For so long, boundless energy hindered Diana Taurasi.
Movies dragged on forever and made her feel antsy. Books bored her so thoroughly that she barely finished one before she turned 18
Diana Taurasi, left, is averaging a rookie-best 16.5 points.
(AP file)
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| _____ Countdown to Athens _____
• The Olympics are less than a week away and organizers are pulling the pieces together for the Aug. 13 opening.
_____ From The Post _____
• Dana Vollmer will be one of those tales of courage that come up during the Olympics.
• Michael Wilbon: In Athens, the new can't hold a torch to the ancient.
• Lauryn Williams is far more interested in chasing goals she can see rather than those she can imagine.
• Notebook: Jerome Young reportedly tested positive for the banned drug EPO at a meet last month.
_____ Live Online _____
• Tony Azevedo, the top scorer on the U.S. Men's Water Polo team, took questions July 28.
• Alexander Kitroeff discussed his book, "Wrestling with the Ancients: Modern Greek Identity and the Olympics," and the history of the Games on July 27.
_____ On Our Site _____
• Photos: Swimming trials.
• Photos: Track and field trials.
_____ Swimming's Wonder Boy _____
• Phelps's main training partners and buddies reflect on blown chances. (July 27)
• Coach Bob Bowman has been the guiding force for Phelps. (July 4)
• Gallery: Coach shows the way to Athens.
• Numerous endorsements already have made Phelps a millionaire. (June 1)
• Gallery: The road to the Games are paved with gold.
• Phelps expected to be the Games' most-decorated athlete. (April 18)
• Gallery: Phelps making a splash.
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Restlessness, family members predicted, would ruin Taurasi. In middle school, she bounced on her bed until she smacked her head against the ceiling. She somersaulted recklessly down the halls of her Chino, Calif., home until her mother locked her in a bedroom -- not for punishment, but for containment.
"She could never sit still," said Lili Taurasi, Diana's mother. "She was just go, go, go. She could never find a place to put all her energy."
Until this season.
In her rookie year with the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, Taurasi has discovered a lifestyle that fits her restless demeanor. Tonight, she'll play with the U.S. Olympic team against a group of WNBA all-stars at Radio City Music Hall at 7, marking her latest stop in a five-month whirlwind tour of activity.
In college, she won three consecutive national championships at the University of Connecticut, then was taken No. 1 in the WNBA draft, then attended two weeks of intense practice with the Olympic team, then started her first WNBA season. She leaves for Athens next week.
Taurasi's tirelessness is now her greatest asset. She's averaging 16.5 points and 3.6 assists, the highest numbers of any rookie, while marketing her league 24 hours a day.
"It's been a wild ride," Taurasi said. "I really haven't had a break for a long time, but that's the way I like it. When I'm not super busy, I just get bored."
That's fine with the Mercury, which has relied on Taurasi's vivacity to reinvigorate its franchise. Thanks in large part to Taurasi's spectacular play, the Mercury -- 8-26 last season -- is in playoff contention at 12-13 going into the WNBA's month-long break.
The 5-foot-11 guard has established herself as one of the league's premier three-point shooters, making about two each game. "If she's open, she makes it," said Mystics rookie Alana Beard. "She's really that automatic."
Phoenix has found Taurasi just as reliable before and after games, when the team expects her to cast aside basketball and cater to fans.
Before nearly every road game, Taurasi takes a break from warm-ups to give a speech to about 50 lucky fans. In Washington on Sunday, dozens of girls wearing Taurasi's No. 3 jersey shrieked when the WNBA star walked up to the bleachers to deliver a quick speech. They shrieked again shortly after the game, when Taurasi walked back into the arena and signed nearly 100 autographs.
"The Diana Taurasi following is pretty remarkable," said Seth Sulka, Phoenix's president of basketball operations. "It's unrivaled by anything I've even seen in this league. She's charismatic and she's caring, so that plays very well at a marketing level."
