Phoenix Mercury

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Basketball current event.png For current information on this topic, see 2010 Phoenix Mercury season.
Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury logo
Conference Western
Founded 1997
History Phoenix Mercury
(1997-present)
Arena US Airways Center
City Phoenix, Arizona
Uniform Sponsor LifeLock
Team colors Purple, Yellow, Red, White
                   
Owner(s) Robert Sarver
General manager Ann Meyers-Drysdale
Head Coach Corey Gaines
Championships 2 (2007, 2009)
Conference titles 3 (1998, 2007, 2009)
Mascot Scorch[1]
Official website phoenixmercury.com

The Phoenix Mercury is a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mercury began in 1997 as one of the league's original eight teams. The Mercury are so named because Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. It is the WNBA counterpart to the Phoenix Suns and both are owned by Robert Sarver.

Contents

[edit] Franchise history

[edit] Mercury Heating Up (1997-1998)

With a cast that included hall-of-famer Nancy Lieberman, and possible future hall-of-famers Michele Timms of Australia, and Jennifer Gillom, hyper-active star Bridget Pettis, and outspoken coach Cheryl Miller, the Mercury quickly established itself as a major franchise. In the very first WNBA season, the Mercury posted a 16-12 record and reached the first WNBA playoffs. The Mercury lost to the New York Liberty, though, in those playoffs.

In 1998, the Mercury again qualified for the playoffs, posting a 19-11 record. The Mercury defeated the Cleveland Rockers to reach the WNBA Finals for the first time. In a hard fought series, the Mercury fell 2 games to 1 to the defending champion Houston Comets.

[edit] Mercury Falling (1999-2003)

In 1999, the Mercury missed the playoffs, posting a 15-17 record. In 2000, the Mercury finished 20-12, but got swept by the Los Angeles Sparks. The team descended into turmoil after the season, as coach Miller left and the original core group of players broke up, via retirement or trades, and the team stopped being a playoff contender.

From 2001-2004, the Mercury were at the bottom of the WNBA. Fielding miserable teams, the Mercury were never competitive. The Mercury went through coach after coach, and nothing worked. During the lean years, the franchise remained in the news as forward Lisa Harrison would become a sex symbol. Playboy Magazine offered her money to pose in their magazine. She would decline the offer.[citation needed]

[edit] Diana Taurasi Joins the WNBA (2004)

After a horrible 2003 season, in which the Mercury posted an 8-26 record, the Mercury won the #1 overall choice in the 2004 WNBA Draft, and select coveted former UConn star Diana Taurasi. Taurasi went on to win the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award in the 2004 season, as the Mercury posted a better 17-17 record. The Mercury posted a 16-18 record in 2005, missing the playoffs again.

[edit] Bringing Back "Paul Ball" (2006-2007)

Former NBA coach Paul Westhead became the Mercury's head coach prior to the 2006 season and brought his up-tempo style to Phoenix. Westhead was the first WNBA coach to have won a previous NBA championship (1980 LA Lakers). The Mercury also drafted Cappie Pondexter with the #2 overall selection in the 2006 WNBA Draft. The addition provided Taurasi with a solid #2 player.

The 2006 season was a positive one for the Mercury, as they posted a winning record for the first time since 2000, at 18-16. The Mercury competed for the playoffs all year, but fell just short of a postseason berth.

As the 2007 season came, the Mercury were poised and hungry for a deep playoff run. The Mercury would run away with the Western Conference, posting their best record in franchise history at 23-11, as well as clinching the #1 seed. The Mercury set a record by averaging 89.0 points in a season during 2007.[2] In their first playoffs since 2000, the Mercury made quick work of the Seattle Storm in the first round, blowing them out in two games (Game 1: 101-84, Game 2: 95-89). In the Western Finals, the Mercury swept the San Antonio Silver Stars in a closer series (Game 1: 102-100, Game 2: 98-92), advancing to the WNBA Finals for the first time in nine years. In the Finals, the Mercury faced the defending 2006 champions Detroit Shock. The two teams split the first two games in Detroit. Coming back home, the Mercury suffered a letdown in game 3, losing 88-83. Down 2-1, the Mercury had to win game 4 or lose. Game 4 came down to the final seconds, but the Mercury edged out the Shock 77-76, with Cappie Pondexter scoring 26 points, and forced a Game 5 in Detroit. In Game 5, Phoenix won by a score of 108-92.[2] Penny Taylor scored a game high 30 points in Game 5, and went 18-for-18 from the line.[2] The Mercury won the series and their first championship with a 108-92 Game 5 victory, becoming the first WNBA team to win a championship on the road. Cappie Pondexter was named the WNBA Finals MVP, and averaged 22.0 points and 5.6 assists in the series.[2] On November 7, 2007, The Mercury announced the hiring of Corey Gaines as head coach to replace the departing Paul Westhead.

[edit] Mercury Fall, Mercury Rise (2008-Present)

In 2008, the Mercury started slowly and never really found a groove, finishing the season with a disappointing record of 16-18, well out of the playoff picture in a tough Western Conference. The Mercury became the first team in WNBA history with the dubious honor of failing to qualify for the playoffs after winning the WNBA Finals the year before.

However, a year later, the Mercury were back to what they were two years before. The Mercury clinched the top spot in the playoffs along with the #1 seed in the Western Conference. The Mercury defeated the 2008 conference champion San Antonio Silver Stars in the first round, winning the very exciting series 2-1 after losing the first game on the road. The Mercury then defeated the Los Angeles Sparks in the conference finals, winning 2-1 in a series that ended Lisa Leslie's career.The Mercury then went on to beat the Indiana Fever 3-2 in the best of 5 series to capture the second title in their franchise history. Diana Taurasi captured the WNBA Finals MVP Award.

[edit] Uniform sponsor

In June 2009 the Mercury and WNBA announced a sponsorship agreement with identity theft protection service LifeLock to place that company's logo on their jerseys through the 2011 season, making the Mercury among the first non-soccer franchises in the major leagues of North America to place a company logo on their uniforms [3].

[edit] Season-by-season records

Season Team Conference Regular season Playoff Results
W L PCT
Phoenix Mercury
1997 1997 West 1st 16 12 .571 Lost WNBA Semifinals (New York, 0-1)
1998 1998 West 2nd 19 11 .633 Won WNBA Semifinals (Cleveland, 2-1)
Lost WNBA Finals (Houston, 1-2)
1999 1999 West 4th 15 17 .469
2000 2000 West 4th 20 12 .625 Lost Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles, 0-2)
2001 2001 West 5th 13 19 .406
2002 2002 West 7th 11 21 .344
2003 2003 West 7th 8 26 .235
2004 2004 West 5th 17 17 .500
2005 2005 West 5th 16 18 .471
2006 2006 West 5th 18 16 .529
2007 2007 West 1st 23 11 .676 Won Conference Semifinals (Seattle, 2-0)
Won Conference Finals (San Antonio, 2-0)
Won WNBA Finals (Detroit, 3-2)
2008 2008 West 7th 16 18 .471
2009 2009 West 1st 23 11 .676 Won Conference Semifinals (San Antonio, 2-1)
Won Conference Finals (Los Angeles, 2-1)
Won WNBA Finals (Indiana, 3-2)
2010 2010 West 0 0 .000
Regular season 215 209 .507 3 Conference Championships
Playoffs 17 12 .586 2 WNBA Championships

[edit] Players and coaches

[edit] Current roster

Phoenix Mercury roster
v • d • e
Players Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. From
G 24 United States Bonner, DeWanna 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 136 lb (62 kg) Auburn
PG 2 United States Johnson, Temeka 5 ft 3 in (1.6 m) 132 lb (60 kg) LSU
SG 33 United States Mazzante, Kelly 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Penn State
F/C 30 United States Ohlde, Nicole 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Kansas State
SG 23 United States Pondexter, Cappie 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Rutgers
F/C 21 United States Smith, Brooke 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Stanford
C 50 United States Smith, Tangela 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Iowa
PG 11 United States Swanier, Ketia 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) 144 lb (65 kg) Connecticut
F 13 Australia Taylor, Penny 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 163 lb (74 kg) Australia
G/F 3 United States Taurasi, Diana 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 172 lb (78 kg) Connecticut
PF 43 United States Willingham, Le'Coe 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Auburn
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Strength and conditioning coach(es)
Athletic trainer(s)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: 2009-07-14

[edit] Head coaches

[edit] Hall of Famers

[edit] Retired numbers

[edit] Former players

[edit] All-Stars

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ a b c d Sports Illustrated, September 24, 2007, p. 67
  3. ^ http://www.wnba.com/mercury/news/lifelock_release_090601.html

[edit] Links

v • d • e
Phoenix Mercury
Founded in 1997 • Based in Phoenix, Arizona
The Franchise
Franchise • Most Recent Season
Arenas
Head Coaches
Administration
Owner: Jerry Colangelo • Robert Sarver
General Manager: Seth Sulka • Ann Meyers-Drysdale
Notable Players
Seasons
1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010
Playoff Appearances
1997 • 1998 • 2000 • 2007 • 2009
Conference Titles
1998 • 2007 • 2009
WNBA Titles
Rivals
Media
TV: FSN Arizona • Radio: KMVP (ESPN Radio 860) • Announcers: Kayte Christensen, Tom Leander
v • d • e
Phoenix Mercury 2007 WNBA Champions

0 Scott | 2 Miller | 3 Taurasi | 5 Miller | 11 Schumacher | 12 Snell | 13 Taylor | 21 Lacy | 23 Pondexter (Finals MVP) | 24 Derevjanik | 33 Mazzante | 50 Smith | Coach Westhead
v • d • e
Phoenix Mercury 2009 WNBA Champions

2 Johnson | 3 Taurasi (Finals MVP) | 11 Swanier | 13 Taylor | 21 B. Smith | 23 Pondexter | 24 Bonner | 30 Ohlde | 33 Mazzante | 43 Willingham | 50 T. Smith | Coach Gaines
v • d • e
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Annual events: Draft · All-Star Game · Playoffs · Finals
Other: All-decade team · Arenas · Awards · Career rebounding · Career scoring · Coaches · Current rosters · Defunct teams · Expansion draft history
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