The Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics have big plans for their top draft picks. That same type of burden may be the reason Chamique Holdsclaw's career has been so disjointed.
Featuring the first two picks of April's draft, respectively, the Dream and Mystics come off their season debuts to match up Sunday, with Holdsclaw returning to the city where her WNBA career began.
Terrible 2008 seasons gave Atlanta and Washington a chance to bolster their rosters with high draft choices. After the Dream took Angel McCoughtry No. 1 overall, the Mystics grabbed hometown favorite Marissa Coleman with the second selection.
Coleman, who led Maryland to the NCAA regional semifinals last year, had an outstanding pro debut. The forward had 16 points and made all four of her 3-pointers in an 82-70 win over Connecticut on Saturday.
"She's awesome," first-year Mystics coach Julie Plank said of Coleman, who averaged 18.1 points and 8.6 rebounds in her last season with the Terrapins. "She does it all. We count on her three ball and she's not afraid to take shots."
McCoughtry also had a strong first game on Saturday with 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists in an 87-86 double-overtime win over Indiana.
She averaged 22.8 points and 9.5 rebounds in her last three years with Louisville, leading the Cardinals to an upset of Oklahoma in the Final Four before losing to undefeated UConn in the title game.
Holdsclaw, selected No. 1 overall by Washington in 1999, had a game-high 23 points and seven rebounds in her Atlanta debut and first game since 2007. The seven-time All-Star signed with Atlanta this past offseason after suddenly retiring two years ago, a move she announced just a few weeks into the season but without much of an explanation.
"Chamique is Chamique and she knows what to do to win," Dream coach Marynell Meadors said. "That's why she's here."
Holdsclaw was drafted by a struggling Mystics team that experienced little success other than a run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2002.
In July 2004, Holdsclaw failed to show up for a game. She returned for just one ensuing contest before sitting out the rest of the regular season and playoffs, a move that left many baffled.
After the season, Holdsclaw revealed she was clinically depressed. She was then traded to Los Angles, and had two fulfilling seasons there before her knees began to hurt in 2007.
Doctors couldn't find a problem, but she played five games with the Sparks that season before walking away, finally being diagnosed with chronic tendinitis.
She recovered after a new but painful treatment and carried on her career in Poland before signing with Atlanta, which went 4-30 last year as an expansion team to set a league record for most losses in a season.
The Mystics have won all three matchups with the Dream.