WNBA Spotlight

Michelle Griffiths, Phoenix Mercury

By Kristen Leigh Porter, CNNSI.com

Michelle Griffiths still remembers that fateful day in September 1993 when it was announced to the world that Sydney would host the 2000 Olympic Games. The Phoenix Mercury forward and Australian women's basketball team member was home in Adelaide at the time and let up a cheer when she heard her country had been awarded the bid. "We were so excited," Griffiths says. "We had the Olympics and for me, personally, knowing I would have a good chance of being [there], that made it even more special."

Almost seven years later, the excitement still hasn't worn off. The Australian national squad -- or "The Opals," as the team is known Down Under -- opens against Canada on September 16, and has a good chance of besting its bronze-medal finish at the 1996 Atlanta Games. The Opals did take a hit, however, when Griffith's Phoenix teammate Michele Timms, arguably the most well-known female Australian basketball player, suffered a season-ending knee injury eight games into the WNBA schedule. With Timms out, Griffiths became the lone Aussie WNBA player competing in the United States. "Last year, there were a whole lot of us," says the 6' 1" Griffiths. "[This year] they decided to stay home and prepare for the Olympics."

A national team member for almost a decade, Griffiths, 27, sort of bucked the Australian system by returning to the WNBA this year for a second season, but she feels the experience has been worth it. "The Americans are the best team in the world," says Griffiths. "If you're playing and training day in and day out against the best in the world, I can only say that gives you an advantage.".

Setting her own course is nothing new for Griffiths, who has not exactly taken a traditional career route. She sat out all of last season to have a child, Bailey, and was back in action last October three weeks after giving birth. Last winter, Griffiths played with the Melbourne Tigers of the Australian Women's Basketball League before heading back to the WNBA in the spring. Bailey and Griffith's husband, Steve, lived in Phoenix for most of the season, but went home to Australia the first week in August so Mum could focus on the playoffs.

Griffiths admits to being a little disappointed with her inconsistent performance on the court this year, and had hoped to improve her game in the postseason. While she did up her average to 11 points per game during the playoffs (she averaged 7.5 ppg during the regular season), the Los Angeles Sparks swept the Mercury in their best-of-three first-round series. The season was tough on Griffiths, who balanced motherhood with practices, games and an exhausting travel schedule. "I didn't get enough sleep, I didn't get enough rest, I didn't get to eat as well as I should," says Griffiths. "All those sorts of little factors affected my performance."

Though Griffiths has turned her attention from the Mercury to the Australian national team, the thought of winning a WNBA championship and a gold medal in the same year still seems sweet. "I think I'd retire for life," she says of the scenario. "I wouldn't need to play anymore." We'll see what happens in 2004.