Utah Starzz

Basketball team in Salt Lake City, Utah
           General managerJay FrancisHead coachCandi HarveyOwnershipLarry H. Miller
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away

The Utah Starzz were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Salt Lake City. They began play in the 1997 WNBA season as one of the league's eight original teams.

History

One of the eight original WNBA teams, the Starzz, which was partially named after the old ABA team. Utah Jazz ownership was not interested in keeping the Starzz, and without new owners the team would have folded. No local ownership was found, so in 2002, the Starzz announced their intentions to move out of Salt Lake City. On December 5, 2002, the Utah Starzz was bought by Spurs Sports & Entertainment, and it was announced that the Starzz would move immediately to San Antonio and change their nickname to the Silver Stars.

The Starzz were the sister team to the NBA's Utah Jazz.[1]

The Starzz relocated, in 2003, to San Antonio where the team became the San Antonio Silver Stars.[2]

Uniforms

  • 1997–2002: For home games, white with blue on the sides and shoulders and white Starzz logo text on the chest. For away games, blue with purple on the sides and white Starzz logo text on the chest. The Starzz logo is on the shorts.

Season-by-season records

Season Team Conference Regular season Playoff Results
W L PCT
Utah Starzz
1997 1997 West 4th 7 21 .250
1998 1998 West 5th 8 22 .267
1999 1999 West 6th 15 17 .469
2000 2000 West 5th 18 14 .563
2001 2001 West 3rd 19 13 .594 Lost Conference Semifinals (Sacramento, 0–2)
2002 2002 West 3rd 20 12 .625 Won Conference Semifinals (Houston, 2–1)
Lost Conference Finals (Los Angeles, 0–2)
Regular season 87 99 .468 0 Conference Championships
Playoffs 2 5 .286 0 WNBA Championships

Players

Final roster

Utah Starzz roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. From
G 43 Spain Aguilar, Elisa 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 156 lb (71 kg) George Washington
G 8 United States Azzi, Jennifer 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 144 lb (65 kg) Stanford
G 20 United States Caufield, LaNeishea 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Oklahoma
F 34 United States Crockrom, Danielle 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 158 lb (72 kg) Baylor
C 12 Poland Dydek, Margo 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 223 lb (101 kg) Poland
G 3 United States Ferdinand, Marie 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 153 lb (69 kg) LSU
F/C 50 United States Gardner, Andrea 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Howard
G 15 United States Goodson, Adrienne 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Old Dominion
C 54 United States Herrig, Amy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 189 lb (86 kg) Iowa
F 23 United States Johnson, LaTonya 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 149 lb (68 kg) Memphis
G 21 United States Randall, Semeka 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Tennessee
F 24 United States Williams, Natalie 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg) UCLA
Head coach
Assistant coaches




Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Notable players

FIBA Hall of Fame

Utah Starzz Hall of Famers
Players
No. Name Position Tenure Inducted
12 Margo Dydek C 1998–2002 2019

Coaches

Head coaches

General managers

  • Tim Howells (1997–1999)

All-time notes

Draft picks

  • 1997 Elite Draft: Dena Head (1), Wendy Palmer (9)
  • 1997 WNBA Draft: Tammi Reiss (5), Jessie Hicks (12), Raegan Scott (21), Kim Williams (28)
  • 1998 WNBA Draft: Margo Dydek (1), Olympia Scott (11), LaTonya Johnson (21), Tricia Bader (31)
  • 1999 WNBA Draft: Natalie Williams (3), Debbie Black (15), Adrienne Goodson (27), Dalma Ivanyi (39)
  • 2000 WNBA Draft: Naomi Mulitauaopele (12), Stacy Frese (35), Kristen Rasmussen (51)
  • 2001 WNBA Draft: Marie Ferdinand (8), Michaela Pavlickova (24), Shea Ralph (40), Cara Consuegra (56)
  • 2002 WNBA Draft: Danielle Crockrom (11), Andrea Gardner (27), Edmarie Lumbsley (43), Jaclyn Winfield (59)

All-stars

  • 1999: Natalie Williams
  • 2000: Natalie Williams
  • 2001: Natalie Williams
  • 2002: Marie Ferdinand, Adrienne Goodson

References

  1. ^ Call, Jeff (June 1, 1997). "Starzz to Jazz fans: We got next". Deseret News. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  2. ^ Elfman, Lois (September 19, 2019). "WNBA Playoffs into the semi-finals". New York Amsterdam News. Retrieved February 25, 2020.

External links

  • Official Site (October 2002) (Archived)
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Las Vegas Aces
  • Formerly the Utah Starzz, the San Antonio Silver Stars, and the San Antonio Stars
  • Founded in 1997
  • Based in Las Vegas, Nevada
Franchise
Arenas
Head coaches
Administration
Owners
Larry H. Miller
Peter Holt
MGM Resorts International
Mark Davis
Tom Brady
General Managers
Tim Howells
Jay Francis
Dan Hughes
Ruth Riley
Bill Laimbeer
Dan Padover
Natalie Williams
Presidents
Nikki Fargas
All-Stars
Seasons
Playoff appearances
Conference Championships
WNBA Championships
Rivals
Media
TV:
Radio:
Announcers
Television
Anne Marie Anderson
Carolyn Peck
Radio
TC Martin