I report on Diana Taurausi frequently because she is a very special young lady, who is not only an extremely talented basketball player, but has an "engaging" personality, and a "media interview " savvy.
As a rookie, in preseason games and her first two season games, despite being drafted by the team with last years worst record, Taurasi lived up to billing with 48 points in first two games, including eight-for-13 three-point shooting!
Below are three articles over the past 5 days that spotlight Taurasi.
Many
of you may recall that Diana Taurausi attended the University of Connecticut,
and was coached byGeno Auriemma, who had an unusual bond in that both had
immigrant
Italian parents. Diana led UConn to 3 National Woman's NAAC Basketball
Championships.
I was suprised to see that attendance numbers in games played on Saturday night, Charlotte in Washington: 18, 232; Minnesota at Sacramento: 17, 317; Detroit at San Antonio: 10, 506;LA in Seattle: 9686; , and Taurasi's Phoenix Mercury at Connecticut; a sellout of 9341, were SO respectable.
The
TV Schedule has been expanded to 65 WBNA games being televised this season.
=============================================
WNBA's
NEW BUILDING BLOCK IS ROOKIE TAURAUSI
The
Phoenix player is being counted on to become the league's marquee athlete.
Los
Angeles Times
By
Mike Terry
Times
Staff Writer
May
21, 2004
When Phoenix won the first pick in this year's WNBA draft, the Mercury had a good idea the team's first or second game would be on national TV.
That's because Phoenix was going to select Diana Taurasi, who'd helped the University of Connecticut win three consecutive national championships and was considered among the best players in women's college basketball.
Taurasi pretty much has it all — a flashy yet strong fundamental style of play, a telegenic smile, the aura of a winner.
Perfect for television.
So the WNBA's first televised game Saturday will feature Phoenix against the Connecticut Sun at 1 p.m. PDT on ABC.
Normally, these teams would not be in the spotlight. The Mercury is coming off the league's worst record last year and is a longshot to make the playoffs. The Sun made the 2003 playoffs but has revamped the team with rookies and free agents. But add the Taurasi factor.
Not only is she returning to an area where she is held in high regard — the Sun plays home games in the Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, Conn. — this is the league's first chance to showcase the player it believes will take the WNBA to greater popularity.
"I think [Taurasi] has the capability to bring us a more serious sports fan, what one would call a crossover or casual fan," WNBA President Val Ackerman said. "There's just no question that she comes in as the most visible college senior we've ever had, I think even more than Sue Bird or Chamique [Holdsclaw] when Chamique came in in 1999.
"She has a style of play that kind of exudes a bit of an arrogance that we really haven't seen in women's basketball, and that I think a guy could relate to."
If Taurasi, who hails from Chino, California is feeling the weight of expectations on her 5 foot 11, 172-pound frame, she's doing her best not to show it.
"I'm excited," she said when asked about the game. "I've been talking to people back there and trying to figure out how many tickets I'm going to need. I'm just going to be excited to be back in Connecticut for a little bit.
"Not having that time to spend there with the tight schedule between our championship and rookie camp, it will give me a chance to see some friends and of course see Coach [Geno Auriemma]. The excitement of the crowd should be great."
Phoenix Coach Carrie Graf, in her first season as well, has a different pressure. "The responsibility is on our team to maximize Diana's talents to become a better team," Graf said. "She can shoot the ball and pass to involve her teammates. I think it's up to us, the coaching staff and players, to maximize those talents. This franchise should not be on her shoulders; it is up to us as a team to help out this young star."
At
least Taurasi will already have played one game. The Mercury opened the
season Thursday against Sacramento. Taurasi scored 22 points as the Mercury
lost, 72-66.
(Diana
fell one point shy of the record for a player in her first WBNA game).
This will be the first regular-season game for the Sun. And General Manager Christopher Sienko, although happy with the national attention, wasn't all that enchanted about Taurasi's homecoming...
"All [former] UConn players resonate with the people here. But this is the way the schedule worked. And Diana has become an icon already, the most talked-about player in some time..."
No matter, Thibault knows that Saturday's game is as much Taurasi's show as it is Connecticut's opener.
Los
Angeles Times: WNBA's New Building Block Is Rookie Taurasi
http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/
la-sp-taurasi21may21,1,98164,print.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-sports
===================================================
EVEN
AS RIVAL, TAURAUSI STILL A CONNECTICUT HIT
Los
Angeles Times
>From
Associated Press
May
23, 2004
Diana Taurasi, the top pick of this year's WNBA draft, scored 26 points to lead the Phoenix Mercury to a 65-58 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Saturday in her second pro game and first in the state where she led the University of Connecticut to three consecutive NCAA titles.
During introductions, Taurasi drew a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 9,341 in the Mohegan Sun Arena at Uncasville, Conn. Dozens of fans wore her familiar UConn jersey, and she drew cheers each time she scored en route to spoiling the hometown Sun's season opener.
"There is no better state than Connecticut for basketball," Taurasi said. "The crowds they get, people love the game. It's like you're family."
Taurasi... finished with eight-for-15 shooting, including five for seven on three-point attempts. She also had five rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block in 35 minutes.
"I
didn't want to go out there and make it seem like I was trying to force
stuff," Taurasi said.
==============================================
NEW
GENERATION
The rookie class, featuring Taurasi and Beard, could be all the WBNA hopes for
Los
Angeles Times
By
Mike Terry
Times
Staff Writer
May
20, 2004
...The WNBA begins its eighth season tonight with more than the usual refurbishing and replenishing brought about by drafts, trades and free-agent signings...
Diana Taurasi, drafted by Phoenix, won three national championships at Connecticut. Duke standout Alana Beard, taken by Washington, received several national player of the year awards. Both have been television fixtures the last couple of years, garnering some of ESPN's highest ratings for their college duels...
Those are only the top four players drafted. They are part of a rookie class the league is banking on to widen its visibility and popularity. "This is the best rookie class I've seen," New York Coach Richie Adubato said...
"Quality" is a word the league hopes to attach to its game often in 2004...Besides the bountiful college draft, teams also picked over the Cleveland Rocker roster when the franchise folded after last season. Nearly every team added a proven player...
"Parity is here and I think everybody is strong," Adubato said. "I don't see much weakness in too many teams."
Taurasi's pro career gets underway tonight with Phoenix playing host to Sacramento. She averaged 12.7 points in the Mercury's three exhibition games and has been drawing raves.
"We have discussed with the team that Taurasi is wise beyond her years," Sacramento Coach John Whisenant said. "She sees the whole floor, doesn't take the ball where it shouldn't be taken. We've acknowledged she is outstanding and will get better."
If the next Detroit — which went from the league's worst team in 2002 to WNBA champion in 2003 — is out there, it could come from a variety of locations. Besides the Mystics and Silver Stars, the Seattle Storm, Charlotte Sting, Sacramento Monarchs, Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx are all feeling like contenders after off-season makeovers.
The East is collectively grateful that the champion resides somewhere other than Houston or Los Angeles. Those teams had won the first six titles....
The league still has some potholes in its path.
Cleveland's departure left the league with 13 teams, three fewer than two seasons ago. Coaches and general managers are still uneasily trying to navigate through a small salary cap ($647,000 this season) that's making it harder for mid-level veterans making the guaranteed minimum of $43,680 to keep roster spots.
Once again it starts its season in the middle of the NBA playoffs, which can make arena time somewhat precious in places such as Los Angeles and Detroit. And the season will end later than ever. Because of the Olympics, the WNBA will shut down in August, resume the regular season in September, and finish the playoffs in October.
The All-Star game also was postponed this season because of the Olympics.
Asked if the monthlong break could irreparably harm the season, Houston (and Team USA) Coach Van Chancellor said, "I don't think it will hurt. The fans who follow us are different than other sports fans. They're not casual fans. The people who support WNBA are loyal. I think the Olympics will heighten the interest of women's basketball. And when we get back [into WNBA play] we'll be rolling."
But those potential difficulties can't diminish the good feelings going around the league.
WNBA President Val Ackerman said Wednesday the league is heading toward stable financial ground. "We have teams that are profitable, some since our inception," she said. "Our teams this year across the board are bullish, expecting increased revenues, and are on their way in terms of profit. As far as the league itself, we did talk in depth of our revenues during our board of governors meetings and project that by 2007 the entire league would be profitable."
There will be more nationally televised regular-season games. ABC will show seven games and one first-round playoff game. On cable, ESPN2 will televise 14 games and 10 playoff games including the finals. Telemundo will show 10 games, and Oxygen will air five. NBA TV will show 40 regular-season and playoff games.
There are new wrinkles on the court too. The lanes have been widened from 12 to 16 feet in hopes of creating more space for teams to attack the basket. The three-point line also was moved out to 20 feet 6 inches, the same as in international play.