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Diana Lurena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982 in Chino, California
Chino, California

Chino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, California, United States. The population was 67,168 at the 2000 census.Chino and its surroundings have long been a center of agriculture and dairy farming, serving the considerable demands for milk products in Southern California and much of the southwestern United States....
) is a professional basketball
Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a basketball through a 10 feet  high hoop under organized rules....
 player who plays for the Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury

The Phoenix Mercury is a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Phoenix, Arizona . The Mercury began in 1997 as one of the league's original eight teams....
 in the WNBA
Women's National Basketball Association

The Women's National Basketball Association has 13 teams and is an organization governing a professional basketball league for women in the United States....
.
asi hails from Chino, California
Chino, California

Chino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, California, United States. The population was 67,168 at the 2000 census.Chino and its surroundings have long been a center of agriculture and dairy farming, serving the considerable demands for milk products in Southern California and much of the southwestern United States....
 and attended Don Lugo High School where she was the recipient of the 2000 Cheryl Miller
Cheryl Miller

Cheryl D. Miller is a former college basketball player and coach. She is currently a sideline reporter for National Basketball Association games on Turner Network Television having worked as a sports commentator for American Broadcasting Company, TBS and ESPN as well....
 Award, presented by the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California and distributed throughout the Western United States. It is the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States and the fourth-most widely distributed newspaper in the United States....
 to the best player in Southern California. Her high school accolades didn't stop there as she was named the 2000 Naismith and Parade Magazine National High School Player of the Year.






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Diana Lurena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982 in Chino, California
Chino, California

Chino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, California, United States. The population was 67,168 at the 2000 census.Chino and its surroundings have long been a center of agriculture and dairy farming, serving the considerable demands for milk products in Southern California and much of the southwestern United States....
) is a professional basketball
Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a basketball through a 10 feet  high hoop under organized rules....
 player who plays for the Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury

The Phoenix Mercury is a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Phoenix, Arizona . The Mercury began in 1997 as one of the league's original eight teams....
 in the WNBA
Women's National Basketball Association

The Women's National Basketball Association has 13 teams and is an organization governing a professional basketball league for women in the United States....
.

Early years

Taurasi hails from Chino, California
Chino, California

Chino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, California, United States. The population was 67,168 at the 2000 census.Chino and its surroundings have long been a center of agriculture and dairy farming, serving the considerable demands for milk products in Southern California and much of the southwestern United States....
 and attended Don Lugo High School where she was the recipient of the 2000 Cheryl Miller
Cheryl Miller

Cheryl D. Miller is a former college basketball player and coach. She is currently a sideline reporter for National Basketball Association games on Turner Network Television having worked as a sports commentator for American Broadcasting Company, TBS and ESPN as well....
 Award, presented by the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California and distributed throughout the Western United States. It is the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States and the fourth-most widely distributed newspaper in the United States....
 to the best player in Southern California. Her high school accolades didn't stop there as she was named the 2000 Naismith and Parade Magazine National High School Player of the Year. Taurasi finished her prep career ranked second to Miller in state history with 3,047 points

Taurasi's parents are Mario and Liliana and she has one sister Jessika Taurasi. Her father was born in Italy and raised in Argentina
Argentina

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is a country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city....
, also native land of her mother Liliana. Her parents moved to the US before she was born.

She appears for a short moment in the 2006 film "Believe In Me"

College years

Following a highly decorated high school
High school

High school is the name used in some parts of the world to describe an institution which provides all or part of secondary education. The term originated in Scotland and spread to the New World countries as the high prestige that the Scottish educational system had at the time led several countries to employ Scottish educators to develop the...
 career, Taurasi enrolled at the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut

The University of Connecticut is the Connecticut's land-grant university. It was founded in 1881 and serves more than 28,000 students on its six campuses, including nearly 8,000 graduate students in multiple programs....
 (UConn) and began playing for the women's basketball team during the 2000-2001 season. Taking the court primarily at point guard
Point guard

Point guard , also called the one or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. Point guards are often the smallest players on the court ....
 and shooting guard
Shooting guard

The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional Basketball position on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forward s....
, she led the team to three consecutive NCAA championships
NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship

The NCAA Women's Division I Championship is an annual basketball tournament for women. Held each April, the Women's Championship was inaugurated in the 1981 in sports-1982 in sports season....
 with the last one coming in the 2003-2004 season. Leading up to that final championship, her coach, Geno Auriemma
Geno Auriemma

Geno Auriemma is an Italian-American basketball Coach , best known as the head coach of the University of Connecticut Connecticut Huskies Connecticut Huskies#Women's Basketball, in which capacity Auriemma has led the Huskies to five National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship and has g...
, would declare his likelihood of winning with the claim, "We have Diana, and you don't."

Taurasi also received many personal accolades at UConn including the 2003 and 2004 Naismith College Player of the Year
Naismith College Player of the Year

The Naismith College Player of the Year award, named for basketball inventor James Naismith, is given annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to college basketball's top male and female player....
 awards, the 2003 Wade Trophy
Wade Trophy

Wade Trophy is an award presented annually to the best women's college basketball player in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I....
, and the 2003 Associated Press
Associated Press

The Associated Press is an Media of the United States news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, Radio station and Television station stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staffers....
 Player of the Year award. In addition to the national recognition she received during her time at UConn, Taurasi was held in legendary status by many Connecticut fans. For example, state senator Thomas Gaffey
Thomas Gaffey

Thomas P. Gaffey is an Politics of the United States. Gaffey, a Democratic Party , has been a Connecticut Senate from Connecticut since 1995.Gaffey, a resident of Meriden, Connecticut, represents the towns of Cheshire, Connecticut, Meriden, Middlefield, Connecticut, and Middletown, Connecticut in the Connecticut Senate....
 nominated her to join Prudence Crandall
Prudence Crandall

Prudence Crandall, a schoolteacher raised as a Religious Society of Friends, stirred controversy with her education of African-American girls in Canterbury, Connecticut, Connecticut....
 as the state's heroine. She averaged 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in her collegiate career. During her time at UConn, she compiled a record of 139 wins and 8 losses. Diana was a member of the inaugural class (2006) of inductees to the University of Connecticut women's basketball "Huskies of Honor" recognition program.

WNBA career

Following her collegiate career, Taurasi was selected first overall in the 2004 WNBA Draft
2004 WNBA Draft

2004 in sports WNBA Draft - 17 April 2004On January 6, 2004 a dispersal draft took place. Players were drafted from the roster of the Cleveland Rockers, who folded after the 2003 season....
 by the Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury

The Phoenix Mercury is a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Phoenix, Arizona . The Mercury began in 1997 as one of the league's original eight teams....
, a team that went 8-26 in the 2003 season.

In her WNBA debut, Taurasi netted 26 points and led the Mercury to an 84-76 victory over the Seattle Storm
Seattle Storm

The Seattle Storm is a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently led by Australian basketball star Lauren Jackson and University of Connecticut star Sue Bird....
. 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
WNBA Rookie of the Year Award

The Women's National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual Women's National Basketball Association award given since the 1998 WNBA season, to the top rookie of the regular season....
.

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
Paul Westhead

Paul Westhead was an assistant basketball coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the National Basketball Association, and a former coach in the National Basketball Association, National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Women's National Basketball Association....
 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
Cappie Pondexter

Cappie Pondexter is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA, currently playing for the Phoenix Mercury in WNBA. She was born in Oceanside, California and raised in Chicago, Illinois where she was a close friend of fellow basketball star Dee Brown ....
, the #2 overall selection in the 2006 WNBA Draft
2006 WNBA Draft

On November 16, 2005, the Women's National Basketball Association held an expansion draft for the Chicago Sky. It was the first expansion draft since before the 2000 season, when the WNBA welcomed the Miami Sol, Portland Fire, Indiana Fever, and Seattle Storm into the league....
.

Taurasi flourished under Westhead's system, leading the league in scoring and earning a third straight trip to the All Star Game. She broke 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.

In 2007, Taurasi finally reached the WNBA playoffs. In the first round, the Mercury eliminated the Seattle Storm
Seattle Storm

The Seattle Storm is a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently led by Australian basketball star Lauren Jackson and University of Connecticut star Sue Bird....
 two games to none. Next, they took down the San Antonio Silver Stars
San Antonio Silver Stars

The San Antonio Silver Stars is a team in the Women's National Basketball Association based in San Antonio, Texas. They are one of the original eight founding teams in the WNBA....
 in a hard fought two game series. Taurasi got to her first WNBA Finals
WNBA Finals

The WNBA Finals is the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association , held in early September and played under a best-of-five playoff format....
, but had to face the defending champion Detroit Shock
Detroit Shock

The Detroit Shock is a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Detroit, Michigan. They were the 2008 WNBA champions.Debuting in 1998, they were one of the league's first expansion franchises....
. After a hard-fought series, Diana and Pondexter led the Mercury to their first WNBA title. With this victory Taurasi became just the sixth player ever to win an NCAA title, a WNBA title as well as an Olympic gold medal. The others to achieve this trifecta are Ruth Riley
Ruth Riley

Ruth Ellen Riley is an United States professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association and the National Women's Basketball League ....
, Sheryl Swoopes
Sheryl Swoopes

Sheryl Denise Swoopes is an American professional basketball player who played most recently for the Seattle Storm in the Women's National Basketball Association....
, and fellow Huskies Swin Cash
Swin Cash

Swintayla Marie Cash , better known as Swin Cash is an American Women's National Basketball Association player who plays for the Seattle Storm....
, Kara Wolters
Kara Wolters

Kara Wolters was an American collegiate and professional basketball player. Standing at six feet and seven inches , she was appropriately nicknamed "Big Girl"....
, and Sue Bird
Sue Bird

Suzanne Brigit Bird is a professional basketball player. A high school star from Christ The King RHS, she went on to become a key part of two national champion University of Connecticut teams, the first player to be picked in the 2002 WNBA Draft and an Olympic gold medalist....
.

Member of the Women's 2004/2008 Gold medal Olympic Basketball Team

International career


On May 12, 2004, Diana Taurasi was selected to represent the United States with the US Women's National Basketball team
Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics (team squads)

Below are the teams for Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics.Parenthetical writing behind a name indicates a uniform number.*Centers: Suzy Batkovic ...
 at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics

The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries....
 in Athens, Greece. She helped the United States capture the gold medal
Gold medal

A gold medal is typically the highest medal awarded for achievement in a non-military field. The concept comes from the military, initially with a simple recognition of military rank, and later decorations for admission to military orders dating back to medieval times....
, defeating Australia in the championship game.

Taurasi has also earned a bronze medal
Bronze medal

A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St....
 as a member of the 2001 USA Junior World Championship team, a gold medal as a member of the 2000 USA Basketball Women’s Junior World Championship Qualifying team, and a $2.7 million deal over 4 years.

University of Connecticut Statistics

generated with :de:Wikipedia:Helferlein/VBA-Macro for EXCEL tableconversion V1.7<\hiddentext>>
Diana Taurasi Statistics at University of Connecticut
Year | G | FG | FGA | PCT | 3FG | 3FGA | PCT | FT | FTA | PCT | REB | AVG | A | TO | B | S | MIN | PTS | AVG
2000-01 33 127 286 0.444 71 184 0.386 36 41 0.878 106 3.2 109 72 29 39 791 361 10.9
2001-02 39 200 405 0.494 92 209 0.440 72 87 0.828 158 4.1 208 83 46 50 1131 564 14.6
2002-03 37 237 498 0.476 70 200 0.350 119 146 0.815 225 6.1 161 115 45 32 1181 663 17.9
2003-04 35 197 432 0.456 85 218 0.390 89 112 0.795 139 4.0 170 83 27 53 1115 568 16.2
Totals 144 761 1621 0.469 318 811 0.392 316 386 0.819 628 4.4 648 353 147 174 4218 2156 15.0


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