USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb had 4-words following Kiki Iriafen's latest franchise milestone for the Washington Mystics

Washington Mystics rookie Kiki Iriafen continued the fine start in her WNBA career, and her former college coach Lindsay Gottlieb is watching proudly from afar. On July 8, Iriafen tied a long-standing franchise rookie record in the Mystics’ tight 81-79 win over the Chicago Sky, and Gottlieb was hyped.

Reposting the WNBA’s graphic on her Instagram Story, the USC head coach wrote:

“Another day, another double-double.”

It was fitting, as Iriafen had just recorded her sixth double-double of the season, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds. That effort tied the Mystics’ franchise record for most double-doubles by a rookie, an honor first set by Chamique Holdsclaw back in 1999.

Still only early into her professional career, Iriafen’s consistency and impact have made her one of the league’s top young stars. With more performances like this, that rookie double-double record may soon be all hers.

Kiki Iriafen named in WNBA All-Star as a rookie

Iriafen has taken the WNBA by storm, having already won Rookie of the Month honors in May. However, it is not set to end there for the Mystics forward, who has now been named as part of the WNBA All-Star roster.

The reserves were announced on Sunday, and she made the roster alongside fellow rookie and Mystics teammate Sonia Citron and Dallas Wings’ Paige Bueckers.

It is the first time the All-Star game will have three rookies since 2011, and it will be played on Saturday, July 18, in Indianapolis.

About the author

Babatunde Kolawole is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over eight years of experience in the field with Canoncrested.com, Garbersports.com, LiveScore Bet Nigeria and Pulse Sports Nigeria.

Kolawole studied Agricultural Economics on the tertiary level but delved into sports writing after school. Over half a decade later, the experience garnered helped him land this role.

Historically, the Alabama Crimson Tide stands out as Kolawole's favorite team as he was drawn to their rich history.

As for basketball, JuJu Watkins is Kolawole's favorite current player due to how much diversity she has in her game, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gets the nod for past players because of how he dominated with UCLA.

Kolawole has appeared on several TV and Radio shows as a guest analyst, and in his spare time, likes to watch movies (a sucker for the Marvel Cinematic Universe) and listen to a lot of music. He also loves to travel.

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Edited by Gio Vergara