Mystics rookies Kiki Iriafen, Sonia Citron leaning on each other as they rise to WNBA challenge: 'They belong'

Yahoo

4 hours ago

CHICAGO — Before playing together for the Washington Mystics, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen didn't know each other. They only played against each other once in college: Citron, playing for Notre Dame, beat Iriafen's USC Trojans on November 23, 2024, 74-61.
Iriafen says she doesn't remember the game, while Citron is happy to remind her who won. But they've put their college rivalries behind them after being selected third (Citron) and fourth (Iriafen) overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft. Now, they're leaning on each other as they adjust to the league.
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'Coming in as a rookie, a lottery pick, you're definitely expected to perform. And it can be very daunting, but having somebody by your side that's going through the same thing, makes it a lot easier, because we can talk about what's going on,' Iriafen said. 'And I think Soni and I've done a great job of just being open with each other and just talking about our experiences and our journeys. We're big fans of each other, and I think that's the biggest reason why we're able to have chemistry on the court and just flourish together on the court.'
Citron landed in Washington after a standout career at Notre Dame, a school known for producing WNBA-ready guards. Iriafen played three seasons at Stanford before transferring to USC for her senior year.
'I think we're going through similar situations, which is why it's really nice to have somebody like her. We're both rookies, both expected to perform,' Citron said. 'It's been fun just having somebody by your side, like that, that you can just have ups and downs we go through together.
The pair has excelled in their first month in the WNBA. Citron has scored at least 10 points in all 12 games so far this season, while Iriafen was named the Rookie of the Month for May, averaging 13.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
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The Mystics are the youngest team in the WNBA, but a big reason why they're boasting the best record among lottery teams is that both Iriafen and Citron came into the league ready to play. (Washington also drafted Kentucky's Georgia Amoore with the No. 6 pick, but she tore her ACL during training camp and will not play this season.)
Brittney Sykes, one of the Mystics' most experienced players, spoke effusively about how Iriafen and Citron played during Tuesday's 79-72 win over the Chicago Sky.
'Kiki was in some foul trouble, but that didn't take away from her aggressiveness, and she played smart with fouls. You don't really get to see that with a lot of rookies,' Sykes said after the game. 'Soni came in. Soni does what she does. She's quiet, and then all of a sudden, she hit a pull up, she hit a three. She gets crucial rebounds in the fourth quarter, you know? And she's always in the right spot for a backdoor steal. Like, it amazes me, but that's just credit to them, just trusting and buying into Coach's system and understanding and like, we all have to be a unit.'
Though their play has been impressive, making the transition to the WNBA isn't easy, especially so soon after the college season ends. Iriafen and Citron highlighted some of the differences that make the professional ranks a greater challenge.
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'Obviously, people are stronger and faster, but I've noticed how much smarter the people in the league are, and like in college, you can get away with being more athletic or faster than some," Iriafen said. "But you can't get away with that here, like regardless of if you have an advantage speed-wise, people are so smart and they're able to use little tips and tricks to, you know, bait you into fouls."
'The pace of play is quicker, so the decision making has to be quicker," Citron added. "And I think that's something where it's like, you don't have as much time to just, oh, I can shoot that. You probably have to make decisions quicker or it's gone in like a blink of an eye.'
Having rookies who are so eager to learn is a gift for the Mystics' first-year coach, Sydney Johnson, but it also means he needs to keep challenging them.
'We want to continue to put things on their plate,' Johnson said. 'Just like kind of learning, fast growing your knowledge of the league, because I think they've shown talent wise, with God's grace and health, that they belong. But you don't want to stay where you are for too long, you know? I think just increasing your awareness of who you're facing, different styles of play, in-game adjustments. That's the work that we need to do as a coaching staff to help them out.'
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As of Wednesday, the Mystics sit in ninth place in the league, a half-game out of playoff position. The team failed to make the postseason in 2024, making it the first time Washington didn't play in the playoffs since 2012. Citron and Iriafen want to rectify that.
But their goals for the season aren't just about records or statistics. As rookies, they know that improvement and growth are key as they look to build on their young careers.
'Just to be a better player at the end of the season than I am right now," Iriafen said, "and just to learn and at the end of the season, be able to say I had a lot of fun and included a lot of joy.'