Looking At The Mercury's 2002 Season

The Phoenix Mercury had some tough years after their 2000 playoffs run, and when it comes to 2002, the season got off to a promising start.

WNBA great Cynthia Copper speaks during the Alabama State University Inaugural Basketball Tip-Off Dinner at the ASU campus in Montgomery, Ala., on Tuesday evening October 14, 2025. / Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Phoenix Mercury were a successful team in their early years. They made the playoffs right away, as in the WNBA's inaugural season, they faced the New York Liberty in the postseason. However, the Liberty beat them, and New York faced the Houston Comets in the WNBA Finals. The Comets came out on top, and it was the start of a dynasty.

Phoenix made the playoffs the following year, but they missed them in 1999. In the 1998 season, they reached the Finals, and they faced the Comets. Houston beat them 2-1 in that series.

Dec 10, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cheryl Miller (center) attends the game between the Fresno State Bulldogs and the Southern California Trojans at Galen Center. USC defeated Fresno State 89-40. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

After missing the playoffs, the Mercury were right back in, and they were knocked out early after losing to the Los Angeles Sparks. Cheryl Miller, who was coaching the Mercury at that time resigned after that season, and they had to find a replacement.

The Mercury brought in Cheryl Cooper, who was a teammate of Miller and she was a star for the Comets. She coached that the following year, and she was there coach during 2002. However, she resigned during that season.

Dec 30, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Trojans head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke in the second half of the game against the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA won 78-73. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

In the 2002 season, the Mercury finished the year with a record of 11-21. This was the second year in a row where they missed the playoffs.

Phoenix started the season on a decent note, as they lost to the Comets in their first game, but they picked up wins in their next four games. They beat the Utah Starzz, the Washington Mystics, the Charlotte Sting and the Detroit Shock to improve to 4-1. The Seattle Storm broke their streak, but the Mercury picked up another win right after that. They beat the Sacramento Monarchs 78-63.

Mercury's season takes a turn for the worse

The Mercury managed to stay over .500 for a while, then things went downhill. They went on multiple losing streaks, as they lost six in a row, snapped that streak, and went on another six-game losing streak right after.

Aug 9, 2010; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Sparks coach Jennifer Gillom during the game against the Indiana Fever at the Staples Center. The Fever defeated the Sparks 82-76. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It was a difficult year for the Mercury, and despite their poor performance, Jennifer Gillom was a bright spot. She led the team in scoring, as she averaged 15.3 points.

Phoenix was trying to figure things out, and they missed the playoffs for a number of years. Eventually, their struggles led to them getting players like Penny Taylor, Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter. So, it all worked out. However, it was a challenging and frustrating time, and the team did their best and tried to navigate the obstacles.

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