Mercury Turn Things Around With 2004 Season

The 2004 season was a significant year for the Phoenix Mercury, as they selected a star in that year's draft.

Sep 17, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi (3) reacts after the game against the LA Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Mercury had a challenging season in 2003, as they finished the season with a record of 8-26. John Shumate was their coach that year, and after years of playing in the NBA and spending time as a college head coach and an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors, he came to Phoenix.

Phoenix went in a different direction after that season, and they brought in Carrie Graf. Graf's first year was the start of a turnaround for the Mercury, as they brought in some key players. Phoenix acquired Penny Taylor in a dispersal draft, and later on, they drafted a star in the 2004 WNBA Draft.

Mercury select Diana Taurasi out of UConn

The Mercury drafted Diana Taurasi that year, and she became a star right away. She had an excellent college career, and she helped the UConn Huskies win three championships. They beat Tennessee that year to win it all, and Taurasi averaged 16.2 points, 4.9 assists, four rebounds and 1.5 steals.

Connecticut's Diana Taurasi battles past Tennessee's Kara Lawson as the Connecticut Huskies defeated Tennessee 79-56 during the NCAA women's semi-finals at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on March 29, 2002. / JACK GRUBER / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In her rookie year, Taurasi averaged 17.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals. The Mercury improved that season, as they finished 17-17. This is a significant jump from the previous season, and with Taurasi, they would continue to improve. The Mercury started that season with a loss to the Sacramento Monarchs.

Sacramento picked up a 72-66 win over Phoenix, and Taurasi had 22 points, three rebounds and three assists.

Phoenix picked up a win in the next game, as they beat the Connecticut Sun. They beat them 65-58, and Taurasi had 26 points, five rebounds and four assists. The Mercury won their next two games, as they beat the Seattle Storm and the Houston Comets. They beat the Storm 84-76, then they beat the Comets 73-63.

Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi (3) catches a pass during warm ups on Sept. 19, 2024 at Footprint Center in Phoenix. / Owen Ziliak/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Seattle had a chance to redeem themselves, as they beat Phoenix 72-45 to put an end to their brief run. The Mercury picked up a loss to the Minnesota Lynx right after that, and Phoenix took down Connecticut as they beat them 75-59.

The Phoenix Mercury's Diana Taurasi (3) celebrates with her teammates after defeating the Indiana Fever to win the WNBA Finals at US Airways Center on Oct. 9, 2009. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Mercury had some ups and downs that season, including a five-game losing streak at one point in the season. They also had their share of winning streak,and that helped them become a .500 team. Things were looking up for Phoenix, and a few years later, they would end up making history.

Please follow us on X to read more about past Mercury seasons when you click right here!

feed