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Charlotte Sting

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Charlotte Sting
Charlotte Sting logo
ConferenceEastern Conference
LeaguesWNBA
Founded1997
Dissolved2007
HistoryCharlotte Sting
1997–2007
ArenaCharlotte Coliseum(1997–2005)
Charlotte Bobcats Arena(2006)
LocationCharlotte, North Carolina
Team colorsOrange, blue, silver, black, white
OwnershipRobert L. Johnson
Conference titles1(2001)

TheCharlotte Stingwere aWomen's National Basketball Association(WNBA) team based inCharlotte, North Carolina,one of the league's eight original teams. The team folded on January 3, 2007.

The Sting was originally the sister organization of theCharlotte Hornets,until thatNBAteam relocated toNew Orleansin2002.Robert L. Johnson,founder ofBlack Entertainment Television,purchased the team in January 2003, shortly after he was announced as the principal owner of an NBA expansion franchise that replaced the departing Hornets.

History

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Early years

[edit]
Charlotte Sting logo 1997–2003.

The Charlotte Sting was one of the eight original WNBA franchises that began play in 1997, and were then the sister team to theCharlotte Hornets.[1]The Sting finished their first season with a 15–13 record and qualified for the first WNBA playoffs, but lost to eventual championsHouston Cometsin the one-game semifinal.[2][3]

The 1998 Sting finished the season with an 18–12 record.[4]In the playoffs, the Sting once again lost the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Houston Comets, and the Comets once again took home the championship.[5]During the1998 WNBA season,Sting playerKelly Boucherbecame the first Canadian to play in the league.[6]

In the 1998–1999 offseason, with the folding of theAmerican Basketball League,the Sting added former ABL guardDawn Staleyto an already impressive roster that featuredVicky BullettandAndrea Stinson.[7]Their record, however, fell to 15–17 in 1999.[8]It was still enough to qualify them for the playoffs, where they defeated theDetroit Shockin the opening round 60–54.[9]In the Conference Finals, the Sting fell to theNew York Liberty2 games to 1.[10]

The 2000 season was very disappointing for the Sting, with a final record of 8–24. They missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.[11]

The 2001 Sting lost 10 of their first 11 games. But the team lost only four games after that, finishing with an 18–14 record.[12]Although they had barely qualified for the playoffs as the No. 4 seed, in the first round the Sting upset first the No. 1 seededCleveland Rockersand then the No. 2 New York Liberty, beating each in three games.[13][14]For the first time in franchise history, the Sting found themselves in the WNBA Finals. But the magic ended there for the Sting, as they were swept by theLos Angeles Sparksin two games.[15]

The Sting posted a 18–14 record in the 2002 season, but were swept by theWashington Mysticsin the first round of the playoffs.[16]

After the 2001–2002 NBA season, the Charlotte Hornets relocated toNew Orleans(see "New Orleans Hornets"), and the Sting did not relocate with them to New Orleans.[16]For the 2003 season, the Sting had no brother team.

Late years

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TheNBAimmediately announced, after the Hornets moved, that a new team would begin play in Charlotte starting in the 2004–2005 season. Shortly after,Robert L. Johnsonwas announced as owner of this new franchise.[17]Johnson also bought the Sting to play as the sister team of the newCharlotte Bobcats.

The 2003 season saw yet another playoff appearance for the Sting. The franchise had posted an 18–16 record and tied with theConnecticut Sunfor the No. 2 seed.[18]The Sting played the same Sun in the playoffs, and were swept out in two games.[19]

After the season, Johnson changed the Sting team colors from the Hornets' teal and purple to correspond with the Bobcats' blue and orange. There was some speculation that the team might get a new name, but a newly released mascot following the same Sting theme made that idea unlikely.[20]

During the off-season, the team made several key roster additions to its established group of veterans. After tradingKelly Millerto theIndiana Feverin exchange for the 3rd overall pick in theWNBA draft,the Sting draftedStanford UniversitystandoutNicole Powell.[21]The Sting made four picks overall – including the second round pick ofPenn StatestandoutKelly Mazzante.[22]

The Sting did not make the playoffs in the 2004 season, as they posted a 16–18 record and finished one game out of the No. 4 seed. After the season, the Sting continued to build for the future, trading with theSacramento MonarchsforTangela Smithand a second-round draft pick in the 2006 draft in a deal that sawNicole Powelltraded to Sacramento.[23]Having won the first pick in the 2005WNBA draft,the Sting selectedMinnesotaplayerJanel McCarville.[24]

The new-look Sting suffered a terrible 2005 season, posting the league's worst record at 6–28.[25]During the season, the Sting traded veteran Dawn Staley to theHouston Cometsand named Charlotte basketball iconMuggsy Boguesas their new head coach late in the season.[25][26]The season also saw the team play its last game in theCharlotte Coliseum,the team's home arena since 1997.[27]

The Sting moved into the Bobcats' new home,Charlotte Bobcats Arena,for the 2006 season. The Sting had a better season in 2006 than 2005, posting an 11–23 record.[28]The Sting had a new arena and were clearly making progress in the rebuilding. Despite the growing number of successes on the court, the 2006 season proved to be the Sting's final season in the league.

End of the Sting

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On December 13, 2006, Bobcats Sports and Entertainment turned ownership of the team over to the league, citing low attendance in Charlotte (despite a new arena) and loss of revenue.[29]An investment group inKansas Cityhad an interest in moving the Sting to Kansas City.[30]The Sting were to play in theSprint Center,which was due to open in the Fall of 2007. The city has not had an NBA team since theKings' move toSacramento, Californiaafter the 1984–85 season. Despite talk and deliberation between the league and the investors, the plans ultimately fell through. On January 3, 2007, the Bobcats announced that the fundraising effort by a group seeking to move the team toKansas Cityhad failed.[31]The team folded immediately, and the players went to the other teams in the league via adispersal draft.[32]

Season-by-season records

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Season Team Conference Regular season PlayoffResults Head coach
W L PCT
Charlotte Sting
1997 1997 East 3rd 15 13 .536 LostWNBA Semifinals (Houston,0–1) Marynell Meadors
1998 1998 East 2nd 18 12 .600 LostWNBA Semifinals (Houston,0–2) M. Meadors
1999 1999 East 3rd 15 17 .469 WonConference Semifinals (Detroit,1–0)
LostConference Finals (New York,1–2) 		M. Meadors (5–7)
D. Hughes(10–10)
2000 2000 East 8th 8 24 .250 T.R. Dunn
2001 2001 East 4th 18 14 .563 WonConference Semifinals (Cleveland,2–1)
WonConference Finals (New York,2–1)
LostWNBA Finals (Los Angeles,0–2) 		Anne Donovan
2002 2002 East 2nd 18 14 .563 LostConference Semifinals (Washington,0–2) Anne Donovan
2003 2003 East 2nd 18 16 .529 LostConference Semifinals (Connecticut,0–2) Trudi Lacey
Charlotte Sting
2004 2004 East 5th 16 18 .471 Trudi Lacey
2005 2005 East 6th 6 28 .176 T. Lacey (3–21)
M. Bogues(3–7)
2006 2006 East 6th 11 23 .324 Muggsy Bogues
Regular season 143 179 .444 1 Conference Championship
Playoffs 6 13 .316 0 WNBA Championships

Uniforms

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  • 1997–2003: on the road, teal with white and purple trim, Sting logo text on the chest. At home, white with teal and purple trim. Sting logo mascot on the shorts, similar to theCharlotte Hornets
  • 2004–2006: 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, similar to the Charlotte Bobcats.

Players

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Retired numbers

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Charlotte Sting retired numbers
No. Player Position Tenure
32 Andrea Stinson G 1997–2004

Notable players

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Final roster

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Charlotte Sting Final Roster
Head Coach:Muggsy Bogues
Pos. No. Name College
G 10 United States LaToya Bond University of Missouri
G 1 United States Tasha Butts(IL) Tennessee
G-F 25 United States Monique Currie Duke
G 30 United States Helen Darling Penn State
C 42 United States Tye'sha Fluker Tennessee
C 33 Belarus Yelena Leuchanka(IL) West Virginia
F-C 4 United States Janel McCarville Minnesota
F-G 2 United States Sheri Sam Vanderbilt
F-C 50 United States Tangela Smith Iowa
C 55 Canada Tammy Sutton-Brown Rutgers
F 12 United States Ayana Walker Louisiana Tech
(IL) – Inactive List

Coaches and others

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Head coaches

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General managers

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Assistant coaches

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References

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  1. ^Bonnell, Rick (October 31, 1996)."Woman's NBA on its way".The Charlotte Observer.p. 1B.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  2. ^"WNBA hits first second season".The Odessa American.Associated Press. August 28, 1997. p. C1.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  3. ^"A Sting and a prayer".The Galveston Daily News.Associated Press. August 29, 1997. p. B1.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  4. ^"Even ailing, Comets dominate Sting by 14".The Miami Herald.Wire Reports. August 23, 1998. p. 3C.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  5. ^Maher, John (August 25, 1998)."Comets sweep series with 77–61 triumph over Sting".Austin American-Statesman.p. 1B.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  6. ^Dunn, Lindsay (May 14, 2021)."Meet Kelly Boucher, the Canadian who broke the WNBA barrier".toronto.citynews.ca.RetrievedAugust 25,2022.
  7. ^Rankin Bliss, Marjo (May 5, 1999)."Sting fills needs from deep talent pool in draft".The Charlotte Observer.p. 1B.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  8. ^Goricki, David (August 24, 1999)."Shock open first playoffs tonight".Battle Creek Enquirer.p. 1B.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  9. ^"Charlotte Sting, guard Stinson win on the road".The Times.Associated Press. August 25, 1999. p. B7.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  10. ^"Crystal clear; Robinson leads Liberty into WNBA Finals".The Post-Star.Associated Press. August 31, 1999. p. C6.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  11. ^"Sting falls in finale".The Charlotte Observer.Observer News Services. August 10, 2000. p. 2C.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  12. ^Fryer, Jenna (August 16, 2001)."Sting confident for playoffs".The News and Observer.Associated Press. p. 7C.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  13. ^"Sting advances in WNBA playoffs".Rocky Mount Telegram.Associated Press. August 21, 2001. p. 3B.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  14. ^Nowell, Paul (August 29, 2001)."Charlotte Sting to play for WNBA championship".The Times and Democrat.Associated Press. p. 4B.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  15. ^Norwood, Robyn (September 2, 2001)."This ring a real Sparkler".Los Angeles Times.p. D1.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  16. ^abMehrtens, Cliff (August 18, 2002)."Lead, season slip away from Sting".The Charlotte Observer.p. F1.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  17. ^Bonnell, Rick (December 18, 2002)."NBA taps Johnson to own new team".The Charlotte Observer.p. 1A.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  18. ^Mehrtens, Cliff (August 28, 2003)."Feaster playing through pain is Charlotte's gain".The Charlotte Observer.p. 2C.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  19. ^Anthony, Mike (August 31, 2003)."All going Sun's way; Sweep Sting to reach East Finals".The Hartford Courant.p. E1.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  20. ^"Sting changes colors to look like Bobcats".The Charlotte Observer.November 20, 2003. p. 2C.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  21. ^Mehrtens, Cliff (February 6, 2004)."Deal sends No. 3 pick to Sting".The Charlotte Observer.p. 2C.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  22. ^Mehrtens, Cliff (April 18, 2004)."Top pick full of promise".The Charlotte Observer.p. 1C.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  23. ^Arrington, Debbie (March 4, 2005)."Smith goes to Sting in deal".The Sacramento Bee.p. 1C.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  24. ^"Gophers' McCarville No. 1 pick in WNBA draft".St. Cloud Times.Associated Press. April 17, 2005. p. 1C.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  25. ^abMehrtens, Cliff (September 16, 2005)."Staley to retire after 2006".The Charlotte Observer.p. 1A.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  26. ^"Bogues tries hand at coaching in WNBA".The World.Associated Press. August 4, 2005. p. B2.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  27. ^summer, Aaron (August 28, 2005)."Sting fall in final game".The Herald.p. 6D.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  28. ^"Sting ends with win".The Charlotte Observer.Associated Press. August 12, 2006. p. 6D.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  29. ^Harrison, Steve (December 14, 2006)."Sting's fate now rests with league".The Charlotte Observer.p. 1A.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  30. ^"WNBA's Sting to move to K.C."Lawrence Journal World. December 12, 2006.Retrieved16 June2013.
  31. ^Cranston, Mike (January 4, 2007)."WNBA folds Sting franchise".The News and Observer.Associated Press. p. 1A.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
  32. ^Mehrtens, Cliff (January 9, 2007)."That takes away the Sting".The Charlotte Observer.p. 2C.RetrievedAugust 25,2022– viaNewspapers.com.
[edit]
Sporting positions
Preceded by WNBA Eastern Conference Champions
2001(First title) 		Succeeded by
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