Charlotte Sting
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| Charlotte Sting | |
 | |
| Conference | Eastern Conference |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Home court | Charlotte Bobcats Arena |
| Colors | Blue, orange |
| WNBA Championships | 0 |
| Conference Championships | 1 (2001) |
| Playoff Appearances | 6 (1997–1999, 2001–2003) |
| Head coach | Muggsy Bogues |
| General manager | Trudi Lacey |
| Owner | Robert L. Johnson |
| Mascot | Basketball Sting [link] |
Formerly the sister organization of the Charlotte Hornets, Robert L. Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television, purchased the team in January 2003, shortly after he was announced as the principal owner of an NBA expansion franchise that was later named the Charlotte Bobcats. Johnson changed the Sting team colors from the Hornets' teal and purple to the Bobcats' blue and orange in 2004. They are the sister team to the Charlotte Bobcats.
The Sting will move into the Bobcats' new home, Charlotte Bobcats Arena, in 2006. It was speculated that they might get a new name, but a newly released mascot following the same Sting theme makes that speculation unlikely.
Uniforms:
- 2004 - Present: on the road, orange with blue trim, Sting logo text on the chest. At home, white with orange trim. Sting logo mascot on the shorts
- 1997 - 2003: on the road, light blue with white and purple trim, Sting logo text on the chest. At home, white with blue and purple trim. Sting logo mascot on the shorts.
Franchise history
In addition to being one of the first WNBA franchises, the Charlotte Sting have also been one of the most successful. In their first three seasons of existence, they made the playoffs each year. In 1999, with the folding of the ABL, the Sting added former ABL guard Dawn Staley to an already impressive roster that featured Vicky Bullett and Andrea Stinson.After a disappointing season in 2000 in which they failed to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, they made one of the most unexpected comebacks in professional sports history during the 2001 season as they rebounded from a 1-10 starting to make the playoffs with a win-loss record of 18-14. They capped off the 2001 season with an appearance in the WNBA Finals, where they lost to the Los Angeles Sparks.
After another playoff appearance in 2002, the team was bought by Charlotte Bobcats owner Robert L. Johnson in 2003. The 2003 season saw yet another playoff appearance for the venerable Sting. However, in 2004, the team made several key roster additions to its established group of veterans. After trading Kelly Miller to the Indiana Fever in exchange for the 3rd overall pick in the WNBA Draft, the Sting drafted Stanford University standout Nicole Powell. The Sting made four picks overall - including the second round pick of Penn State standout Kelly Mazzante.
While they did not make the playoffs in the 2004 season, the Sting continued to build for the future - trading with the Sacramento Monarchs for Tangela Smith and a second-round draft pick in the 2006 draft in a deal that saw Nicole Powell traded to Sacramento. Having won the first pick in the 2005 WNBA Draft, the Sting selected University of Minnesota Golden Gophers player Janel McCarville. The team missed the playoffs for a second straight season in 2005 and finished the regular season with league's worst record. [link] The season was notable as they traded Sting veteran Dawn Staley to the Houston Comets and named Charlotte basketball icon Muggsy Bogues as their new head coach late in the season. The season also saw the team play its last game in the Charlotte Coliseum, the team's home arena since 1997.
Season-by-Season Records
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Win-Loss % {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- bgcolor="#efefef" ! Season !! W !! L !! % !! Playoffs !! Results |- |Charlotte Sting |- |1997 || 15 || 13 || .536 || Lost WNBA Semifinals || Houston 70, Charlotte 54 |- |1998 || 18 || 12 || .600 || Lost WNBA Semifinals || Houston 2, Charlotte 0 |- |1999 || 15 || 17 || .469 || Won First RoundLost Conference Finals || Charlotte 60, Detroit 54
New York 2, Charlotte 1 |- |2000 || 8 || 24 || .250 |- |2001 || 18 || 14 || .563 || Won First Round
Won Conference Finals
Lost WNBA Finals || Charlotte 2, Cleveland 1
Charlotte 2, New York 1
Los Angeles 2, Charlotte 0 |- |2002 || 18 || 14 || .563 || Lost First Round || Washington 2, Charlotte 0 |- |2003 || 18 || 16 || .529 || Lost First Round || Connecticut 2, Charlotte 0 |- |2004 || 16 || 18 || .471 |- |2005 || 6 || 28 || .176 |- |2006 || 5 || 16 || .238 |- |Totals || 137 || 172 || .443 |- |Playoffs || 6 || 13 || .316
Stats updated July 17, 2006
Players of note
Hall of Famers
noneRetired numbers
- 32. Andrea Stinson
Former Sting Players
| Name | Years | Team Accomplishments
|
| Cass Bauer-Bilodeau | 1999-2000 |
|
| Vicky Bullett | 1997-1999 |
|
| Shalonda Enis | 2000-2003 |
|
| Rhonda Mapp | 1997-2000 | |
| Kelly Miller | 2001-2003 |
|
| Tracy Reid | 1998-2000 |
|
| Charlotte Smith-Taylor | 1999-2004 |
|
| Dawn Staley | 1997-2005 |
|
| Andrea Stinson | 1997-2004 |
|
Current Roster
| Minnesota Lynx Current Roster
| ||||
| Head Coach: Suzie McConnell Serio | [Edit]
| |||
| Pos. | No. | Name | College
| |
| F | 25 | Svetlana Abrosimova | Connecticut
| |
| G | 33 | Seimone Augustus | LSU
| |
| G | align="center"5 | Megan Duffy | Notre Dame
| |
| C | 55 | Vanessa Hayden | Florida
| |
| G | 23 | Amber Jacobs | Boston College
| |
| G | 13 | Chandi Jones (IL) | Houston
| |
| G | align="center"1 | Tynesha Lewis | NC State
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| G | 13 | Kelly Mazzante | Penn State
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| F | 44 | Kristen Mann | UC Santa Barbara
| |
| F-C | 3 | Nicole Ohlde | Kansas State
| |
| G | 10 | Shona Thorburn | Utah
| |
| F | 34 | Adrian Williams | USC
| |
| F | 20 | Tamika Williams | Connecticut
| |
| (IL) - Inactive List | ||||
Coaches and others
Head Coaches:- Marydell Meadows (1997 - 1999)
- Dan Hughes (1999), now the Head Coach of the San Antonio Silver Stars
- T.R. Dunn (2000)
- Anne Donovan (2001 - 2002) (Hall of Famer), now the Head Coach of the Seattle Storm
- Trudi Lacey (2003 - August 2, 2005), also served as the team's General Manager
- Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues (August 3, 2005 - Present)
External links
| Women's National Basketball Association | |
| Eastern Conference | |
|---|---|
| Charlotte Sting | Chicago Sky | Connecticut Sun | Detroit Shock | |
| Indiana Fever | New York Liberty | Washington Mystics | |
| Western Conference | |
| Houston Comets | Los Angeles Sparks | Minnesota Lynx | Phoenix Mercury | |
| Sacramento Monarchs | San Antonio Silver Stars | Seattle Storm |
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