PHOENIX The Phoenix Mercury today announced its final 11-player roster for the 2013 season opener on Monday, May 27. The Mercury hosts the Chicago Sky and Elena Delle Donne, the second overall pick in this years WNBA Draft, at 2 p.m. at US Airways Center. Tickets are still available by visiting www.phoenixmercury.com.
The final roster is bolstered by a returning core group that includes three-time Olympic gold medalist Diana Taurasi, three-time All-Stars Penny Taylor and Candice Dupree, and DeWanna Bonner, who finished second in the league in scoring in 2012 and who has three times been named the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year. Ten of the 11 players were on the roster in 2012, with the lone exception being rookie Brittney Griner, the top overall selection in the 2013 Draft.
Standing at 6 feet, 8 inches tall, Griner is joined on the frontline by 6-5 Krystal Thomas (third year), 6-4 Bonner (fifth year), 6-4 Lynetta Kizer (second year) and 6-2 Dupree (eighth year). In fact, point guards Samantha Prahalis (5-7) and Alexis Hornbuckle (5-10) are the only two on the roster who stand shorter than 6-feet.
Hornbuckle joins Taurasi and Taylor as the Mercury players with multiple championship rings. She won a title with the Detroit Shock in 2008 and the Minnesota Lynx in 2011. Taurasi and Taylor led Phoenix to WNBA championships in 2007 and 2009. Collectively, Mercury players own eight championship rings and have played in a combined 117 playoff games.
Head Coach and General Manager Corey Gaines will lead the club for the sixth season, and his eighth as a member of the coaching staff. Gaines is the all-time winingest coach in franchise history and will be eying his 100th career victory should the Mercury top the 20-win plateau this season.
Forwards Ify Ibekwe and Nikki Greene were waived to finalize the 2013 roster.
Following Mondays season opener vs. Chicago, the Mercurys first road trip will feature each of the last three WNBA champions with trips to Seattle (won title in 2010), Minnesota (2011) and Indiana (2012). The matchup with the Fever will be nationally televised on ABC. The club will then return home on June 14 to host the Los Angeles Sparks.