Toronto Tempo and star Marina Mabrey plan to exceed expectations in 1st season

Toronto Tempo star Marina Mabrey remains somewhat of a mystery.

The team’s core player, signed to a max two-year, $2.4 million US contract in April, missed both pre-season games with a back injury, but is expected to be ready for the Tempo's first regular season game Friday against the Washington Mystics.

Mabrey has been courtside at Toronto Raptors games and spoken publicly on multiple occasions, but has yet to wear the Tempo jersey in a game.

So let’s allow her former Connecticut Sun coach, Rachid Meziane, to explain a little more.

“She’s crazy. I mean, crazy in a good way,” Meziane said. “She is someone that’s easy to love because she plays with a lot of energy and she’s a competitive player. She is someone who likes to win and she will do everything on the floor to win.”

Which is exactly what the Tempo are aiming to do in their inaugural season.

The team, which announced a landmark national broadcasting deal with Bell Media on Tuesday, is built in its star player’s image.

Followers of the WNBA will remember Mabrey from her scuffle with Caitlin Clark last season. She’s had similar dust-ups with other stars like Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith.

On the court, few are more competitive. It takes opponents by surprise.

“She can be a scorer, she can be the facilitator, she is a good player, so you are lucky to have her,” Meziane said.

Mabrey, for her part, seems to be staying even keel for now on her expectations in Toronto.

“I think just being patient. There’s standards and little details we want to meet — being on time, running our sets, being in the right spots and gaps defensively, things like that, where those start to add up to wins,” Mabrey said during training camp.

“But when you expect something right away