Kiki Iriafen, a rookie forward for the Washington Mystics, celebrated her return to the Bay Area in a game against the Golden State Valkyries. After a standout college career at Stanford and a successful transfer to USC, Iriafen was the fourth pick in the WNBA draft. Following a promising start, averaging 15.5 points and 9 rebounds per game, she achieved a double-double against the Valkyries, contributing to her team's efforts despite the loss. Coaches praise her maturity and resilience as she adapts to professional basketball.
"Her poise in the moment is exceptional," Washington coach Sydney Johnson said after Wednesday's loss. "I mean, we're talking about a rookie three games into her career. So I just love everything about her, and you know, we're expecting she'll continue to build. ... Her having a double-double when she's probably not at her best, says a lot about her as a player."
"She has such great size and athleticism," VanDerveer told the Bay Area News Group this week. "She always just wants to keep working on her fundamentals. She's always getting better at becoming a consistent scorer inside and out."
Collection
[
|
...
]