[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 152 (Tuesday, October 9, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H11336-H11337]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CONGRATULATING THE PHOENIX MERCURY FOR WINNING THE 2007 WNBA 
                              CHAMPIONSHIP

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 654) congratulating the Phoenix 
Mercury for winning the 2007 Women's National Basketball Association 
(WNBA) Championship.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 654

       Whereas, on September 16, 2007, the Phoenix Mercury won the 
     2007 Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) 
     Championship after cruising to victory over the defending 
     champion Detroit Shock with a strong final score of 108 to 92 
     in the fifth and deciding game of the series;
       Whereas this is the Mercury's first WNBA Championship since 
     the team's formation in 1997 as one of the WNBA's original 8 
     teams;
       Whereas the Mercury is the first team to win the WNBA 
     Championship on the road;
       Whereas, after only 2 seasons as head coach, the superb 
     leadership and up-tempo style of Coach Paul Westhead guided 
     the Mercury to this Championship;
       Whereas, after only 2 years in the WNBA, Cappie Pondexter 
     scored 26 points in the final game of the series and was 
     chosen as the Most Valuable Player for the WNBA Finals;
       Whereas Cappie Pondexter was ably assisted by Penny Taylor, 
     who scored 30 points, and Diana Taurasi, who scored 17 
     points, in addition to outstanding efforts from teammates 
     Tangela Smith, Kelly Miller, Kelly Mazzante, Kelly 
     Schumacher, Belinda Snell, Olympia Scott, Jennifer 
     Derevjanik, and Jennifer Lacy;
       Whereas this impressive win makes Coach Paul Westhead the 
     first coach in history to capture both the NBA Championship 
     and WNBA Championship;
       Whereas the Mercury entered the WNBA Playoffs with their 
     best record in franchise history at 23-11 and after 6 years 
     of having missed inclusion in the Playoffs;
       Whereas there was no doubt who was taking control of the 
     final game as the Mercury led by as many as 14 points in the 
     first quarter, posted an impressive record by shooting 73.3 
     percent for the first quarter, and led by as many as 18 
     points in the second quarter; and
       Whereas the city of Phoenix joins the Phoenix Mercury 
     owner, Robert Sarver, in taking enormous pride in the 
     accomplishment of this outstanding team: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives congratulates 
     the Phoenix Mercury and Coach Paul Westhead for winning the 
     2007 Women's National Basketball Association Championship.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend 
their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
might consume.
  Madam Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleague in the 
consideration of H. Res. 654, a bill that congratulates the Phoenix 
Mercury basketball team for winning the 2007 Women's National 
Basketball Association Championship.
  H. Res. 654, which has 53 cosponsors, was introduced by 
Representative Ed Pastor on September 17, 2007. H. Res. 654 was 
reported from the Oversight Committee on October 4, 2007, by voice 
vote.
  On September 16, 2007, the Phoenix Mercury beat the Detroit Shock 
108-92 to win the Women's National Basketball Association Championship. 
This was the first national championship for the Phoenix Mercury 
basketball team.
  The Phoenix Mercury team was led by three aggressive players, Ms. 
Cappie Pondexter, Ms. Penny Taylor and Ms. Diana Taurasi, who scored 73 
points of the team's 108 points to dominate the Detroit Shock team.
  I commend my colleague, Representative Pastor, for congratulating the 
Phoenix Mercury basketball team for winning the 2007 Women's National 
Basketball Association Championship. I urge swift passage of this 
legislation and would just like to extend personal congratulations to 
Ms. Cappie Pondexter, who lived in the community where I lived, 
attended school there, and, of course, went on to become a great female 
basketball player.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SOUDER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in strong support of the resolution to congratulate the 
Phoenix Mercury for bringing the first professional

[[Page H11337]]

basketball title ever to the Valley of the Sun.
  The Mercury became the first team in WNBA history to clinch the 
league title on the road when it defeated the Detroit Shock in Detroit 
on September 16 to win the championship series 3-2. The Mercury relied 
on a variety of stars, from point guard Cappie Pondexter to former 
Connecticut star Diana Taurasi. Penny Taylor, Kelly Miller and Tangela 
Smith also averaged in double figures as the Mercury set the league 
scoring record for the second straight year.
  I remember back in the 1960s when I was in college and things were a 
tad more sexist. You had half-court basketball. It has sure changed 
today when you watch the women in the WNBA outshoot and do things that 
most males wouldn't dream of being able to do. It has truly emerged as 
an increasingly popular sport and impressive sport.
  It is no coincidence that all the high scoring occurred under the 
watch of Coach Paul Westhead, a Shakespearean scholar who taught actual 
classes while serving as a men's basketball coach. He devised a style 
20 years ago as coach at Loyola Marymount that made the Los Angeles 
school the epicenter and really the founder of the high-scoring, I 
shouldn't have said that quite that way because there were others who 
did run-and-gun basketball, but Loyola Marymount was the first team 
that regularly scored more than 100 points. He took that show to George 
Mason University in Northern Virginia before returning to the pro game 
as an assistant a few years later.
  In 2005, he resurfaced in Phoenix and helped turn a middle-of-the-
pack team into a champion. At 68, with titles in both the NBA and WNBA 
to his credit, he has resigned, but not before helping to bring a 
trophy to a city that has long waited for one.
  Congratulations to Coach Westhead and to all the Mercury and its 
fans.
  Mr. PASTOR. Madam Speaker. It is with great pleasure that I rise 
today to congratulate the Phoenix Mercury on becoming the 2007 winner 
of the Women's National Basketball Association Championship on 
September 16, 2007, in the final game of a five-game series that 
Phoenix won by an impressive 108-92 score.
  This is the first championship for the Phoenix Mercury, and the first 
title won by a road team in the league's history. The event also places 
the Mercury Coach, Paul Westhead, in the unique position of being the 
first coach to ever lead a team to a championship in both the National 
Basketball Association and the WNBA courts.
  The WNBA started 11 years ago. Since that time, its fan base has 
continued to grow each year as more and more sports enthusiasts have 
become appreciative of the athletic talents of women. This year's 
victory game, in which the Mercury posted a 73.3 shooting percentage in 
the first quarter, clearly shows that women have rightfully earned a 
spot in the limelight of this sport.
  The magic events of the September 16th game created an impressive run 
of records that are truly deserving of recognition. Therefore, I am 
very proud of to have sponsored this resolution honoring the Phoenix 
Mercury, a superb team that has combined hard-work, sportsmanship, raw 
talent, and a will to win into a modern day success story--a success 
that was aided by great coaching and a strong front office organization 
led by owner Robert Sarver. I am most certainly wishing them all the 
best as they continue to bring outstanding basketball in the future to 
fans worldwide.
  As Coach Westhead recently quoted when referencing this victory and 
which serves as a thoughtful reminder to all walks of life, ``Isn't it 
amazing how much can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the 
credit?''
  Mr. SOUDER. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 654.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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