SUPER BOWL 2012

And Now Katie's Gone Too . . .

The Mystics have just announced that, as part of a three-team deal, Katie Smith has been traded to the Seattle Storm, along with Jacinta Monroe. You may recall that Jacinta, a 6'5" center from Florida State University, was the Mystics' first round draft pick last season, and that her rookie season was cut short by injury.

In exchange for Katie and Jacinta, the Mystics will receive guard Jasmine Thomas, who is about to graduate from Duke and was selected by the Storm with the overall 12th pick in the WNBA draft earlier this month. Jasmine worked as an intern last summer for the Mystics, and now she'll be back competing for a roster spot in training camp. The third team involved in this trade is the Indiana Fever, who've acquired veteran guard Erin Phillips from the Storm. Future draft picks are also part of the overall deal.

Well, the reinvention of the Mystics continues . . . hmmm. And to think that last September we thought this would be a quiet off season.

As for Katie . . . when she signed as a free agent with the Mystics in 2010 (the biggest free agent signing in franchise history), the BCs weren't sure how long we'd have the pleasure of seeing her play here in Washington. Between Katie's health issues and her age, there was a distinct possibility that 2010 could be Katie's only year with the Mystics . . . and her final season in the WNBA.

But what we didn't expect was that 2010 would be Katie's only year with the Mystics, not because she was retiring, but because she was going off to play for another team. We were wrong.

Photo Credit: DC BasketCases