A Capital in the Capital: Jade Melbourne on her first week with Washington
One minute she’s enjoying dinner with her Aussie teammates Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb, and less than 12 hours later she’s on a flight to her new club, 3,500km away in Washington, D.C.
“It was strange at first, I couldn’t really comprehend what was happening as everything happened so quickly!”
Described as a hectic business, Jade Melbourne was traded from Seattle Storm to Washington Mystics, days out from their season opener.
“I got told I had been traded to Washington at about 11:30am on Saturday morning, I was on a phone call to them an hour later and they said can you be on a flight at 7:30am tomorrow morning,” she told the UC Capitals.
“Everything happened so quickly, I packed everything up, went out for dinner with my Aussie’s Ezi and Sami and next thing you know I was in Washington at 4pm the next day.
“Unfortunately it was an off day so I only got to say goodbye to the coaches and staff that were in that day but none of the players were. A number of them texted me and we just recently played Seattle so it was nice to see them all then.”
In true Jade fashion though, the 21-year-old is excited and optimistic to see what’s ahead for her, as are the Caps fans base back in Australia.
“I really like it here. Everyone has been so welcoming and made me feel right at home,” Jade said.
“It’s a great group of girls and I’m settling in really well.”
There may be no fellow Aussies on the team, but there is a familiar face in former UC Capitals import Brit Sykes.
“That’s honestly been the best,” Jade said.
“Slim texted me as soon as she found out and told me how excited she was, it’s like a full circle moment. She saw me first thing Monday morning and we ran up to each other and gave each other a hug. It’s pretty cool to have a familiar face here like Slim, she’s helped me out a lot already. I can’t wait to play with her again.”
With the Mystics going up against the LA Sparks today and falling short by two points, Jade said they’re an exciting to be apart of.
“It’s a great group. I think we are still trying to figure things out as it’s a fairly new team, I mean I’m still trying to learn all the plays, but I think once we figure out we’re going to be a really exciting team. The chemistry and connection is really strong early which is something that makes me excited.”
“A lot of things exciting me. It’s a great team with so many great veterans to learn from but also has an exciting young core that has potential to build something special. I’m excited to get to know everyone, win basketball games and explore Washington DC, it’s such a cool city.
“It’s going to be a great new opportunity for me and I’m excited to make the most of it.”
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