Phoenix Mercury sign Alex Harden
By Ben Dull
The Phoenix Mercury have signed two-year pro Alex Harden to a training camp contract.
Harden went undrafted out of Wichita State in 2015. She graduated as the Shockers’ all-time leading scorer. Harden was an honorable mention All-American as a senior, averaging 17 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. She earned Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year honors as a senior, was a two-time MVC Defensive Player of the Year, and helped lead the Shockers to three straight NCAA Tournaments.
Harden was part of the Mercury’s final round of cuts at the end of the 2017 preseason. She suffered a torn right labrum after colliding with another player in practice last May.
D.J. Fisher, Harden’s agent, told the Wichita Eagle at the time that she was expected to start on the wing alongside Diana Taurasi.
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That hole on the wing needed to be filled last season as Penny Taylor retired following the 2016 season and DeWanna Bonner sat out the 2017 season due to pregnancy. She and Candice Dupree welcomed their twins into the world back in July. Bonner was designated as the Mercury’s core player this offseason and signed shortly afterwards.
Harden will face tougher competition on the wing for a roster spot this season following the emergence of Yvonne Turner in last season’s playoffs. 6’2 rookie wing Steph Talbot showed some flashes as well, shooting 38% from three, starting 24 regular season games and starring in the inaugural class of Jantel Lavender All-Stars.
The perimeter rotation in Phoenix will also be impacted by having two talented veteran point guards in Leilani Mitchell and the newly acquired Briann January.
The Mercury hold the 12th overall pick in the upcoming draft. Our own Howard Megdal has the Mercury selecting UCLA’s Monique Billings in his latest WNBA Draft Big Board.
Related Story: Mercury re-sign Yvonne Turner and Emma Cannon
Harden logged about 12 minutes per game in 32 games as a rookie with the Mercury in 2015. She drew one start with Phoenix in 2016 and averaged 7.5 minutes per game in 28 regular season contests.