Diana Taurasi

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Diana Taurasi

Position	Shooting guard/Point guard
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	172 lb (78 kg)
Team	Phoenix Mercury
Nationality	United States
Born	June 11, 1982 Chino, California
College	UConn
Draft	1st overall, 2004 Phoenix Mercury
Pro career	2004 – present
Awards	Big East Player of the Year (2003, 2004) Wade Trophy (2003) Naismith Award (2003, 2004) NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player (2003, 2004) WNBA Rookie of the Year (2004) All-WNBA First Team (2004) WNBA All-Star (2005)

Diana Lurena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982 in Chino, California) is a professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Contents 1 College years 2 WNBA career 3 International career 4 Trivia 5 Vital statistics 6 See also 7 External links

[edit] College years

Following a highly decorated high school career, Taurasi enrolled at the University of Connecticut (UConn) and suited up for women's basketball team during the 2000-2001 season. Playing primarily at point guard and shooting guard, she led the team to three straight NCAA championships, the last one coming in the 2003-2004 season.

Taurasi also received many personal accolades at UConn, including the 2003 & 2004 Naismith College Player of the Year awards, the 2003 Wade Trophy and 2003 Associated Press Player of the Year award. She averaged 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in her collegiate career.

[edit] WNBA career

Following her collegiate career, Taurasi was selected first overall in the 2004 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury, a team that went 8-26 in the 2003 season.

Taurasi netted 26 points and led the Mercury to an 84-76 victory over the Seattle Storm in her WNBA debut. For the season, the rookie averaged 17.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Although the Mercury did not qualify for the playoffs, the season was a personal success as Taurasi was named to the Western Conference All Star team and won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award.

In 2005, Taurasi averaged 16.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while battling an ankle injury. She was an All Star for the second straight year, but the Mercury faded down the stretch and again missed the playoffs.

Former NBA coach Paul Westhead became the Mercury's head coach prior to the 2006 season and brought his up-tempo style to Phoenix. Their roster was further bolstered by the addition of rookie Cappie Pondexter, the #2 overall selection in the 2006 WNBA Draft.

Taurasi flourished under Westhead's system, leading the league in scoring and earning a third straight trip to the All Star Game. She broke Katie Smith's league records for points in a season (741 vs. Minnesota on August 8) and in a game (47 vs. Houston on August 10). In 2006, Taurasi averaged a record 25.3 points, 4.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game. The Mercury finished 18-16, but lost a tie-breaker with Houston and Seattle and missed the playoffs.

[edit] International career

Olympic medal record
Women's Basketball
Gold	Athens 2004	Team Competition

On May 12, 2004, she was selected to represent the United States with the US Women's National Basketball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. She helped the United States capture the gold medal, defeating Australia in the championship game.

Taurasi has also earned a bronze medal as a member of the 2001 USA Junior World Championship team and a gold medal as a member of the 2000 USA Basketball Women’s Junior World Championship Qualifying team.

In addition, she plays in Europe during the WNBA's off-season, including a stint in Moscow following the 2005 season.

[edit] Trivia

• Taurasi's father, a former professional football (soccer) goalkeeper, is a native of Italy, while her mother hails from Argentina. Her sister Jessica also played basketball and she and Diana were teammates in high school.
• Sociology major at UConn.
• Recipient of the 2000 Cheryl Miller Award, presented by the Los Angeles Times to the best player in Southern California.
• Scored 3,047 career points at Don Lugo High School in Chino, CA.
• Has her own shoe Nike Shox DT
• Made her own Myspace page
• Is currently dating local television star Ari Louis

[edit] Vital statistics

• Position: Guard
• Height: 6 ft. 0 in. / 1.83 m
• College: University of Connecticut
• Team(s): Phoenix Mercury

Preceded by Sue Bird	Wade Trophy 2003	Succeeded by Alana Beard
Preceded by Sue Bird	Naismith College Player of the Year (women's) 2003–2004	Succeeded by Seimone Augustus
Preceded by Swin Cash	NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player (women's) 2003–2004	Succeeded by Sophia Young
Preceded by Cheryl Ford	WNBA Rookie of the Year 2004	Succeeded by Temeka Johnson

best player

Women's National Basketball Association | WNBA's All-Decade Team
Sue Bird | Tamika Catchings | Cynthia Cooper | Yolanda Griffith | Lauren Jackson | Lisa Leslie | Katie Smith | Dawn Staley | Sheryl Swoopes | Tina Thompson Ruthie Bolton | Chamique Holdsclaw | Ticha Penicheiro | Diana Taurasi | Teresa Weatherspoon (Honorable mention)

[edit] See also

• List of famous tall women

[edit] External links

• Diana's Official Website
• WNBA Player profile
• WNBA Player 2004 Draft Prospectus
• USA Basketball bio
• UConn bio
• Unofficial Diana Taurasi fan site
• Official MySpace of Diana Taurasi
• Official FanSite Page