Mercury's Graf to coach New Zealand team through '04 Olympics
Arizona Republic Feb. 13, 2003 12:00 AM
Mercury assistant coach Carrie Graf will coach the New Zealand women's national team through the 2004 Olympics with an option to continue through the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Graf, an Australian, accepted the job after being passed over two years ago for the Aussie national team job.
New Zealand was 11th of 12 teams at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. It still must qualify for Athens but is expected to do so.
Graf is returning to the Mercury staff this year for a fourth season as an assistant.
Mercury coach John Shumate and players Lisa Harrison and Kayte Christensen will lead a Habitat for Humanity construction project on March 1.
Thirty to 50 volunteers are needed to assist in interior framing, plumbing and installing beams and patio posts. Information: www.wnba. com/mercury.
More basketball
Arizona freshman center Shawntinice Polk is the Pac-10 women's Player of the Week for a third time. She averaged 21 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals in 21.5 minutes per game while shooting 73.1 percent as UA swept the Washington schools.
Soccer
South Mountain Community College forward Jennifer Hernandez, who played at Peoria High School, signed a letter of intent to play at the University of Texas-El Paso.
Tennis
The No. 8 ASU women's tennis team (4-0) begins Pac-10 play against Oregon at noon Saturday at Whiteman Tennis Center.
ASU has dropped just two matches in its first four duals.
The ASU men's team (3-2) is in Los Angeles for meets against No. 1 UCLA (6-0) on Friday and No. 15 USC (4-2) on Saturday.
