Carrie Graf named new Phoenix Mercury head coach.

Diana Taurasi will be taking orders from a WOMAN coach. How intriguing!

"Being coached by a woman is like being yelled at by your mom." D.T.

Maybe D.T.'s real mom will be in the audience in Phoenix to yell at her too.

Brian Agler has gotten a new job, I see.

Charles Barkley will have to wait for another opportunity to go tee-a-tee
with Bill Laimbeer again, unfortunately.



Graf hired as coach of WNBA's Mercury

by MEL REISNER, AP Sports Writer
Tuesday, April 13, 2004


PHOENIX (AP) --

Carrie Graf was hired as coach of the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday, returning
to the WNBA team where she was an assistant for four seasons.

She replaces John Shumate, who left Feb. 6 to rejoin the Phoenix Suns as a
college scout. Graf, a 38-year-old Australian, was preparing New Zealand's
national team for the Athens Olympics when she took the WNBA job.

"It did take us a little time to find the right person," co-owner Kathy
Munro said. "We wanted to look deeply in the college coaching ranks, and the
WNBA and NBA coaching ranks."

The Mercury own the No. 1 pick in this year's WNBA draft and will select
Diana Taurasi of NCAA champion Connecticut.

The Mercury also hired Brian Agler as an assistant. He was coach and general
manager of Minnesota of the WNBA from 1999-02.

Shumate went 8-26 in his one season as coach, the franchise's worst in its
seven years. The year before, the Mercury went 11-21 under Cynthia Cooper,
who resigned after 10 games, and interim coach Linda Sharp.

Graf missed the news conference because of a visa technicality, but she
signed a contract and should be on hand before training camp starts April
25, general manager Seth Sulka said.

"I'm just thrilled to have Carrie back," Mercury forward Kayte Christensen
said. "I'm familiar with her, and I have the utmost respect for her. I think
she's a very, very talented coach, and she demands the respect of her
athletes, and that's something very positive."

Graf was a Phoenix assistant in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2003, helping Shumate
last year. She won three championships as a coach with Canberra in
Australia's Women's National Basketball League. Graf had an eight-year
career in the WNBL, earning rookie of the year honors in the Australian Club
Championships in 1983.