| | Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Nancy Darsch, who never hit it off with rising
star Chamique Holdsclaw, resigned Friday as coach of the WNBA's
Washington Mystics.
Darrell Walker, who served as interim coach with the NBA's
Washington Wizards last season after Gar Heard was fired, will
perform the same role with the Mystics. Walker, also the team's
director of player personnel, held his first practice with the
Mystics late Friday.
"We were not meeting the goals I set for myself or the team,"
Darsch said in a statement released by the team. "I felt there was
a need for new leadership. There needed to be a change, so I made
the decision to step down. This team deserves to be in the
playoffs, and I wish them the best."
Darsch did not inform the
players of the news herself, leaving them surprised and left to
speculate that recent poor performances and bad karma had finally
taken their toll.
"Have you been to a game?" said Holdsclaw, referring to the
boos and negative signs held up by fans recently at the MCI Center.
"It's pretty brutal."
Darsch led the Mystics to a 12-20 record last season, a vast
improvement from 3-27 the previous year. But the Mystics are 9-11
this year, a disappointing record for a team projected to make the
playoffs.
"This was Nancy's decision after conversations this week with
me," executive vice president Wes Unseld said. "I reluctantly
accepted her resignation. She is a talent coach and we wish her
well in the future."
Darsch's explanation for her resignation made no reference to
Holdsclaw, the Mystics' much-celebrated No. 1 overall draft pick a
year ago. Holdsclaw, who likes to freelance, never seemed to warm
to the structured triangle offense used by Darsch.
Three weeks ago, Holdsclaw criticized Darsch after being benched
for the last few minutes of a loss to Sacramento, saying: "I don't
play for the coaches, I play for my teammates. ... I think we'll
win basketball games with (Darsch), but I don't think we'll ever be
a great team. If we do, it will be because of us."
General manager Melissa McFerrin, a longtime friend and
assistant under Darsch at Ohio State University and with the WNBA's
New York Liberty, gathered Darsch and Holsclaw together to patch
things up. But friction re-emerged Wednesday night when Darsch
questioned the team's maturity after an 81-58 loss to expansion
Indiana.
Holdsclaw said she is not to blame for running the coach
out of town.
"I don't have to handle that, because that was not the case,"
Holdsclaw said. "I don't worry about what other people say,
because I know what the deal is. What happened between us was over
with. After two days, it was over."
Darsch suffered through a personally difficult year in 1999. Her
mother died days before the season began and her brother had open
heart surgery, but she seemed fresh and revitalized when training
camp opened this year.
Walker, who will make his debut Saturday at home against
Charlotte, has coached in the NBA and CBA but has never coached a
women's team on any level. He was in Atlanta playing golf and
getting ready to do some scouting when Unseld called him.
"I'm just a company guy, whatever they want me to do. I
couldn't turn it down," Walker said. "Once I got
on the court, I got excited." | |
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