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EMILY NIPPSSenior has nothing to prove. All she can do is add to her legacy.
NEW ORLEANS - When Connecticut guard Diana Taurasi prepares for a big game, she showers, puts on her uniform and gets on the bus. She doesn't put on special socks or use any other superstitious rituals to boost her confidence. She doesn't pray or bite her nails. She doesn't get nervous.
When Taurasi sat down four years ago at her Chino, Calif., high school to sign her letter of intent to play for the Huskies, she grinned as she scribbled her name on page after page. Standing behind her, her mother Lily had tears streaming down her face. They weren't tears of joy. Lily thought her daughter was making a mistake, going too far away.
Taurasi paid no attention. She knew exactly what she was doing.
Now considered one of the country's best female college players and the most sought-after prospect in the WNBA, Taurasi has little else to prove. Some believe she ranks among such names as Tennessee's Chamique Holdsclaw and UConn's Sue Bird as the all-time best. Some have even compared her with Indiana State legend Larry Bird.
Tonight she plays her final college game, against Tennessee, trying for a three-peat before dealing with the unknowns of the pros.
"This one, I think, is the end of something really special," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "It's the culmination of four unbelievable years. How often do you have a player that's the (region) MVP four years in a row?"
Taurasi knows she is about to go from one of the best spots in her career, where she has received star treatment since she set foot in Storrs, Conn., to an uncertain field where players often slip off the radar screen.
"Fortunately, (former Huskies) Swin Cash and Rebecca Lobo and a load of players always come back and share advice," Taurasi said. "They've said, "Just enjoy your time at Connecticut. There's no better time, the way you're treated and the fun times you have."'
Tryouts for the Olympic team and the WNBA draft begin almost immediately after the Huskies' season ends.
"Life after (the championship game) gets pretty hectic," she said. "I don't know where I'm going to be two weeks from now."
Taurasi isn't too concerned. Everything, from her interviews to her on-court performance to her life decisions, is done in complete, unwavering confidence.
"She never thinks there's a play she can't make," UConn senior guard Maria Conlon said. "Even when there's a play that she did wrong, she still thinks she's right."
And maybe she is.
"Dee has a funny way of knowing where everybody is at every moment, at every position," Conlon added. "That's stuff that makes you think to yourself, she really does know where every single person is at every moment. It's unbelievable."
Taurasi averages 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists. More impressive than her stats, though, is the way she moves, passes and shoots as if she doesn't have to think about it.
"She thinks things before anyone else sees them," said Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, who is 0-3 against UConn in title games.
"I think she stacks up as clearly one of the best. Her vision is outstanding. She can nail a player on a dime. She makes everyone else on the floor better."
The pros can wait another day. Tonight, Taurasi has a job to do, and her teammates are counting on her for a happy outcome.
"She is our total rock," center Jessica Moore said. "Whenever things are going wrong, you can look at her and know that everything is going to be fine."