Sept. 27, 2004: Mercury guard Diana Taurasi capped off a whirlwind year by being named the 2004 WNBA Rookie-of-the-Year. Selected by Phoenix with the first overall pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft weeks after capturing her third NCAA title with Connecticut, Taurasi led all rookies in scoring and led the Mercury to a nine-game improvement over last season's win total.

Sept. 28: No surprise Taurasi wins honor

Sept. 27: One-on-one with Taurasi

Sept. 22: Taurasi lives up to expectations

Sept. 20, 2004: A fourth straight season without postseason play was tempered by major progress from a young team with a rookie coach that won as many games as they lost (17-17) just a year removed from posting the worst record in the league.

Sept. 21: Mercury win season finale

Sept. 21: Inside help tops Mercury needs

Aug. 28, 2004: Two of the Mercury's biggest contributors this season continued their basketball excellence at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Rookie guard Diana Taurasi helped the USA win the gold over Australia and Mercury forward Penny Taylor.

Aug. 3: Planning for the break

July 30: Taurasi, Taylor look towards Olympics

July 29: Taurasi chat transcript

July 29: Friends now, foes later?

Photos: DT, PT in Athens | The Game at Radio City

July 28, 2004 Mercury rookie Diana Taurasi ranks second in WNBA jersey sales and player page views on WNBA.com, with more than 168,000 page views received to date during the 2004 WNBA Season.

July 27, 2004: Mercury legends Jennifer Gillom and Bridget Pettis returned to their old AWA stomping grounds and were honored for their achievements.

Highlights: 56k | 300k

July 26, 2004: Mercury General Manager Seth Sulka sat down with PhoenixMercury.com to share his fondest memories and personal thoughts about the passing of one of the biggest icons in Phoenix sports history, legendary Suns coach Cotton Fitzsimmons.

Suns.com: A tribute to Cotton

July 21, 2004: No matter what others might think, Diana Taurasi says her hectic schedule isn't wearing her down, and her recent subpar shooting games have nothing to do with exhaustion, reports azcentral.com.

July 4, 2004: As if the grind of a WNBA season was not enough, several Mercury players head overseas to play during the offseason. While the chance to play a game they love is a plus, most admit that the yearly schedule can become a grind, reports eastvalleytribune.com.

Ever since she led the University of Connecticut to its third straight NCAA Championship, Mercury rookie Diana Taurasi has been going non-stop. Take a look at behind-the-scenes photos from Taurasi's whirlwind tour of appearances, interviews and assorted activities.

More: Taurasi USA gallery

June 18, 2004: The Mercury held the first annual Father-Daughter 2-Ball Tournement on June 12. Teams of dads and daughters joined current Mercury players and former Mercury All-Star Jennifer Gillom for a fun-filled afternoon.

June 14, 2004: After making her debut as one of last season's Junior Reporters, Kaitlin Winter is back and reports that rookie Diana Taurasi has turned the Mercury's lumps of coal into beautiful, sparkling diamonds.

Aug. 11, 2003:Being a fan of the Phoenix Mercury is often a family affair, reports azcentral.com's Connie Midey, and General Manager Seth Sulka's family is no exception.

April 25, 2004: The recap of the Mercury's 2003 WNBA Draft where the team selected Plenette Pierson out of Texas Tech with the fourth pick in tthe WNBA Draft 2003 and other WNBA Draft 2003 coverage.

Aug. 7, 2002: The Mercury honored former player and current assistant coach Michele Timms by retiring her jersey No. 7 on Aug. 7 when the Mercury hosted the Rockers. Timms retired in 2001 as the team's all-time leader in assists and steals. Check out a photo gallery of the retirement ceremony.

Timmsy photo gallery