Where’s Bart Scott when you need him. Here at Paulie Roundball Inc., we simply “Can’t Wait!” until the fortunes of our local pro basketball team change forever.

Make no mistake, that day is right around the corner. And it will bring much-needed change for the better in a big way.

That’s because a dynamic franchise-altering player awaits atop the draft. A two-time All-American who went for 50 points on Monday, including a rim-rattling slam dunk on a spin move from the block.

A 6-foot-8 matchup nightmare who just drained 21 of 28 field goals and eight of 10 free throws. A player who packs the arena (as evidenced by Monday night’s record-tying crowd of 10,627 fans) before bringing ‘em out of their seats.

A phenom with plenty of upside and a nasty glare to match a competitive edge – “Postseason, it’s here. It’s time. It’s time to bring it.”

And soon, that player will all be all ours. Calling the A-Z home. Geez, ain’t it a great time to be a fan of the Phoenix Mercury. “Can’t Wait!”

“You saw a dunk on senior night. You saw a kid hit 50 points. You saw a win,” Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. “It’s one of those historical moments.”

Brittney Griner. Come the WNBA Draft on April 15th, here she comes. Hear her roar. The Phoenix Mercury will select Britney Griner number one overall.

In fact, just like Griner is one dunk away from matching the total number of dunks (15) by all other players in the history of women’s college basketball, it’s a tomahawk slam that Griner will pose with a Mercury jersey (how many corporate logos this season – three?) sporting the #1.

Heck, the Mercury’s future is so bright that the opening night fan promotion should be “Free Sunglasses Night.”

As for that other pro hoops team in town (the, uh, umm, err, Suns, that’s it), well, maybe the WNBA might offer a loaner program? Robert Sarver does own both teams… hmmm.

Cuz, right now, Suns fans don’t need sunglasses for a bright future ahead. They need binoculars.