If there is an upside to Edwina Brown’s season-ending Achilles tendon injury, it is this: The Mercury guard will enjoy an extended break from basketball this year. Few of her teammates can say the same.

When the five-month WNBA season wraps up some time in October — with Olympic competition thrown in the mix — as many as 70 percent of the WNBA’s players are expected to head overseas to earn a large portion of their yearly wage in foreign leagues. Last season, six Mercury players competed for teams in Italy, Israel, France and Spain. While the chance to play a game they love is a plus, most admit that the yearly schedule can become a grind.

"The last four years for me it’s been Australia, WNBA, Australia, WNBA, Italy, WNBA, Italy, WNBA," Taylor said. "I’ve been doing it for a while now and it doesn’t get any easier."

This year will be particularly hard since players will not enjoy the traditional threeweek break between the end of the WNBA season and the start of foreign leagues. The Olympics have lengthened the WNBA season by a month.

The big draw of foreign leagues is cash. While WNBA players make between $30,000 and $80,000, the money earned in the seven-to-eight month foreign leagues can be far greater.

"I went overseas for one month last year and made $20,000, tax free," forward Adrian Williams said. "I’ve had offers to play for two weeks to make that and I’m a middle-of-the-road player."

"We would love to make — not even close to what the men make — but more than we make so we don’t have to go over there," Brown added. "But we’re kind of paving the way for young girls, 10 to 15 years from now. If everyone understands that then you can’t complain too much."

Pioneering aside, many players still worry that the continuous pounding on their bodies makes them more susceptible to injuries.

"There’s mornings when I wake up and I feel about 80 years old," said Taylor, who is 23. "I can’t imagine what I’m going to be like when I’m 50, let alone if I make it to 80."

Moore, 24, takes her cues from her older teammates.

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"I see some of the veterans like Nikki (McCray) in the locker room holding their knees or backs. Their bodies have so much more mileage on them so they have to limit some of the things they do to keep from getting injured," Moore said. "That’s when you realize that you have to take more rest, eat better and take care of your body."

That can be a challenge in foreign leagues where the travel arrangements are not always as well orchestrated as they are in the WNBA.

"I’ve heard of situations where people fly into a major city like Moscow then take an eight-hour train ride to where they’re gonna play," Brown. "That will wear you down quick."

Then there are the challenges of adapting to a foreign culture.

"When I first got to France I couldn’t say anything (in French) so I just went straight home from practice every night and cooked myself dinner," said Moore, who played in Nice this season. "If I had to go shopping I’d just hope nobody would speak to me so I didn’t have to just sit there and stare at them like, ‘Uh, what?’ "

Things got even worse for Moore when she thought she had picked up her first French phrase courtesy of hip hop star Eminem, who was doing an interview on French radio.

When she arrived at practice and uttered the phrase, she discovered it was a lude reference to a male body part.

"My teammates and coach just stared at me," she said. "I should have known with Eminem."

While playing in Italy, Williams once tried to order a meal at a Chinese restaurant — in Italian.

"The lady said ‘I’m sorry, we don’t know English.’ " she said. "I’m like, ‘I guess my Italian is not as good as I thought it was."

Language barriers are just one of the cultural disconnects players experience when playing in foreign lands. Coaching is another.

"The coaches treat us like kids over there," Williams said. "There’s times I’ve had to say, ‘I’m an adult. You can’t talk to me any kind of way.’ "

Brown said it gets worse when the players feel the instruction goes awry.

"The knowledge of the game is a lot better (in the U.S.)," she said. "It’s hard because most players know more than the coaches, but you don’t want to show them up. You have to be quiet a lot of the time and let them say something even if you know it’s wrong."

Which can be tough when WNBA players are expected to be the stars on their foreign teams.

"It’s your team when you go over there. That’s why you’re brought in," said Brown, who admits that the arrangement sometimes creates tension with teammates. "Of course, but they have to deal with it. That’s how it is. It’s no different with star players over here."

For the Australian-born Taylor, such barriers are nothing compared to the loneliness she feels throughout the season.

"Very few girls have boyfriends or husbands that go with them everywhere," she said. "I find that very difficult."

That reality may keep Williams from going overseas next season.

"I’m 27 years old. I don’t like to be by myself," she said. "I see too many relationships where the player’s like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna see my husband next month’ and I’m like ‘Next month?’ I need to see him now!’ "

Taylor can relate.

"I think about the future a lot," she said. "If I can set myself up financially in this time then maybe things will be easier and I can go back to Australia, buy a house and meet someone. I always envisioned having children but it’s tough to do with this schedule.

"I travel so much and I’m away from my family all the time. When you travel you learn so much about other cultures, the little things, and I really appreciate this opportunity. I’m going to do it as long as I can, but mentally and emotionally, I’m going to need a break in a little while."

COPYRIGHT 2004, EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE. Used with permission.