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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Washington Mystics announced today that head coach Sydney Johnson added Barbara Turner and Clinton Crouch to his coaching staff for the 2025 season. Turner will serve as an assistant coach, while Crouch will lead player development.
“I’m excited to complete our coaching staff with the additions of Barbara and Clinton,” stated Johnson. “We all feel a collective excitement during this pivotal moment for women’s basketball. Both are returning home, so to speak, bringing an energy, enthusiasm, and drive, which are exactly what our players need as we step into this new era for our team and the WNBA.”
Turner joins the Mystics after spending the 2024-25 season with the South Bay Lakers, the NBA G League affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers. Prior to that, she spent three seasons as an assistant coach for the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. Turner has also worked as a player development coach with the NBA’s Houston Rockets (2021-22) and the Washington Wizards’ G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go (2022-23).
Turner brings 15 years of WNBA and international playing experience to Washington. Following an impressive collegiate career at the University of Connecticut where she won consecutive National Championships (2003-2004), Turner was selected 11th overall in the 2006 WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm. Turner also played for the Connecticut Sun and the Houston Comets. Additionally, Turner had stints in Turkey (2006-21) and Israel (2006).
Crouch joins the Mystics with more than 20 years of basketball experience, having coached at every level, from high school all the way to the WNBA. He served as an assistant coach for Georgetown’s men’s basketball team (2019-23), where he helped secure a Top 5 Recruiting Class and assisted in bringing the program’s first McDonald’s All-American since 2014.
Crouch returns to Washington, where he began his WNBA career with the team in 2010. He was instrumental in helping Monique Currie, Lindsay Harding, and Crystal Langhorne earn All-Star recognition that season. That same year, the Mystics secured a playoff berth as the top seed in the WNBA, for the first time in franchise history. In addition, Crouch has had stints at various academies, specializing in skill development.
