The Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics finished back-to-back in the 2024 standings, with Atlanta sneaking into the 2024 playoffs with a 15-25 record. Atlanta finished just one game ahead of Washington’s 14-26 record after Atlanta beat Washington in overtime in the 38th game of the 40-game season. Both teams underwent coaching changes in the offseason, although Washington seems set up as a more traditional rebuild while Atlanta has pushed its chips in for the 2025 season.

Opponent Preview

The Mystics are led by first-year head WNBA coach Sydney Johnson who played for the Princeton men’s basketball team in the mid-1990s. Johnson has primarily coached men’s college basketball in his career, spending time on the staff for the men’s teams at Georgetown, Princeton (head coach from 2007-2011), Fairfield (head coach from 2011-2019), and Air Force (assistant head coach). He spent the 2024 season as an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky after several years working with USA basketball.

Washington had three of the first six draft picks in the 2025 draft, adding guard Sonia Citron from Notre Dame, forward Kiki Iriafen from USC, and Australian guard Georgia Amoore from Kentucky. Although Amoore had an ACL injury in preseason, Citron and Iriafen are both expected to contribute to a lineup returning 2nd-year player Aaliyah Edwards from the University of Connecticut and veterans including Shakira Austin, Brittney Sykes, and Stefanie Dolson. Unfortunately for the Mystics, Amoore, Edwards, and Austin have all been declared out for the opening games with the Atlanta Dream.

Eight of the WNBA’s thirteen teams will make the playoffs. The Atlanta Dream has the seventh-best championship odds according to odds from DraftKings Sportsbook in early May. The Mystics had the 11th-best odds, only ahead of the chaotic Connecticut Sun and the expansion Golden State Valkyries.

What to Look For with the Atlanta Dream in 2025

There are several prominent additions to the Atlanta Dream on the player side and coaching staff. New head coach Karl Smesko enters the WNBA after 26 seasons coaching collegiately. He leaves with the thirrd-highest winning percentage among active DI women’s basketball coaches behind just Geno Auriemma and Kim Mulkey.

Smesko is known for an offense prioritizing efficient shots, emphasizing three-point shooting. Atlanta finished towards the bottom of the league in pace and three-point shooting last season, but could be among the league leaders in three-pointers taken, based on their preseason performance. Smesko brought in a collection of new coaching staff members to support him in his debut season with a wide array of professional and collegiate coaching experience.

When it comes to player additions to the Atlanta Dream, the team made some of the biggest splashes in the offseason, especially in the frontcourt. Brittney Griner opted to leave the only team she has ever played for in the Phoenix Mercury to join the Atlanta Dream as a free agent. The broadcasting crew in Atlanta’s preseason game mentioned that Griner gave credit to fellow Unrivaled players Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray for recruiting her to the team.

After announcing Griner’s signing, Atlanta surprised the WNBA by also signing free agent Brionna Jones from the Connecticut Sun. The two players were considered the best available bigs on the free-agent market and it remains to be seen how their playing time will be staggered. In both preseason games, both ‘BG’ and ‘BJ’ were in the starting lineup, but they could be used in a rotation to give Atlanta a reliable threat in the paint.

In the backcourt, Atlanta added Shatori Walker-Kimbrough from the Washington Mystics. Walker-Kimbrough started Atlanta’s second preseason game after starting point guard Jordin Canada’s injury in the first minute of preseason action. Atlanta also utilized rookie Te-Hina Paopao at the guard position throughout the preseason. Paopao surprisingly fell to Atlanta at the 18th pick in the second round of the WNBA draft and may fit well into Smesko’s offense with the outside shooting she developed and demonstrated while playing for Dawn Staley at South Carolina.

Returning players for Atlanta include All-Stars Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, and Jordin Canada. Naz Hillmon and Nia Coffey are expected to be heavily involved in Atlanta’s rotation. We will see how quickly the new Dream players Griner, Jones, Walker-Kimbrough, and Paopao can gel alongside the strong community of these five returning players.

ATLANTA – An Atlanta elementary school student remains in critical condition after being shot in the head earlier this week. 

What we know:

The victim has been identified as 11-year-old Messiah Heard, a fourth-grader at KIPP WAYS Academy, who is described by educators and classmates as a bright, joyful child who brought energy and love to every room he entered.

ORIGINAL STORY: 11-year-old boy critically injured in shooting at Atlanta apartment complex

The shooting occurred Tuesday evening at the Square at Peoplestown Apartments on Hank Aaron Drive. 

According to Atlanta Police, Messiah was shot inside his home around 6 p.m. but have not released details about how the shooting happened or whether a suspect has been identified.

Messiah is currently hospitalized at the Arthur M. Blank Children’s Hospital in Atlanta. 

What they’re saying:

School officials say his mother and grandmother are at his bedside, along with the school’s principal, who is providing support to the family during this crisis.

“He was so vibrant and energetic, charismatic and just so loving. The whole school loved him. He was an amazing kid,” said Dr. Travis Barber, a mentor at KIPP WAYS Academy through the One Mo Question Men’s Leadership Program.

The tragedy comes just weeks after the school community mourned the death of another fourth grader, A’Erica Dixon, who was killed when a tree fell on her home during a recent storm.

Tree falls on Atlanta home, kills 10-year-old girl in the middle of the night

What’s next:

KIPP WAYS has brought in grief counselors and therapists to support students, staff, and families as they cope with the emotional toll of the recent tragedies. Friends and loved ones of Messiah are holding out hope for a miracle and continue to pray for his recovery.

Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Substitute Jamal Thiaré scored in the second minute of second-half stoppage time to lift Atlanta into a 1-1 draw with Austin on Wednesday night.

Thiaré tapped in after Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver failed to stop an attempt by Saba Lobjanidze and Thiaré beat the Austin defenders to the ball for the equalizer.

Brandon Vazquez scored on a free kick early in the second half to give Austin a 1-0 lead. Vázquez scored from free kick with a right-footed shot from the central position outside the box to the upper right central zone.

Austin’s Stuver had four saves and Brad Guzan saved five shots for Atlanta.

Each team had three shots on goal in the scoreless first half. Austin had a possession percentage of 57%.

The match was the first of three home matches in eight days for Austin, two in the league and one in the U.S. Open Cup.

Austin (5-6-2, 17 points) hosts Vancouver on Saturday.

Atlanta (2-6-5, 11 points) hosts Philadelphia on Saturday. ___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer