Mystics Coach Explains How Lucy Olsen Survived Final WNBA Roster Cuts

Washington Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson got honest about former Iowa star Lucy Olsen making his final roster.

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Lucy Olsen (33) brings the ball up the court Friday, March 7, 2025, in a quarterfinals game at the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball community rejoiced when guard Lucy Olsen was selected by the Washington Mystics with the No. 23 pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft.

However, those who have followed women's basketball at the professional level understand that getting drafted is only the first part of a long journey toward making an actual WNBA regular season roster.

This is the reality that Olsen faced, especially because she was taken after the draft's first round. She had about three weeks to prove to the Mystics' coaching staff that she was worth one of the 12 roster spots the team had to offer.

On May 14, it was announced that the Mystics had cut four players (Zaay Green, Ashten Prechtel, Khadijiah Cave, and Lauren Jensen), thus thinning their roster down to 12 players. In other words, this confirmed that Olsen overcame the odds and made her team's regular season roster.

Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson spoke with the media on May 14. And at one point, he was asked what went into the decision to keep Olsen for the season.

"I think just like everybody else," Johnson said when asked how Olsen proved she was worthy of making the team, per an X post from Joshua Valdez. "You know, how hard are you playing? Where's your growth? How many minutes can you spell? You know, I don't necessarily see her in our first group, so how good can she be off the bench? How is she learning? How is she competing?

"And honestly, it's still really early in her career. I mean, she hasn't played a first official game. So there's still a lot of growth for her to undertake, and so at this point, we're just encouraged to see how she can do it."

Sydney Johnson how Lucy Olsen proved herself in the preseason:

“I think just like everybody else. How hard are you playing? Where’s your growth? How many minutes can you spell? I don’t necessarily see her in our first group, so how good can she be off the bench?” pic.twitter.com/xQnu8AZIfP

— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) May 14, 2025

Olsen's first regular season game will come on May 16, when Washington takes on the Atlanta Dream.