Harding Gives Mystics A Much-Needed Assist

By Katie Carrera

The Washington Post

June 30, 2009

When she took the job as coach of the Washington Mystics in November, Julie Plank knew one of the first things she needed was an experienced point guard. She wanted someone who saw the game the same way she did, who could set an example of the work ethic she would demand and whom she could trust completely to run the show. As Plank considered the traits, one name immediately popped into her mind.

Plank had grown familiar with Lindsey Harding last season, while serving as a guards coach for the Minnesota Lynx. Harding was a true point guard with a confident swagger and defensive mind-set, and there was a chance that Minnesota might be willing to deal the 2007 first-overall draft pick in its latest rebuilding effort.

'I always had my eye on her,' Plank said. 'I loved coaching her and knew she could really help us in Washington. If there was an opportunity to get her, we had to get her.'

By late January, Plank's wish was granted. Washington traded first- and second-round selections in the 2009 entry draft to Minnesota for Harding. The Mystics' brass wagered that Harding could create a stable presence at point guard, although questions remained about her durability after she missed large portions of the 2007 and 2008 seasons with a knee injury.

In the months since the trade, though, Harding has shown that she can be a workhorse and a cornerstone for a franchise that has long searched for a leader at point guard.

Heading into tonight's game at San Antonio (3-3), Harding has the second-highest assist average in the WNBA at 6.29 per game and is tied with Indiana's Katie Douglas for the most playing time at 35.4 minutes a game. Now in her third professional season, the former Duke standout relishes the responsibility with which the coaching staff has entrusted her in Washington (4-3).

'You do get tired, don't get me wrong,' Harding said. 'But I'm a point guard, I like to have control of what's going on out there. If I'm sitting on the bench I can't have that control. My past two years, being young . . . I thought, 'Oh someone else will take care of things.' Now, here, I feel like this is my team. I won't just let things happen that shouldn't happen.'

In a game against the Mystics at Verizon Center during her rookie season with Minnesota, Harding took a jump shot, then noticed her left knee felt sore. Harding could still run and jump, but she had torn the anterior cruciate ligament and eventually underwent surgery and started six months of recovery.

'You dream of going to the WNBA, having that opportunity. There it was, I was playing really well and then I got hurt,' Harding said. 'I wasn't too happy, but it put things in perspective. I learned how to take care of myself, how to be stronger in the weight room and to give my body rest.'

Harding was a little tentative when she returned to the court 10 games into the 2008 season, and it took until after the Olympic break for her to return to form, Plank said. Embedded in Harding's readjustment was a drive to improve that Plank respected, and by year's end the young guard once again appeared capable of becoming a dynamic WNBA playmaker.

After an embarrassing 10-24 campaign in 2008, the Mystics overhauled their front office and team. The need for a confident, creative point guard in Washington was glaringly apparent last season. Alana Beard, a natural shooting guard, was saddled with a majority of the point guard duties, limiting her scoring ability and placing more pressure on the Mystics' star. If Washington wanted to succeed, Plank and General Manager Angela Taylor believed, it needed to let Beard play her primary role on the wing.

So far their logic has proven correct. With Harding running the plays, the Mystics average 78 points per game, fourth in the WNBA; last year, they averaged a league-worst 69.6. Washington is second in the league in steals at 10.43 (7.09 in 2008) and Beard's average is up to nearly 20 points a game after dropping to 16.1 in 2008.

'When Lindsey wasn't here it made things a lot harder,' Beard said. 'It was difficult when we didn't have a point guard that the coaches really trusted. To bring Lindsey in, she understands the game. Coach trusts her. She's changed our team offensively and defensively. The game is 100 times easier now with her in there.'

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