Two days before making her professional basketball debut, Mercury rookie Diana Taurasi set her alarm clock early and answered questions from a national teleconference call Tuesday morning. "Dee" fielded inquiries about her new teammates, her new town and her return trip to Connecticut to play the Sun on national television this Sunday.

Question: Does three preseason games give you an idea of how teams are going to defend you and what you will have to do to be successful in this league?

Diana Taurasi: Well it is only preseason, but I think you learn a lot in those three games, just to get a feeling of how physical the league really is. I think we played two of the best teams in the west in Seattle and Sacramento, so I feel like it gave me a better insight.

Question: Do you feel that you have to have an exceptional year to bring the Mercury fans back in?

Taurasi: Personally, I don’t think I have to have a great year, but as a team I think we really have to focus on being that winning team that fans get into and care about, that gets people coming to the games. I think it starts with winning more games rather then one player playing great. We just need to show that passion and the fans will come.

Question: You have played Sacramento once already and get them right of the bat in your first regular season game. What do you expect from Sacramento the second time around?

Taurasi: The regular season is just a whole new level of intensity. I think it’s definitely going to be a tough game and knowing how physical and how big they are causes a problem for us from the get go. I think we did a good job against them in the preseason, but that was the preseason. We are excited to open our season up against a great team in Sacramento.

Question: Knowing all the girls from UConn that have gone to the WNBA before you, is there anything so far that you just have not expected?

Taurasi: Not really. I was fortunate enough to have teammates in the league, they help me a lot and the advice they have given to me has been right on. I really haven’t been surprises or shocked by anything. The league is a lot of fun.

Question: Your thoughts on coming back to Connecticut Saturday?

Taurasi: I’m excited! I’ve been talking to people back there and trying to figure out how many tickets I’m going to need. I’m just going to be excited to be back in Connecticut for a little bit. Not having that time to spend there with the tight schedule between our championship and rookie camp, it will give me a chance to see some friends and of course see Coach (Auriemma). The excitement of the crowd should be great.

Question: Have you talked to Sue Bird about the WNBA and what are the biggest adjustments? From the start of your UConn season to the end of this WNBA season you will have played for a year straight. What is that going to do to you physically -- not having a break?

Taurasi: I talk to Sue a lot throughout the last year and she has been great about giving me advice. There is always that adjustment period, no mater how prepared you think you are you learn something new each game. Ultimately what she said was to just go out and play and not worry about it. I think that’s the best advice I have gotten. As far as playing for a whole year, no matter who you are, that takes a toll on your body. After a long college season to come right to the WNBA and another long season is tough. After the season I would like to take 2-3 months.

Question: Have you gotten a chance to get around Phoenix and what are your thoughts about the city? What was your experience like up in Flagstaff, Ariz., just getting away with the team?

Taurasi: I haven’t had much time, but the little time off I have had I really enjoy the area. There is a lot to do with the shopping and the restaurants. The people are friendly and you can’t beat the weather. When you wake up and it’s 100 degrees and sunny it automatically puts you in a good mood. I definitely enjoy it and I can’t see myself anywhere else right now. It was good for us the last few days. It gives you a chance to get to know each other and understand what it’s going to take to be a very good team.

Question: Coach Auriemma is going to be broadcasting Saturday’s game. Is it weird looking over to the sideline and take direction from someone else?

Taurasi: Yes, that was probably the strangest thing was looking over and Coach not being there and knowing what he would be thinking. The only scary thing is not knowing what Coach will be saying over the air and knowing he is going to be saying things I probably don’t want to hear. He enjoys doing TV, so I think it’s good.

Question: Have you had to make any adjustments on the court and what have they been?

Taurasi: Obviously, the game is being played at a different level. Psychologically you just need to slow everything down a little bit. As a rookie you can get caught up in playing too fast and proving a point making plays. I think the biggest adjustment is knowing when to pull back and when to be aggressive, and I think I will get better at that as the season goes on.

Question: One thing that draws people to you is that swagger. Ss a rookie do you feel like you have to tone that down or can you just be the way you have always been?

Taurasi: I’m not going to change on the court, that’s just the way I play whether I’m a rookie or an 18-year veteran. I just go out there and compete. It comes across differently to different people, but I’m not going to change the way I play just because I’m a rookie.

Question: Do you buy into the rookie label or do you just go out and do what you have to do to be successful?

Taurasi: I think there is two sides to that. I think if you prepare yourself and you know that you are good enough to play in this league, then being a rookie does not affect you as much. But if you are not prepared and have the mindset of, “Oh, I’m just a rookie, I have to wait for my turn,” it may be difficult. I’m in a situation where I am expected to play a lot and to play well. I think playing under coach Auriemma for four years, I am well prepared to just come in and play. Whether it’s college or WNBA, its basketball and the more you play the less you need to adjust.

Question: Can you talk about the reception of the fans in Phoenix, compared to the fans in Connecticut?

Taurasi: The fans in Connecticut are just one of a kind. Not to take away from the fans of any other sport in any other country, but the fans in Connecticut are just diehard fans that you don’t get very often and you don’t see very often. My supporters were incredible in how supportive and how much they appreciated us. I think that’ll be unmatched. As far as the reception I’ve gotten in Phoenix, it’s been wonderful. The people have been great. They come out to the preseason games and there’s excitement. I’ll be going to the mall and people are excited about the season, so I think it’s catching on a little bit out here, which is a really good thing. They’ve had fan support before, so I think we have to get back to that.

Question: How is the body holding up since you haven’t had much of a break?

Taurasi: You know what, I’m actually surprised. I’m feeling pretty good. These two and a half weeks of training camp, we’ve double-day’d probably half of them. That kind of takes a toll, but mentally I’m just trying to stay upbeat. When things are new to you, you seem not to feel the hurt as much. I’m just anxious and just ready to play. So I think that probably takes a little bit of the pain away, but for the most part, I feel good.

Question: You have said you liked playing for men. What has the experience been so far playing for Carrie Graf? Also, does it seem very soon to be going back to Connecticut on Saturday?

Taurasi: As far as how people perceive me saying I like playing for men, they’re who I’ve played for in my life. So I’m comfortable playing for a man. Obviously, when you’re playing for a coach it just seems to go very well. I’ve had a great experience so far with Coach Graf. She’s great and she’s a lot like Coach (Geno Auriemma); she knows her stuff, she’s coy. So, as far as me saying I would never play for a woman, I’ve never said that. Coach Graf is amazing and I have a lot of respect for her.

Going back to Connecticut, I’m excited. I don’t think it could’ve come at a better time than the beginning of the year to get some excitement for the fans, for myself, for our team. So I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be a great atmosphere. I think they said the place is basically sold out, so it’s going to be a lot of fun.

Question: You’re so used to winning the last several years. Now you’re on a team that might lose half of its games. How difficult is it to adjust mentally to losses?

Taurasi: It’s going to be hard. After the preseason game we lost the other night to Seattle, I was sitting in the locker room and I was like, “We lost. We lost.” It’s just different. Once you get to the league, there’s so much talent and it’s so deep that every team is really good. A loss always is a bad thing. I think you can learn from losses; it teaches you something. The biggest thing is how you respond to a loss. Whether you just hand your head or you come out the next day – when you’ll probably have a game – and play well and kind of redeem yourself. The great thing about the league is the games are so consecutive that you can have a bad night and later you’re back on the court. So you can’t really dwell on it. That’s the good thing about it.

Question: Five years ago you had a big decision on what university you were going to and now it’s the pros. Can you talk about the process of choosing an agent?

Taurasi: Choosing an agent is like picking a college. They give you a pitch, you hear what they’ve got to say, you hear what they’re going to do for you. Ultimately it’s a good gut reaction, and do you feel comfortable and do you think you have a relationship with them. I went through probably a month and a half of that and I finally made my decision last week, so I’m excited to be with my people. I think it’ll work out well.

Question: Can you talk about the emotions surrounding going back to Connecticut and playing against your former UConn teammate Asjha Jones?

Taurasi: I’m really, really excited to go back to Connecticut, to see my teammates that are still at school, my coach. I’m definitely excited. And to see Asjha – I haven’t seen Asjha in a year and a half because she’s been overseas. I know she was really excited when she got traded to Connecticut. One thing I love about her is she’s genuinely one of those great people that no matter what happens, she’ll eventually do anything for you. I’m excited for her to have a great season. She won’t have to play against me so we won’t be talking much. But Asjha is the cool cat that she is, so it’s going to be fun.

Question: Do you feel like you ever really had a chance to enjoy the National Championship?

Taurasi: I enjoyed it for about 10 hours after we won it. You know, on the plane to Connecticut for less than 12 hours and then after the Olympic team. But I did get to enjoy it because the whole season I knew it was going to be my last one so I kind of soaked everything up and made sure I enjoyed every part of it. As far as not really having the time to say goodbye to my teammates, that was probably the only part that was not necessarily something I wanted to do. Sometimes things don’t work out, but for the most part, it’s great.

Question: Did you graduate with your class or do you have to go back and finish up?

Taurasi: I’m going back in September for the semester and finishing up.

Question: What will that degree be in?

Taurasi: Sociology.

Question: Can you compare coming to Connecticut as a freshman in college to coming now as a rookie in the pros?

Taurasi: There’s a lot of similarities and at the same time there’s a lot of differences too. When I was a freshman at Connecticut, I had a group of great players and I wasn’t really expected to do much. Coming into the Mercury, a lot of things are expected from me and from this team. So, I think those are a little bit of the differences. Similarities are coming to a great place where the fans, management and the people around the team are really excited about this year and building a great team. The great thing about being in Phoenix is the management and everyone is just really excited.

Question: Could you talk about the difference in the basketball that you’re playing now, as opposed to in college?

Taurasi: It’s very similar and that’s one thing that has been easy is that Coach Graf has a lot of the same concepts and a lot of the same moves that we played in college – offensively and defensively. So, that’s made it easy to fit into the system both ways. It’s a little bit quicker, but other than that, it’s the same.

Question: What are your expectations for the team this year, possibly .500 or even the playoffs?

Taurasi: We don’t know and that’s always the goal. You really can’t start thinking about the playoffs when you haven’t even played your first game, but you always have to have a goal in sight. If we concentrate on every game like it’s a playoff game, I think that’s how you eventually win enough games to make it, and hopefully make an impact in this league. It’s not going to be easy whenever you come off a season where you won eight games. A lot of people aren’t expecting this team to do much. At the same time, we’re excited at where we are right now. I think we can make some noise and get some good wins under our belts early, which will help us for the rest of the year.