Who helped the Mercury veterans when they were rookies?
By Alex Simon
![SEATTLE - MAY 27: Sancho Lyttle #21, Michelle Snow #2 and Sheryl Swoopes #22 of the Houston Comets talk things over as they return to the court after a timeout in their WNBA game with the Seattle Storm on May 27, 2005 at Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. NOTE TO USER: User Expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2005 NBAE. (Photo by Jeff Reinking/NBAE via Getty Images) SEATTLE - MAY 27: Sancho Lyttle #21, Michelle Snow #2 and Sheryl Swoopes #22 of the Houston Comets talk things over as they return to the court after a timeout in their WNBA game with the Seattle Storm on May 27, 2005 at Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. NOTE TO USER: User Expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2005 NBAE. (Photo by Jeff Reinking/NBAE via Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/25069622372735fe7bdf1a4e950d3abad0368d6b708723f6626030c99db995a9.jpg)
Diana Taurasi (Rookie season/team: 2004 Phoenix Mercury)
Coach: Geno Auriemma
“I was so young and impressionable and he taught me so much,” Taurasi said. “And it was hard — those were probably the hardest four years of my life. Just learning what it took to compete, what it meant to be a good teammate, what it meant to work hard. You think you know what it is, and then there’s always a different level. I think everyone finds a person who they can relate to, that they get along well with [and] that just pushes them over the edge, and for me, that was him, for sure.”