Charlotte Sting
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| Charlotte Sting | |
| Missing image Sting_Outline_Home.gif Charlotte Sting | |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Home court | Charlotte Coliseum |
| Based in | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Colors | Blue, orange |
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Head coach | Trudi Lucey |
| General manager | Trudi Lucey |
| Owner | Robert L. Johnson |
The Charlotte Sting are a Women's National Basketball Association team. They play at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina and they were one of the eight original teams that began to see action in 1997.
Robert L. Johnson, founder of BET, purchased the team in January 2003, shortly after he was announced as the principal owner of an NBA expansion franchise that was scheduled to begin play in the fall of 2004. The NBA team was later named the Charlotte Bobcats. Johnson changed the team colors from teal and purple to blue and orange in 2004.
The Sting will move into the Bobcats' new home, Charlotte Arena, in 2006.
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Facts
- Logo - Orange female bee with a basketball and the name "Sting" across it
- Team Mascot - Basket Ball (BB) Sting, a red female bee wearing a Sting jersey (since 2003) [1] (http://www.wnba.com/sting/community/04_bb_sting.html)
- Theme Song -
- Crowd chants -
- 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 start to make the playoffs at 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 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 continue 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.
Playoff history
| Playoff Appearances: | 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003 |
| Conference Championships: | 2001 |
| WNBA Championships: |
Players of note
Hall of Famers
- Anne Donovan (former head coach)
Current stars
- Helen Darling
- Shalonda Enis
- Allison Feaster
- Janel McCarville
- Sheri Sam
- Tangela Smith
- Dawn Staley
- Andrea Stinson
- Tammy Sutton-Brown
Retired numbers
none
Not to be forgotten
- Vicky Bullett
- Andrea Congreaves
- Rhonda Mapp
- Kelly Miller
- Tracy Reid
- Charlotte Smith-Taylor
- Tora Suber
Coaches and others
Head Coaches:
- Marydell Meadows (1997 - 1999)
- Dan Hughes (1999)
- T.R. Dunn (2000)
- Anne Donovan (2001 - 2002)
- Trudi Lucey (2003 - Present), also serves as the team's General Manager
External links
- Sting website (http://www.wnba.com/sting)