Mystics Name Taylor Vice President and General Manager

Angela Taylor said four factors led her to accept the job of vice president and general manager of the Washington Mystics. Taylor, whose hiring was announced yesterday on a conference call with reporters, cited the people she will be working with, most notably team president Sheila Johnson and majority owner Ted Leonsis; the D.C. market, particularly the Mystics' fan base; the chance to be a part of something special; and the challenge the job presents.

"It's not going to be easy," Taylor said. "I think that we're going to have to put a lot of hard work in, and I'm willing to do that. I'm a product of [an Air Force] man and [a] teacher. We're blue collar. I want to put in the work to build something that's going to last a long time. And it's going to be difficult, and there's going to be some times where the challenges are going to be difficult to overcome, but I'm up for the challenge, and that's what really motivates me."

Taylor comes to Washington after spending the past two years with the Minnesota Lynx as the vice president of business development. She has been with the WNBA since its inception, working in the league office for nine years. Before joining the Lynx, she was the senior director of player personnel, responsible for college and international player evaluation.

Though she has a strong background as a talent evaluator, Taylor has not been a general manager nor has she ever assembled a team. She said she will look to successful teams around the WNBA and NBA to guide her. She noted that she has a lot of respect for what Bill Laimbeer has done in Detroit. The Shock won its third WNBA title in six years earlier this month.

"I am a student of the game," Taylor said. "Do I have all the answers? No, but I am willing to put in the time to learn, and there's no science to it. There's no model. There's no book that you read that will teach you how to put a team together. You collaborate, you have a vision, and you have a brand and a plan. And if you're able to implement that plan, then I think that you're able to be successful."

Taylor grew up in Mountain Home, Idaho, graduated from Stanford University in 1993 with a degree in economics and was a member of the Cardinal's 1990 and 1992 national championship teams. She earned her MBA at New York University. Before joining the WNBA league offices, Taylor served as an assistant coach at Stanford and Texas A&M.

Taylor replaces Linda Hargrove, who was fired on Sept. 22 after four years as general manager. Under Hargrove's leadership, the Mystics went 60-78 and 0-2 in the playoffs. Washington ended its most recent season on a nine-game losing streak, finishing 10-24.

When the search began for Hargrove's replacement, Mystics chief operating officer Greg Bibb said the team had not settled on whether one person should hold both the general manager and coaching roles or if the two positions should be separate. Once they decided on separate positions, the Mystics focused on hiring a general manager first. Bibb said Taylor will be part of the hiring process for the coach and that the team hopes to have someone in place by mid-November.

"When we talked to her about who she would envision coaching our team, her short list was very similar to our short list," Bibb said.

Asked what her philosophy will be as she looks to transform the Mystics into a successful team, Taylor cited her former coach at Stanford.

"It's something that Tara VanDerveer preached when I was coaching with her and when I played for her: Offense sells tickets, defense wins games, and rebounding wins championships.

"First and foremost, as a blue-collar type of team, we're going to have to be grounded on the defensive end."

Taylor wouldn't commit to any specific personnel changes she intends to make, though she sayid she has identified areas that need improvement. With four picks in the first two rounds of next year's WNBA draft, she sees plenty of opportunity to transform the team.

"There's a lot of different things that we can do to tweak this roster and get it better, to improve so that we put a much improved product on the floor when May comes around," she said.