Ex-Villanova star Lucy Olsen continues her growth with the WNBA’s Washington Mystics

Former Villanova star and current Washington Mystics guard Lucy Olsen has picked up a lot of experience with different teams.

Moving around so much means she’s learned numerous systems during her years in college and the pros, which is keeping her adaptable as her role shifts in the WNBA.

“Going from Villanova to Iowa, that was a big jump, system-wise, trying to learn how to fit the system, but also keep your own game,” Olsen said. “That was pretty hard, and then I got another chance at it, coming to the Mystics. Then I feel like just going to another team, you just learn how to adapt faster.”

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In college, Olsen was the primary ballhandler at point guard and took on most of the scoring responsibility. But in the pros, she often has come off the bench and plays as an off-ball guard, shifting her focus away from scoring to the other things she can do on the floor.

“Run the play, but also keep looking for the different avenues so that you can be aggressive and then dish it off to someone else,” Olsen said. “I’m reading the defense a little more, and I think [playing in] Australia [in 2025-26] helped with that, being able to see different types of defenses and work on just getting more reps of pick-and-rolls, and how the pros play.”

After spending three years at Villanova, the Collegeville native and Spring-Ford alumna transferred to Iowa for her final season. Shortly after her lone season with the Hawkeyes, Olsen was drafted in the second round by the Mystics.

After her rookie season in Washington, she moved around the world to Australia to play in the Women’s National Basketball League, where she won Sixth Woman of the Year and a WNBL championship with the Townsville Fire.

Now, she’s back with the Mystics for her sophomore season, and even with just one year of experience, she’s something of a grizzled vet on a roster with eight rookies.

“Everyone’s so young and eager, and they want to learn,” Olsen said. “I think that helps with the environment and getting better.”

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Olsen is working to find her role in Washington and mostly comes off the bench in late-game situations.

But there’s never been a better time for development in the WNBA. Previously, players had to come to the league fully formed. With extremely limited roster space — entering this season, the maximum number of players hadn’t been higher than 12 since 2008 — only a few draft picks each year would make a WNBA roster. Second-round picks like Olsen rarely got a chance.

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Between 2009 and 2024, when the Golden State Valkyries tipped off, there were 12 teams in the WNBA. The league then added the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo this year. With three more teams entering the WNBA in the next four years — including the Philadelphia team set to begin play in 2030 — that’s six more full teams’ worth of roster spots as compared to the league in 2024. The roster maximum remains at 12 players, but the new collective bargaining agreement created two optional “developmental” roster spots per team.

“How young our team is, I feel like that doesn’t happen a lot,” Olsen said. “There is so much opportunity, and there’s so much room for growth. There are more roster spots, so you can learn and actually build your game around the team.”