
TDG Sports Marketing
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KiKi Iriafen- Mystic's Forward
KiKi Iriafen, managing partner of The Firm.
Sonia Citron-Mystic's Guard
Sonia Citron, managing partner of The Firm
Georgia Amore-Mystic's Guard
Georgia Amore, junior partner of The Firm
Cotie McMahon-Mystic's Forward
Cotie McMahon, new partner of The Firm
Lauren Betts- Mystic's Center
Lauren Betts, new partner of The Firm
Washington Mystics, "The Firm"
Washington Mystics, new 2026 WNBA contenders. Presenting, partners of "The Firm", Iriafen, Citron, Amore, McMahon and Betts.