‘She was just a natural.’ High school coach reflects on Diana Taurasi’s career
- Share via
Before she became a record-setting pro basketball player, Diana Taurasi was a young athlete in Chino with big dreams.
Her father, Mario Taurasi, was a professional soccer player in Italy. His daughter showed promise in both soccer and basketball, but the latter sport won her heart. After getting her first offer from a community college in the eighth grade, she never looked back.
After three NCAA championships, three WNBA championships and six Olympic gold medals, the star Kobe Bryant agreed should be known as the “White Mamba” announced her retirement.
Larry Webster was Taurasi’s coach for all four years of her career at Don Lugo High until she graduated in 2000. He retired in 2004, but Webster has followed Taurasi’s career ever since she left Don Lugo. The following interview with Webster has been edited for length and clarity:
What do you remember about Diana in her time at Don Lugo?
Webster: From the very beginning, I was excited to have her. We started slow, but I think it was by the second game that she broke loose. Her high school career saw some pretty amazing scoring events. We were able to build the team around her. At the time, Don Antonio Lugo High School was not a basketball powerhouse or known for girls’ basketball, but she helped put the school on the map for basketball. It was exciting.
Did Diana stand out to you right away? What stood out to you about her?
Webster: Oh yeah, (chuckles) very much so. I wasn’t around girls’ basketball much at that time, so before meeting her, I had no idea who Diana Taurasi was or how to pronounce her last name.
But she was just a natural. She had all the skills coming in. Her one weakness, if you could call it that, was that she wasn’t the fastest person, but she certainly understood how to play the game and is a much better defensive player than people think. She is just a complete player.
How did Diana impact the basketball program while at Don Lugo?
Webster: She was the program. She made her teammates better and was committed to them. She has been that way ever since. Her home is right across the street from Don Lugo High School and she stayed there all four years. She then went to one of the best schools for women’s basketball at the University of Connecticut. She spent four years there and spent her entire career at Phoenix. To me, that’s big. That’s committing to a program, a team and staying with it.
How has Diana’s legacy lived on at Don Lugo?
Webster: We were so proud to have had her at Don Lugo, especially for the kids and all the girls in the Chino area. She’s a star in girls’ basketball here. Everyone that follows sports in Chino knows Diana Taurasi. There used to be jerseys of hers hung up on the wall outside the principal’s office, I hope they are still there. I’ve been retired since 2004 so it’s been a long time, but there used to be lots of pictures of her everywhere.
Diana Taurasi is defined by the bravado and swag that she played with every time she stepped on the basketball court, inspiring others.
Do you still follow her career?
Webster: I watch her as much as I can. I don’t talk to her much nowadays. She has a family now, I’m not sure how often she comes up this way, but I know her parents are here. The last time I talked to her, she had five gold medals, so that was a couple years ago.
Was she ever injured in high school?
Webster: Diana never missed a game in high school. I’m sure she was injured but nothing to miss a practice or game. She was always the first one to practice and last one out. If I recall, you never had to wait around for her, she would already have the ball as soon as the court was ready.
What do you think has kept her in the sport so long?
Webster: I think she has been able to stay healthy, eating right and exercising. It looks like she has done a lot of physical training. She’s in better shape now than she was in high school (laughs). She looks stronger and maybe a bit quicker. She looks very fit to me.
Are there similarities between Diana’s play now and back then?
Webster: To me, she has the same shot. She’s very competitive. She makes the players better and understands the game. You can see how competitive she gets and that’s good. You want that on your side. She eats, sleeps and breathes basketball.
She’s also always been a leader in a huddle or communicating with a coach or team member. She’s a quarterback on the court, what more could you want? I see it more now than ever.
What has been Diana’s impact on the sport?
Webster: Anyone that watches or follows basketball knows Diana Taurasi. In pro sports, you go through high times and low times and hope everyone stays healthy. If everyone stays healthy and they get the right players, a professional team can build on that.
She is one of the greatest players that’s ever played. I can’t say she is the greatest ever, but I don’t know who’s better. She’s really good. She’s got great vision, great instincts, I think she’s one of the best, but I’m a little prejudiced.
Did you know when Diana was in high school that she would have the career that she did?
Webster: I knew she was going to have a great career, I didn’t know it was going to go to this world. I know moving to Connecticut was a big decision at the time, so I’m glad it worked out for her. I think she was looking to play for a program that was going to push her and where she would play with some of the best players in the country.
We put a lot of pressure on her, but when she’s got all these great players around her, she doesn’t always have to be the star, she can make the other players just as good. That’s her legacy, of being a team player. Basketball is a team sport and you want her on your side.
