The Washington Mystics have hired former Chicago Sky assistant Sydney Johnson to take up their head coaching duties, the team announced in a Monday release.
He will be joined by Jamila Wideman, who has worked as the NBA's Vice President of Player Development since 2018. Wideman, a veteran guard for four WNBA squads, will be Washington's general manager.
Johnson, who spent one season as an assistant in Chicago with former Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon, joined the Sky's coaching staff last February. He rounded out a Sky assistant staff that had coaching and playing experience across the basketball landscape, including a former Sky forward in Tamera Young. Johnson was the head coach of the Princeton and Fairfield men's basketball programs from 2007-2019. His teams earned an overall record of 182-200. He led Princeton to an Ivy League Regular Season Championship and an appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2011.
Johnson and Wideman will be in charge of turning around a Mystics squad that nearly took last place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 14-26. Washington moved on from head coach Eric Thibault, who is now an assistant with the Minnesota Lynx, in October. Former Sky bigs Stefanie Dolson and Sika Koné will be under contract for the 2019 WNBA Champions heading into the 2025 season.
The Sky made a head coaching hire of their own last month. They brought aboard Tyler Marsh, a veteran assistant for NBA and G League franchises before spending three seasons as an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces. Chicago paired him with former WNBA center Courtney Paris, who was hired on as an assistant last week.
The Sky were one place behind the Mystics in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 13-27. They went 1-3 against Washington with a win on the road in a Commissioner's Cup matchup.