Join coach Graf for a live chat on Thursday Aug. 25 at Noon (3 ET).
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The Australian native played professionally from 1983-90,
starting with the Nunawading Spectres of the WNBL, where she played alongside
former Mercury great and current assistant coach Michele Timms. As a member of
the Mercury's coaching staff, Graf assisted then-Head Coach Cheryl Miller as the
franchise advanced to the 1998 WNBA Championships, and also served under four-time
WNBA Championship MVP Cynthia Cooper in 2001.
Graf now has the responsibility
of taking the Mercury to the next level with a core of talented young players
like Rookie of the Year Diana Taurasi, WNBA Champion Kamila Vodichkova, Italian
League MVP Penny Taylor and Anna DeForge.
The coach took a timeout from her
hectic schedule, just before the Mercury took on the Comets for a chance to make
the playoffs, to take your questions about her career and about this year's Mercury
squad during an online chat.
Moderator: Coach Graf has joined
us and is ready to go, so send in your questions for her to answer before she
has to get back to practice. Welcome, Coach.
BW
(Oswego): What does your team need to do to insure you a spot in the playoffs?
Good Luck
Carrie
Graf: We have to beat Houston tonight. We absolutely have to do that tonight.
We have a chance to clinch a spot tonight here at home and we have to take advantage
of that.
Alex (Sedona):
Thanks for taking time out on the biggest day of the year (so far). Will Penny
Taylor be fit for tonight's game? Love the new home 'strategy' from last two home
games. Zero turnovers in both first halves! Would you say that's determination?
Carrie
Graf: Penny Taylor is fit and well and participated in our shootaround this
morning. She will start and play her usual minutes tonight.
Juliane
(Chandler): Coach Graf,You had a rough start this season due to not having
all of your key players. My question is How is losing Maria going to affect the
team? Congratulations on the turn around season and let's get them in the playoffs.
Go Mercury!!!!
Carrie
Graf: To be honest, we knew that was a probability when we signed her. We
wanted to get her over here and help us in the future. But the team we have right
now... the team we are going to play tonight against Houston...is the team we
are focused on right now.
akiya
(New York): Coach Graf, For much of the season your team underachieved to
say the least, were there any doubts that ya'll would turn it around? How is it
coaching a superstar like Diana Taurasi? Go Mercury
Carrie
Graf: I don't know that we underachieved. Our record may not be what we'd
like, but we had roster implications early and to our credit we turned it around
and now we are fighting for a playoff spot, after gelling and clicking and getting
our chemistry together by staying positive and playing good basketball.
Becca,
Chicago: Hey Coach! You are doing a fantastic job with the team! My question
is . . . do you have captains for your team? And if you do, did you pick them
or did the team? and if you don't have captains, why not? Thank you so much! Later!
Carrie
Graf: We do. Our captains are Diana Taurasi and Anna DeForge. The coaches
have input, but we have player voting process and that's how we came up with our
captains.
Robert Petaluma CA:
Hey, What are your predictions for the playoffs?and who do you think is mvp,rookie,most
improved, defence...? thanks for your time Robert
Carrie
Graf: I'm not predicting much past tonight, when we need a win. I think Sacramento
and Connecticut are going well. For rookie it is Temeka Johnson with Washington.
And for MVP I'd go with Lauren Jackson with Seattle. Most Improved, I'm gonna
have to say Nicole Powell, she is really fitting in with the Monarchs and a big
part of their success.
Emma,
Perth: Hi Carrie! Congrats on your season so far! Being an international coach,
do you hope to get more international players (in particular the Aussies) in Phoenix
and the rest of the WNBA?
Carrie
Graf: I think we have more than our share of Aussies in Phoenix and in the
WNBA. Aussies aren't unknown. This is truly an international game now. We pick
players now based on how good a fit they are for our team and based on their talent,
not on where they come from.
Kevin
(Phoenix): How are you going? Do you think last season's drop out of the playoff
picture has given the team more inspiration this year to fight until the very
end?
Carrie
Graf: Any time you don't achieve a goal, that serves as motivation. That may
work for the players who are still here from last year. They have a sense of that.
It's an individual thing, sometimes that can be used as motivation, depending
on the individual.
Bailey-
Madison,SD: Hey Coach! First off good luck against Houston tonight. Here's
my question... What do you coaches do in the off-season? Thanks for answering!
Good Luck & Go Mercury I'll be watching from up here in SD!
Carrie
Graf: Different coaches do different things. I usually coach back home, with
the Canberra Capitals, where Lauren Jackson and Tully Bevilaqua play for me.
David
(Farmington, CT): Coach Graf, good luck tonight. What are your thoughts on
the trend to give men NBA players without experience coaching jobs instead of
experienced women coaches?
Carrie
Graf: I think it's an interesting topic. Coaching is coaching and whether
or not they can bring something to the WNBA is the important thing. Whether male
or female. Mike Thibault is obviously a great coach, and some former female assistants
like myself become head coaches too. I think the variety is good for the league.
Simone - Litchfield Park, AZ:
Coach, what do you do to mentally prepare for a big game like tonight? Do you
have a routine leading up to going out on the floor? Lucky rabbit foot or anything
like that? Good luck !
Carrie
Graf: No I don't have a lucky rabbits foot. To win I think you may watch a
little more film, but you just want to prepare like you normally do. I get a coffee
at my favorite coffee shop here in Phoenix and then go out to the arena and get
my team ready.
Carrie
Graf: Thank you for everyone who logged in today, we appreciate your support
for the Mercury and the WNBA.
