With the locker nearest to the door of the Washington Mystics locker room deep inside Verizon Center, Alana Beard, in a way, is the gatekeeper, a first line of defense against a barrage of intrusive reporters.
With a big bag of ice wrapped around her left shoulder, Beard graciously holds court after every home game, often recounting the details of yet another come-from-behind victory and offering a steady stream of reminders that she’s never once doubted the Mystics during their tumultuous 2007 regular season.
In the same way she’s kept reporters on message, Beard has held the Mystics together both on and off the court.
“She has great leadership, and she leads by example,” said seventh-year reserve guard Coco Miller. “It’s so important to this team and its chemistry, what makes us go. We just follow her lead.”
Tonight, Washington (15-17) is within one victory of the playoffs, which would complete a miraculous turnaround after one of the worst starts in WNBA history.
“It’s not hard to fathom at all,” said Beard, in her fourth season. “I’m a very optimistic person, my teammates are very optimistic. I’m so proud of them because we’re warriors. … We were down at times, but we stayed together off the court, and that’s one reason why we’re in this position.”
Beard is peaking at just the right time on the court — making a strong case for inclusion in the All-WNBA first-team — averaging 21.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and two steals in seven games in August. She scored all 18 of Washington’s fourth-quarter points in Tuesday’s one-point win over Connecticut.
“We had AB playing the one, two and the three,” said Mystics head coach Tree Rollins. “She’s doing everything we ask her to do.”
But it’s her refusal to lose faith that has been the glue.
“We were always better than our record, even when we were 0-8,” said Beard. “It was just a matter of putting it together.”
Liberty (13-18) at Mystics (15-17)
» When: Tonight, 7
» Where: Verizon Center
» Radio: 1260 AM
