Mystics stay local in draft

The Washington Mystics didn’t go far for their first pick in the WNBA Draft. They tabbed Maryland All-American Crystal Langhorne as the sixth pick.

Langhorne’s arrival could coincide with forward DeLisha Milton-Jones’ departure. The potential loss of the 33-year-old Olympian could force Langhorne into starting at power forward.

“We just don’t know whether [Milton-Jones] will be playing or not,” Mystics general manager Linda Hargrove said. “We felt at that pick we needed to go with someone we felt could come in and play immediately.”

Milton-Jones is playing professionally in Spain and appears to be deciding whether to play for Washington or rest in preparation for the Summer Olympics.

“She’s got the Olympics coming up,” Hargrove said. “I don’t think she really wants to take the summer off. The ball is totally in her court. We want her here.”

Washington also picked up UCLA’s 6-foot-4 center Lindsey Pluimer in the second round (20th overall) and Virginia Commonwealth’s Krystal Vaughn, a 6-1 forward, in the third round (36th overall).

Los Angeles selected Tennessee forward Candace Parker, the consensus national player of the year, with the first pick. Chicago then took LSU center Sylvia Fowles, and Minnesota used the third selection to land Stanford guard Candice Wiggins.

Detroit used the next pick to grab Tennessee guard Alexis Hornbuckle, and Houston rounded out the top five with Rutgers point guard Matee Ajavon.

The Mystics had hoped to move up in the draft to take Wiggins since they need a point guard after releasing Nikki Teasley in the offseason. Suspense filled Washington’s draft room when Houston picked fifth, but the Comets chose Ajavon. Hargrove said the team rated Langhorne fourth on its draft board behind Parker, Fowles and Wiggins.

“We scouted [Langhorne] for a long time,” Hargrove said. “We know she is undersized. We know she doesn’t have [shooting] range. The thing is the kid just wins, and she just scores and she just rebounds.”

The 6-2 Langhorne was somewhat of a surprise pick to fans inside the Greene Turtle in Chinatown, where the team’s draft party was held before a small crowd. They chanted for the Mystics to select Langhorne’s college teammate, Laura Harper. The 6-4 center is considered a top prospect but one who is still developing.

“[Langhorne’s] got everything already,” Mystics coach Tree Rollins said. “You have to be concerned with her upside because she was so good in college.”

Meanwhile, Langhorne is thrilled to begin her professional career near her college home.

“I was so excited to stay in the area,” Langhorne said. “It is kind of crazy. I heard the [Milton-Jones] rumors, but I can’t be concerned about that. I’m just going to come into training camp and do the best I can.”

Note — The Mystics could start the season without reserve forwards Bernice Mosby and Gillian Goring, who each underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in the offseason.