Cooper Hired As WNBA Mercury Coach

Although she is no longer a WNBA player, four-time league champion Cynthia Cooper will still be a force as the new coach of the Phoenix Mercury.

Cooper led the Houston Comets to four championship seasons and landed MVP honors each year.

Cooper will replace Cheryl Miller, who resigned in December after fours years at the helm.

Fans across the league were disappointed at the end of the 2000 season when she announced that she was retiring from the WNBA. Many had hoped that she would reconsider her plan, but she said that she is ready to move on.

"I am extremely excited about coaching and bringing the city of Phoenix a championship," Cooper said.

Cooper told KPRC News in Houston that moving on does have its price.

"It is going to be very tough to leave Houston and all of the fans," Cooper said.

Cooper signed a three-year deal with the Mercury.

"This is a very exciting day for the Mercury to get the opportunity to add a true champion in Cynthia Cooper to our organization," said Seth Sulka, the team's vice president of business and basketball operations.

Mercury President Brian Colangelo said that Cooper offers everything that they were looking for.

"She brings everything to the table," Colangelo said. "I really don't think that she has any intention of returning as a player."

Cooper was the WNBA's scoring champion in her first three years. In the season opener last year, she became the first player in the league to reach 2,000 career points.

Miller, sister of Indiana Pacers star Reggie Miller, compiled a 70-52 record with the Mercury. She coached the team to the 1998 WNBA final, where the Mercury lost to the Comets.