Seattle Storm
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| Seattle Storm | |
| Conference | Western Conference |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Arena | KeyArena |
| City | Seattle, Washington |
| Team Colors | Dark Green, Red, Gold |
| Owner | Professional Basketball Club LLC, Clay Bennett Chairman[1] |
| General Manager | Karen Bryant |
| Head Coach | Vacant |
| WNBA Championships | 1 (2004) |
| Conference Titles | 1 (2004) |
| Mascot | Doppler [2] |
The Seattle Storm is a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Seattle, Washington. In 2004, led by Australian basketball star Lauren Jackson and University of Connecticut star Sue Bird, the team brought the city its first professional sports championship since 1979.
The team cultivates a fan-friendly, family environment at home games by having an all-kid dance squad, which leads young fans in a conga line on the court during time-outs, to the music of "C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)" by the Quad City DJs. Named for the rainy weather of Seattle, the team uses many weather-related icons: the team mascot is Doppler [3], a maroon-furred creature with a cup anemometer on its head; the theme song for Storm home games is AC/DC's Thunderstruck; and its newsletter is called Stormwatch. Most KeyArena fans will not sit down until the Storm scores its first point of each half.
The Storm is the sister team of the Seattle SuperSonics.
Uniforms:
- At home, white with dark red and green trim, gold on the shoulders with the team name logo text on the chest in green. On the road, dark green with red and gold trim. The team logo is replaced by the city name in white logo text on the road.
Contents |
[edit] Franchise history
The Seattle Storm would tip off their first season (the 2000 WNBA season) in typical expansion fashion. Led by guard Edna Campbell and Czech center Kamila Vodichkova, the team finished with a 6-26 record. The low record, however, allowed the Storm to draft 19-year old Australian standout Lauren Jackson. Though Seattle did not make the playoffs in the 2001 season, Jackson's impressive rookie performance provided a solid foundation for the franchise to build on.
In the 2002 draft, the Strom drafted UConn star Sue Bird, filling the Storm's the gap at the point guard position. With Bird's playmaking ability and Jackson's scoring and rebounding, the team made the playoffs for the first time in 2002, but were swept by the Los Angeles Sparks.
In the 2003 campaign, Jackson would win the WNBA Most Valuable Player Award, but the team had a disappointing season (with Bird injured for much of the year), and the Storm missed the playoffs.
The 2004 Storm would rebound and take the WNBA by "storm". Posting a franchise best 20-14 record, the Storm would make quick work of the Minnesota Lynx, sweeping them in the first round. The Storm then squared off against an up-and-coming Sacramento Monarchs team in the West Finals. The Storm would emerge victorious, winning the series 2-1. In the WNBA Finals, the Storm would finish off the season as champions, defeating the Connecticut Sun 2 games to 1. Betty Lennox was named MVP of the Finals. The team's win brought a national professional sports championship to Seattle for the first time since the Seattle SuperSonics won the NBA title in 1979. The win also made Anne Donovan the first female head coach in WNBA history to win the WNBA Championship.
Key players from the Storm's championship season were not on the team in 2005. Vodichkova, Tully Bevilaqua, and Sheri Sam moved on to other teams. In addition, the pre-season injury of Australian star and new acquisition Jessica Bibby hampered the team's 2005 season. While they matched their 2004 record and made the playoffs, the Storm's title defense was stopped in the first round by the Houston Comets, 2 games to 1.
In 2006, the Storm would finish 18-16, good enough to make the playoffs. The Storm put up a good fight in the first round against the Sparks, but would fall short 2-1. In 2007, the Storm would finish .500 (17-17), good enough to make the playoffs in a weak Western Conference. The Storm would be quickly swept out of the playoffs by the Phoenix Mercury.
On November 30, 2007 The Storm announced that Head coach, Anne Donovan has resigned.
[edit] Possible Relocation
Following disagreements between the Basketball Club of Seattle (the former owners of the Sonics and Storm) and the city of Seattle concerning the need to renovate the KeyArena, the Seattle SuperSonics and the Seattle Storm were sold to an Oklahoma City group led by Clay Bennett on July 18, 2006.[4]
It is anticipated that the Sonics and Storm will move to Oklahoma City at some point after the 2007-08 NBA season, unless an arena for the Sonics is approved by Seattle leaders before October 31, 2007.
The Seattle Storm have announced that they will play their 2008 WNBA season in Seattle at KeyArena.[5]
[edit] Season-by-Season Records
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Win-Loss %
| Season | W | L | % | Playoffs | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Storm | |||||
| 2000 | 6 | 26 | .188 | ||
| 2001 | 10 | 22 | .313 | ||
| 2002 | 17 | 15 | .531 | Lost First Round | Los Angeles 2, Seattle 0 |
| 2003 | 18 | 16 | .529 | ||
| 2004 | 20 | 14 | .588 | Won First Round Won Conference Finals Won WNBA Finals | Seattle 2, Minnesota 0 Seattle 2, Sacramento 1 Seattle 2, Connecticut 1 |
| 2005 | 20 | 14 | .588 | Lost First Round | Houston 2, Seattle 1 |
| 2006 | 18 | 16 | .529 | Lost First Round | Los Angeles 2, Seattle 1 |
| 2007 | 17 | 17 | .500 | Lost First Round | Phoenix 2, Seattle 0 |
| Totals | 126 | 140 | .474 | ||
| Playoffs | 8 | 10 | .444 | 1 WNBA Championship | |
Stats updated August 26, 2007
[edit] Players of note
[edit] Former players
- Quacy Barnes, now an Assistant Coach at Eastern Illinois University
- Tully Bevilaqua, went to the Indiana Fever in 2005
- Sandy Brondello, now an Assistant Coach for the San Antonio Silver Stars
- Edna Campbell, went to the Sacramento Monarchs in 2003
- Simone Edwards
- Sonja Henning
- Michelle Marciniak, now an Assistant Coach for the University of South Carolina
- Kate Paye, now an Assistant Coach at Stanford University
- Semeka Randall, now an Assistant Coach at West Virginia University
- Jamie Redd
- Sheri Sam, went to the Charlotte Sting in 2005
- Charmin Smith, now an Assistant Coach at U.C. Berkeley
- Kate Starbird
- Lindsay Taylor, played for the team for little over a month between April and May,2006 before she was released.
- Alicia Thompson
- Kamila Vodichkova, went to the Phoenix Mercury in 2005
[edit] Current Roster
| Seattle Storm Current Roster | ||||
| Head Coach: Vacant | Edit | |||
| Pos. | No. | Name | College/Country | |
| G | 10 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg | Sue Bird | Connecticut |
| C | 33 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg | Janell Burse | Tulane |
| F | 8 | Image:Flag of Brazil.svg | Iziane Castro Marques | Brazil |
| F | 0 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg | Shyra Ely | Tennessee |
| C | 42 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg | Tye'sha Fluker | Tennessee |
| G | 4 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg | Katie Gearlds | Purdue |
| F-C | 15 | Image:Flag of Australia.svg | Lauren Jackson | Australia |
| G | 22 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg | Betty Lennox | Louisiana Tech |
| F | 3 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg | Wendy Palmer | Virginia |
| C | 43 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg | Ashley Robinson | Tennessee |
| G | 30 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg | Tanisha Wright | Penn State |
| (IL) - Inactive List | ||||
[edit] Coaches and others
Head Coaches:
- Lin Dunn (2000-2002), now an Assistant Coach with the Indiana Fever
- Anne Donovan (2003 - 2007) (Hall of Famer) First Female Coach to win a WNBA championship.
[edit] External links
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference |
|---|---|
| Atlanta | Chicago Sky | Connecticut Sun | Detroit Shock | Indiana Fever | New York Liberty | Washington Mystics | Houston Comets | Los Angeles Sparks | Minnesota Lynx | Phoenix Mercury | Sacramento Monarchs | San Antonio Silver Stars | Seattle Storm |
| Defunct teams: Charlotte Sting | Cleveland Rockers | Miami Sol | Portland Fire | |
| Media: WNBA on ESPN | List of WNBA Finals broadcasters | |
| Other Women's Leagues: National Women's Basketball League | Women's National Basketball League (Australia) | |
Sports teams based in and around Seattle | |
|---|---|
| Baseball | MLB: Seattle Mariners - PCL: Tacoma Rainiers - NWL: Everett AquaSox |
| Basketball | NBA: Seattle SuperSonics - WNBA: Seattle Storm - IBL: Everett Explosion • Seattle Mountaineers • Tacoma Jazz |
| Football | NFL: Seattle Seahawks |
| Hockey | WHL: Everett Silvertips • Seattle Thunderbirds - NorPac: Seattle Totems |
| Soccer | MLS: Seattle MLS - USL-1: Seattle Sounders - PDL: Tacoma Tide - PCSL: FK Pacific |
| Rugby | RSL: Old Puget Sound Beach RFC |
| College athletics (NCAA Div. I) | University of Washington |
Main Article: Sports in Seattle | |
fr:Storm de Seattle fi:Seattle Storm pl:Seattle Storm
![[3]](http://www.wnba.com/media/storm/doppler_800_050524.jpg){kind=link}
