Katie Smith

WNBA's Seattle Storm  – No. 14
Guard
Born	(1974-06-04) June 4, 1974 (age 38) Lancaster, Ohio
Nationality	American
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	175 lb (79 kg)
College	Ohio State
Allocated	1999, to the Minnesota Lynx
Profile	WNBA Info Page
WNBA Teams
Minnesota Lynx (1999–2005) Detroit Shock (2006–2009) Washington Mystics (2010) Seattle Storm (2011–present)
Awards and Honors
Big Ten MVP (1996) 7× WNBA All-Star (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009) All-WNBA First Team (2001, 2003) WNBA's All-Decade Team (2006) 2× WNBA Champion (2006, 2008) WNBA Finals MVP (2008)
Medal record Women's Basketball Competitor for  United States Olympic Games Gold 2000 Sydney National Team Gold 2004 Athens National Team Gold 2008 Beijing National Team

Katherine May "Katie" Smith (born June 4, 1974) is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA. Her primary position is shooting guard, although she sometimes plays small forward or point guard. She is the all time leading scorer in women's professional basketball, having notched over 7000 points in both her ABL and WNBA career. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history.

Personal[link]

Smith was born in Lancaster, Ohio^[1] and spent her formative years in Logan, Ohio. She began playing basketball as early as the 5th grade on a boys' team and took tap dance and ballet lessons as a youngster.

She grew up in a family of student-athletes. Her father, John, Jr., played football at Ohio University (OU), and won three varsity letters in the 1960s before becoming a dentist. Her younger brother, Tom, earned three varsity letters playing football at OU as well as being a member on their track and field team. Tom won the 1996 Mid-American Conference championship in the discus throw. Her older brother, John, was a member of one of nine Mount Union College football teams that won the NCAA Division III title. He now is the head football coach at Bexley High School.

High school[link]

In high school she was named the national Gatorade National Player of the Year during her senior year as she guided the Lady Chieftains to the Division I Ohio Girls' Basketball state championship game. Smith was named a High School All-American by the WBCA.^[2] She participated in the inaugural WBCA High School All-America Game in 1992, scoring fourteen points, and earning MVP honors.^[3][4]

College years[link]

Smith attended the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio from 1992 to 1996, and helped lead the Buckeyes to a Big Ten championship and the NCAA title game her freshman year. During her career at OSU, Smith broke the Big Ten scoring record for points scored in a career, in men's or women's basketball. She was voted Big Ten MVP as a senior.

Smith graduated in 1996 with a degree in zoology. On January 21, 2001, Ohio State honored her as the first female Buckeye athlete to have her number retired.^[5] She was also inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame in October 2001.^[6]

ABL[link]

Smith played for the Columbus Quest of the ABL, helping the team to win both League championships in its only two full seasons of existence.

WNBA[link]

In 2005, she became the first American female basketball player to score 5,000 total points in a professional career.

On August 16, 2007 she became the first professional women's basketball player to score 6,000 career points (ABL and WNBA combined). At the end of the 2011 season Katie had a total of 7448 professional career points, including 1,433 from the ABL and 6,015 from the WNBA.

From 1999 to 2005 Smith played for the Minnesota Lynx, where her outside shooting was the central focus of the Lynx offense. On July 30, 2005, Smith was traded to the Detroit Shock along with the Lynx's 2006 second round pick, for Chandi Jones, Stacey Thomas and the Shock's 2006 first round draft pick.

In 2006, Smith became the first WNBA player to win an All Star game as a member of both the eastern and western conference teams. She also became the only player to earn both ABL and WNBA championship rings when the Shock won the WNBA title, defeating the Sacramento Monarchs, the same year.

Smith was the MVP of the 2008 WNBA Finals,^[7] when the Detroit Shock beat the San Antonio Silver Stars 3–0.

On March 16, 2010, Katie Smith signed a contract with the Washington Mystics as a free agent.

On April 29, 2011, Smith was acquired by the Seattle Storm in a three-team trade with the Washington Mystics and Indiana Fever. At the 2011 WNBA All-Star Game, she was announced as one of the Top 15 players in the fifteen year history of the WNBA as voted by fans.^[8]

On September 11, 2011 Katie Smith became the third player to score 6,000 points in her WNBA career.

WNBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]

Postseason[link]

International career[link]

• Smith helped the US earn the gold medals in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics as well as the 1998 and 2002 World Championships.
• She played the 2001–2002 season in Lotos Gdynia, the Polish club of Małgorzata Dydek. They reached the final of EuroLeague Women.

Europe[link]

• 2001–2002: Lotos Clima Gdynia
• 2009: Fenerbahçe Istanbul

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• WNBA Player Profile
• Olympic Player Profile
• Katie Smith's U.S. Olympic Team bio

A Man for All Seasons is a play by Robert Bolt. An early form of the play had been written for BBC Radio in 1954, and a one-hour live television version starring Bernard Hepton was produced in 1957 by the BBC,^[1] but after Bolt's success with The Flowering Cherry, he reworked it for the stage.

It was first performed in London opening at the Globe Theatre (now Gielgud Theatre) on 1 July 1960. It later found its way to Broadway, enjoying a critically and commercially successful run of over a year. It has had several revivals, and was subsequently made into a feature film and a television movie.

The plot is based on the true story of Sir Thomas More, the 16th-century Chancellor of England, who refused to endorse King Henry VIII's wish to divorce his ageing wife Catherine of Aragon, who could not bear him a son, so that he could marry Anne Boleyn, the sister of his former mistress. The play portrays More as a man of principle, envied by rivals such as Thomas Cromwell and loved by the common people and by his family.

Title[link]

The title reflects 20th century agnostic playwright Robert Bolt’s portrayal of More as the ultimate man of conscience. As one who remains true to himself and his beliefs under all circumstances and at all times, despite external pressure or influence, More represents "a man for all seasons". Bolt borrowed the title from Robert Whittington, a contemporary of More, who in 1520 wrote of him:

"More is a man of an angel's wit and singular learning. I know not his fellow. For where is the man of that gentleness, lowliness and affability? And, as time requireth, a man of marvelous mirth and pastimes, and sometime of as sad gravity. A man for all seasons."^[2]

Themes[link]

Sir Thomas More, one of the most famous early Lord Chancellors, served and was executed under King Henry VIII.

A Man for All Seasons struggles with ideas of identity and conscience. More argues repeatedly that a person is defined by his conscience. His own position is depicted as almost indefensible; the Pope is described as a "bad" and corrupt individual, forced by the Emperor Charles V to act according to his will. But as More says to Norfolk, "What matters is not that it's true, but that I believe it; or no, not that I believe it, but that I believe it." More fears that if he breaks with his conscience, he will be damned to hell, while his associates and friends are more concerned with holding onto their own temporal power.

At another key point of the play, More testifies before an inquiry committee and Norfolk attempts to persuade him to sign the Act of Succession (pp. 78, Heinemann edition):

"Norfolk: Oh, confound all this.... I'm not a scholar, as Master Cromwell never tires of pointing out, and frankly I don't know whether the marriage was lawful or not. But damn it, Thomas, look at those names.... You know those men! Can't you do what I did, and come with us, for fellowship?

More: And when we stand before God, and you are sent to Paradise for doing according to your conscience, and I am damned for not doing according to mine, will you come with me, for fellowship?"

More's persecution is made to seem even more unjust by the inclusion of Eustace Chapuys, the long-time Spanish ambassador to England, into the story. Chapuys recognizes More as a stout man of the church, and in Act II, after More's resignation from the Chancellorship, he informs More of a planned rebellion along the Scottish border, expecting More to be sympathetic. Instead, More informs Norfolk of the plot, showing him to be patriotic and loyal to the King. This, along with More's refusal to actually speak out against the King, shows him to be a loyal subject, and thus Cromwell appears to prosecute him out of personal spite and because he disagrees with the King's divorce.

Bolt also establishes an anti-authoritarian theme which recurs throughout his works. All people in positions of power — King Henry, Cromwell, Wolsey, Cranmer, Chapuys, even Norfolk — are depicted as being either corrupt, evil, or at best expedient and power-hungry. Bolt's later plays and film screenplays also delve into this theme. The theme of corruption is also illustrated, in Rich's rise to power, the Common Man being drawn into the events of the storyline, and in the (deliberately) anachronistic portrayal of Henry as a younger, athletic man (in 1530 he would have been in his forties and already putting on weight).

Although it is the law that eventually forces More's execution, the play also makes several powerful statements in support of the rule of law. At one point More's future son-in-law, Roper, urges him to arrest Richard Rich, whose perjury will eventually lead to More's execution. More answers that Rich has broken no law, "And go he should if he were the Devil himself until he broke the law!" Roper is appalled at the idea of granting the Devil the benefit of law, but More is adamant.

"What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil? ... And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned round on you – where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's, and if you cut them down -- and you're just the man to do it -- do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!"

Some historians and critics have criticized the play's portrayal of More as a saintly character, noting that Bolt mentions none of More's more negative activities, such as his campaign against William Tyndale and his persecution of Lutherans while serving as Chancellor. The depictions of Thomas Cromwell, the Duke of Norfolk, and Richard Rich are also historically suspect. (Also, in real life More had three paternal daughters, a son, and an adoptive daughter, but only his eldest, Margaret, appears in the play.) Bolt's decision to portray More through his relations with family and friends, and not the broader political context of the time period, has also been criticized.

The character of the Common Man serves as a narrator and framing device. A Brechtian character, he plays various small parts — More's servant, a publican, a boatman, More's jailer, jury foreman and executioner—who appear throughout the play, both taking part in and commenting on the action. Several sequences involving this character break the fourth wall—most notably, a sequence where the Common Man attempts to exit the stage and is addressed by Cromwell, who identifies him as a jury foreman. (Indeed, the "jury" consists of sticks or poles with the hats of the Common Man's various characters put on top.) Bolt created the Common Man for two main reasons: to illustrate the place and influence of the average person in history, even though they are usually overlooked, and to try to prevent the audience from sympathizing with the more titled characters such as More, realizing that the audience is more closely related to him—a classic case of Brechtian alienation, designed to prevent the audience from being too engrossed in More's plight. The character's role in the story has been interpreted in many different ways by different critics, from being a positive to a negative character. Many of Bolt's subsequent works featured similar characters.

Endings[link]

Two different endings were written by Bolt. The original ending, performed during the show's preliminary run in England, had Cromwell and Chapuys confront each other after More's execution and then exit the stage, hand in hand, chuckling with "the self-mocking, self-indulgent, rather rueful laughter of the men who know what the world is and how to be comfortable in it".

This particular ending is exemplary of Bolt's notion of "riding with the current", as is demonstrated by "men who know what the world is and how to be comfortable in it", forsaking one's conscience in exchange of a life of "convenience". For the show's London production – and most, if not all, subsequent runs of the show – the Common Man sheds his executioner's garb and addresses the audience one final time:

"... It isn't difficult to keep alive, friends – just don't make trouble – or if you must make trouble, make the sort of trouble that's expected... If we should bump into one another, recognize me."

The film version of the play ends with More's execution, followed by a narrator reading off the fates of the various characters involved (originally, this was dialogue spoken by the Common Man prior to the Tower of London Inquiry).

Stage productions[link]

Paul Scofield, who played the leading role in the West End premiere, reprised it on Broadway in 1961, winning a Tony Award. Both productions were directed by Noel Willman.

The original West End cast included:

• The Common Man – Leo McKern
• Sir Thomas More – Paul Scofield
• Richard Rich – John Brown
• Duke of Norfolk – Alexander Gauge
• Alice More – Wynne Clark
• Margaret – Pat Keen
• Cardinal Wolsey – Willoughby Goddard
• Thomas Cromwell – Andrew Keir
• Chapuys – Geoffrey Dunn
• Attendant – Brian Harrison
• Will Roper – John Carson
• Henry VIII – Richard Leech
• Woman – Beryl Andrews
• Archbishop Cranmer – William Roderick

In London, Man ran simultaneously to another of Bolt's plays, The Tiger and the Horse. Both plays were major hits, although Horse was the more successful of the two. British critical reaction was largely positive, albeit reservedly so; few reviews at the time regarded the play as a classic. The show ran for 320 performances.

In the USA, the play was first performed on Broadway on November 22, 1961, at the ANTA Playhouse

Original Broadway Cast

• The Common Man- George Rose
• Sir Thomas More- Paul Scofield
• The Duke of Norfolk- Albert Dekker
• Thomas Cromwell- Leo McKern (later Thomas Gomez)
• King Henry VIII- Keith Baxter
• Margaret More- Olga Bellin
• William Roper- Peter Brandon
• Catherine Anger- Sarah Burton
• Attendant- John Colenback
• Cardinal Wolsey – Jack Creley
• Alice More- Carol Goodner
• Thomas Cranmer- Lester Rawlins
• Richard Rich- William Redfield
• Signor Chapuys- David J. Stewart

The Broadway production was a huge hit, running for 620 performances. While the play had drawn mixed critical reviews in London, it was almost unanimously praised by the New York critics, who showered it with plaudits and awards.

Leo McKern played the Common Man in the West End version of the show, but was shifted to the role of Cromwell for the Broadway production – a role he later reprised in the film. While playing Cromwell, he appeared with one brown and one blue eye (McKern of course had lost an eye in an accident and wore a glass one) to accentuate his character's evil nature.

Charlton Heston played More in several versions of the play off-Broadway in the '70s and '80s, eventually playing it on the West End. The play was a success and the West End production was taken to Aberdeen, Scotland, for a week where it was staged at His Majesty's Theatre. Heston considered it among his favourite roles. He also produced, directed, and starred in a film version of it (see below).

Another famous graduate of the play is Ian McKellen, whose first theatrical role was as Will Roper in a revival production in the late '60s. He would go on to play More in a later run of the show. Faye Dunaway also made her stage debut as a replacement Margaret in the original Broadway run.

An acclaimed Canadian production starring William Hutt and directed by Walter Learning was presented at the Vancouver Playhouse and the Stratford Festival in 1986. At Stratford the production was paired with a production of Shakespeare's Henry VIII, with both plays sharing many actors, and showing two perspectives on historical events.

The play was staged in London's West End at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket starring Martin Shaw and produced by Bill Kenwright. It closed on 1 April 2006.

A Broadway revival of the show, produced by the Roundabout Theatre Company, starring Frank Langella as More and directed by Doug Hughes, played at the American Airlines Theatre through December 2008.^[3]

More recently, the play has been revived for an Oxford production at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in December 2011: [1].^[4]

Film and TV movies[link]

1966 film[link]

Paul Scofield, who played the leading role in the West End stage premiere, played More again in the first of two film versions (1966), winning an Oscar in the process. The film also stars Robert Shaw as Henry VIII, Orson Welles as Wolsey, a young John Hurt as Richard Rich, and an older Wendy Hiller as Lady Alice, More's second wife. It was directed by Fred Zinnemann. In addition to the Best Actor Oscar won by Scofield, the film won Academy Awards for screenplay, cinematography, costume design, Best Director, and Best Picture.

1988 film[link]

The 1988 version starred Charlton Heston (who also directed it) as More, Vanessa Redgrave (who appeared briefly and mutely in the 1966 version as Anne Boleyn) as More's wife, and Sir John Gielgud as Cardinal Wolsey.

Radio productions[link]

The play was produced, with the following cast, as the Saturday Play on BBC Radio 4 on 7 October 2006, as part of its Betrayal season:

• Sir Thomas More ...... Charles Dance
• Master Richard Rich ...... Julian Rhind Tutt
• Master Thomas Cromwell ...... Kenneth Cranham
• Cardinal Wolsey ...... Timothy Bateson
• King Henry VIII ...... Brian Cox
• Duke of Norfolk ...... Nicholas le Prevost
• Master William Roper ...... Martin Freeman
• Lady Alice More ...... Kika Markham
• Mistress Margaret (Meg) More ...... Romola Garai
• Boatman/Steward (aka Matthew) /Jailer ...... Sam Dale
• Archbishop Thomas Cranmer/Headsman ...... Peter Tate^{[disambiguation needed ]}
• Catherine of Aragon ...... Adjoa Andoh

See also[link]

• Trial movies
• Cultural depictions of Henry VIII of England

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: A Man for All Seasons

• A Man for All Seasons at the Internet Broadway Database
• Free Study Guide for "A Man for All Seasons" at TheBestNotes.com
• Complete text of the play at cooper.edu (Dead Link March 2012)
• Complete text of the play at veng6a.pbworks.com

Diana Taurasi

WNBA's Phoenix Mercury  – No. 3
Guard
Born	(1982-06-11) June 11, 1982 (age 30) Chino, California
Nationality	American
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	163 lb (74 kg)
College	Connecticut
Draft	1st overall, 2004 Phoenix Mercury
Profile	WNBA Info Page
WNBA Teams
Phoenix Mercury (2004–present)
Non-WNBA Teams
Spartak Moscow (2006–2010) Fenerbahçe Istanbul (2010–2011) Galatasaray Medical Park (2011–2012) UMMC Ekaterinburg (2012–present)
Awards and Honors
Big East Player of the Year (2003, 2004) Wade Trophy Winner (2003) Naismith Award (2003, 2004) Nancy Lieberman Award (2003, 2004) NCAA National Championship (2002,2003,2004) NCAA Tournament MVP (2003, 2004) WNBA Rookie of the Year (2004) 5× All-WNBA First Team (2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) All-WNBA Second Team (2005) 5× WNBA All-Star (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011) 2× WNBA Champion (2007, 2009) WNBA Most Valuable Player (2009) WNBA Finals MVP (2009)
Medal record Women's Basketball Competitor for  United States Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens National Team Gold 2008 Beijing National Team World Championship Bronze 2006 Brazil National Team Gold 2010 Czech Rep. National Team U18 and U19 Gold 2000 U18 National Team Bronze 2001 U19 National Team

Diana Lorena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982 in Chino, California) is a professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA and UMMC Ekaterinburg from Russia.^[1] In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history.

Early career[link]

Taurasi grew up in Chino, California and attended Don Antonio Lugo High School where she was the recipient of the 2000 Cheryl Miller Award, presented by the Los Angeles Times to the best player in Southern California.^[2] She was also named the 2000 Naismith and Parade Magazine National High School Player of the Year. Taurasi finished her prep career ranked third in state history with 3,047 points (behind Giuliana Mendiola's 3,069 and Cheryl Miller's 3,446). Taurasi was named a WBCA All-American.^[3] She participated in the 2000 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored twelve points, and earned MVP honors.^[4]

Taurasi was born to her parents Mario and Liliana. Taurasi has an older sister, Jessika. Her father was born in Italy and raised in Argentina, which is also the native land of her mother Liliana. Her parents moved to the U.S. before she was born. Diana's father was a professional soccer player in Italy.^[5] He had logged several years as a goalie.

College[link]

Taurasi with President of the United States George W. Bush at a White House ceremony for, inter al., the national champion 2002–03 Connecticut Huskies.

Following a highly decorated high school career, Taurasi enrolled at the University of Connecticut (UConn) and began playing for the women's basketball team during the 2000–2001 season. Taking the court primarily at point guard and shooting guard, she led the team to three consecutive NCAA championships. Leading up to the final championship, her coach, Geno Auriemma, would declare his likelihood of winning with the claim, "We have Diana, and you don't."^[6]

Taurasi also received many personal accolades at UConn including the 2003 and 2004 Naismith College Player of the Year awards, the 2003 Wade Trophy, and the 2003 Associated Press Player of the Year award. In addition to the national recognition she received during her time at UConn, Taurasi was held in legendary status by many Connecticut fans. For example, state senator Thomas Gaffey nominated her to join Prudence Crandall as the state's heroine.^[7] She averaged 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in her collegiate career. During her time at UConn, her team compiled a record of 139 wins and 8 losses. Diana was a member of the inaugural class (2006) of inductees to the University of Connecticut women's basketball "Huskies of Honor" recognition program.^[8]

WNBA career[link]

Naismith Award

Following her collegiate career, Taurasi was selected first overall in the 2004 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury, a team that went 8–26 in the 2003 season. At times in her career, she had to play the 3 position or Forward (basketball) because there were shorter players in the starting five on her team. However, she mainly plays Guard (basketball).

In her WNBA debut, Taurasi netted 26 points and led the Mercury to an 84–76 victory over the Seattle Storm. For the season, the rookie averaged 17.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Although the Mercury did not qualify for the playoffs, the season was a personal success as Taurasi was named to the Western Conference All Star team and won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award.

In 2005, Taurasi averaged 16.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while battling an ankle injury. She was an All Star for the second straight year, but the Mercury faded down the stretch and again missed the playoffs.

Former NBA coach Paul Westhead became the Mercury's head coach prior to the 2006 season and brought his up-tempo style to Phoenix. Their roster was further bolstered by the addition of rookie Cappie Pondexter, the #2 overall selection in the 2006 WNBA Draft.

Taurasi at the White House

Taurasi flourished under Westhead's system, leading the league in scoring and earning a third straight trip to the All Star Game. She broke Katie Smith's league records for points in a season (741 during the 2006 season) and is tied with Lauren Jackson for most points in a game (47 vs. Houston on August 10). In 2006, Taurasi averaged a record 25.3 points, 4.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game. The Mercury finished 18–16, but after losing a tie-breaker with Houston and Seattle, it missed the playoffs.

In 2007, Taurasi finally reached the WNBA playoffs. In the first round, the Mercury eliminated the Seattle Storm two games to none. Next, they took down the San Antonio Silver Stars in a hard fought two game series. Taurasi got to her first WNBA Finals, but had to face the defending champion Detroit Shock. In a hard-fought series, Taurasi and Pondexter led the Mercury to their first WNBA title. With this victory Taurasi became just the seventh player ever to win an NCAA title, a WNBA title, and an Olympic gold medal. The others to achieve this trifecta are Ruth Riley, Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, and fellow Huskies Swin Cash, Kara Wolters, and Sue Bird.

Taurasi was a member of both the Women's 2004 and 2008 Gold medal Olympic Basketball Teams.^[9][10]

In the 2009 season, Taurasi was named the WNBA MVP and later led the Phoenix Mercury to its second WNBA championship in 3 years by beating the Indiana Fever 3 games to 2. Taurasi was named the WNBA Finals MVP as well. Taurasi is one of only two players (the other being Cynthia Cooper-Dyke), to win the season scoring title, the season MVP award, a WNBA Championship and the finals MVP in the same season.^[11] In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in the fifteen year history of the WNBA.^[12]

International career[link]

Taurasi was recruited to play for the European team Spartak Moscow. The team had finished in eleventh place in the Russian league when Shabtai von Kalmanovich decided to buy the team. Kalmanovich was a successful business man with various interests, including women's basketball. He had stopped in to see a local women's basketball team in Yekaterinburg, and "literally fell in love with the point guard, Anna Arkhipova". He ended up buying that team, but later decided to buy the Spartak Moscow Region team, and turn it into a top team. He arranged to add a number of top-notch players, who had earned seven Olympic medals between them. Many of the players were European, but the team also included Australian born Lauren Jackson and USA born Sue Bird and Taurasi.^[13]

The team would go on to win four consecutive Euroleague championships.^[14]

On December 24, 2010, Taurasi's lawyers revealed that Taurasi had tested positive for a mild stimulant while playing in Turkish Champion Fenerbahçe professional basketball team. According to her lawyer, Howard Jacobs, the positive test came from an "A" sample, and that testing had been requested on a second "B" sample. Jacobs also was quick to point out that the substance Taurasi tested positive for "was not a steroid or recreational drug." Until the "B" sample can be tested, Taurasi has been provisionally suspended from the Turkish league.^[15] In its own statement, the Turkish basketball association revealed that the WADA-list banned substance was modafinil.^[16]

On February 16, 2011, Diana Taurasi was cleared of doping allegations. ABC News indicated Taurasi was absolved from all doping allegations and can rejoin her Istanbul team following the retraction of the Turkish laboratory on its earlier finding on the former UConn star’s urine samples.^[17]

On May 16, 2012 Taurasi signed a contract with UMMC.^[18]

USA Basketball[link]

On May 12, 2004, Diana Taurasi was selected to represent the United States with the US Women's National Basketball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.^[19] She helped the United States capture the gold medal, defeating Australia in the championship game. Taurasi represented the United States as a member of the US Women's National Basketball team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, where she started all eight games and helped lead the USA team to win the gold medal.^[20] Taurasi was the second leading scorer on the USA Women's National Basketball team at the 2006 FIBA World Championship held in São Paulo, Brazil. The USA team earned the bronze medal.^[21]

Taurasi has also earned a bronze medal as a member of the 2001 USA Junior World Championship team,^[22] and a gold medal as a member of the 2000 USA Basketball Women’s Junior World Championship Qualifying team.^[23]

Taurasi was invited to the USA Basketball Women's National Team training camp in the fall of 2009.^[24] The team selected to play for the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics is usually chosen from these participants. At the conclusion of the training camp, the team will travel to Ekaterinburg, Russia, where they compete in the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational.^[24]

Taurasi was named as one of the National team members to represent the USA Basketball team in the WNBA versus USA Basketball.^[25] This game replaces the normal WNBA All-Star game with WNBA All-Stars versus USA Basketball, as part of the preparation for the FIBA World Championship for Women to be held in the Czech Republic during September and October 2010.^[26]

Taurasi was one of 21 finalists for the U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team Roster. The 20 professional women's basketball payers, plus one collegiate player (Brittney Griner), were selected by the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee to compete for the final roster which will represent the USA at the 2012 Olympics in London.^[27]

Personal life[link]

On July 2, 2009, Phoenix police spokesman Luis Samudio says an officer stopped Taurasi at about 2:30 a.m. for allegedly speeding. A police statement says the officer smelled alcohol and gave her several field sobriety tests. Taurasi was then driven to a mobile DUI van where she gave a blood sample, then was cited and released. Authorities later said her blood alcohol level was 0.17.^[28] The Phoenix Mercury responded to this news by suspending her for two games later that month.^[29] She however was named a reserve for her fourth All-star appearance that summer.^[30] After extreme DUI and speeding charges were dropped, Taurasi pled guilty to DUI. She served one day in jail after a judge suspended nine days of the 10-day sentence.^[31] The incident had a profound effect on Taurasi.^[32]

Taurasi had a cameo role in the 2006 film Believe In Me.^[33]

Awards and honors[link]

• 2003 – Nancy Lieberman Award
• 2003 – Wade Trophy
• 2003 – Naismith College Player of the Year
• 2003 – NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player
• 2003 – Honda Sports Award, basketball^[34]

• 2004 – Nancy Lieberman Award
• 2004 – Naismith College Player of the Year
• 2004 – NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player
• 2004 – WNBA Rookie of the Year Award
• 2004 – Honda Sports Award, basketball^[34]

• 2005 – WNBA All-Star Selection

• 2006 – WNBA All-Star Selection
• 2006 – WNBA Peak Performer

• 2007 – WNBA All-Star Selection

• 2008 – WNBA Peak Performer

• 2009 – WNBA Peak Performer
• 2009 – WNBA All-Star Selection
• 2009 – WNBA Most Valuable Player Award
• 2009 – WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award

• 2010 – All-WNBA First Team^[35]

• Euroleague Winner 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
• Euroleague Women MVP 2009, 2010

Career statistics[link]

University of Connecticut[link]

WNBA[link]

Regular season[link]

Postseason[link]

See also[link]

• List of Connecticut women's basketball players with 1000 points

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Diana Taurasi

• Official website
• Diana Taurasi at WNBA.com
• WNBA Player 2004 Draft Prospectus
• fenerbahce.org Profile
• USA Basketball bio
• UConn bio