Seattle Storm profile,
| Seattle Storm | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Western |
| Founded | 2000 |
| History | Seattle Storm (2000–present) |
| Arena | KeyArena |
| City | Seattle, Washington |
| Uniform Sponsor | Bing |
| Team colors | Green, Red, White, Gold |
| Owner(s) | Force 10 Hoops L.L.C. |
| General manager | Karen Bryant |
| Head Coach | Brian Agler |
| Championships | 2 (2004, 2010) |
| Conference titles | 2 (2004, 2010) |
| Mascot | Doppler |
| Official | website www.wnba.com |
The Seattle Storm is a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently led by Australian basketball star Lauren Jackson and former Connecticut Huskies star Sue Bird.
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 DJ's. Named for the rainy weather of Seattle, the team uses many weather-related icons: the team mascot is Doppler, 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. The mascot also has an 'Assistant to Doppler.'
The Storm was the sister team of the Seattle SuperSonics until February 28, 2008, when the team was sold to an independent ownership group in Seattle.
The Storm's predecessor was the Seattle Reign, a charter member of the American Basketball League (ABL), operating from 1996 through December 1998, when the league folded. Luckier than most localities that had an ABL team, Seattle was quickly awarded a WNBA franchise and began play less than two years later.
Franchise history
A Gloomy Start for the Storm (2000–2003)
The Seattle Storm would tip off their first season (the 2000 WNBA season) in typical expansion fashion. Coached by Lin Dunn and 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 Storm drafted UConn star Sue Bird, filling the Storm's 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.
Coach Anne Donovan was hired for the 2003 campaign. In Donovan's first year, 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.
To the WNBA Finals (2004)
The 2004 Storm posted a then franchise-best 20-14 record. In the playoffs, the Storm made 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. Some feel the team's win brought a championship to Seattle for the first time in 25 years. The win also made Anne Donovan the first female head coach in WNBA history to win the WNBA Championship.
A Consistent Playoff Contender (2005–present)
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, Anne Donovan resigned as head coach, and was replaced by Brian Agler on January 9, 2008.
Although most of Seattle's major sports teams endured poor seasons during 2008, the Storm would be the only standout team in Seattle that year, posting a franchise-best 22-12 record and finishing with a 16-1 record at home, also a franchise-best. But the No. 2 seeded Storm lost to the #3 Los Angeles Sparks in the first round of the playoffs in three games, and ended Seattle's season at 23-14 overall.
In 2009, the Storm were 20-14 and finished second in the Western Conference for the second straight year. In the playoffs, the Storm again lost to the #3 Los Angeles Sparks in 3 games, which ended their season in the first round for the fifth consecutive season.
2006 and 2008 Sales
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. Bennett made it clear that the Sonics and Storm would move to Oklahoma City at some point after the 2007–08 NBA season, unless an arena for the Sonics was approved by Seattle leaders before October 31, 2007. During this period of uncertainty, the Storm announced that they would play their 2008 WNBA season in Seattle at KeyArena.
On January 8, 2008, Bennett sold the team to a Seattle group of women called Force 10 Hoops, LLC.The sale was given unanimous approval from the WNBA Board of Governors on February 28, 2008. This keeps the team in Seattle and disconnected it from the Sonics, which was dissolved with the 'new' basketball franchise and assets relocated to Oklahoma City.
Uniform sponsor
On April 21, 2010, the Storm and the WNBA announced a sponsor agreement with Bing, a search engine from Microsoft, to place the company's logo on their jerseys for the 2010 season.
Season-by-season records
| Season | Team | Conference | Regular season | Playoff Results | Head coach | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | PCT | ||||||
| Seattle Storm | ||||||||
| 2000 | 2000 | West | 8th | 6 | 26 | .188 | Lin Dunn | |
| 2001 | 2001 | West | 8th | 10 | 22 | .313 | Lin Dunn | |
| 2002 | 2002 | West | 4th | 17 | 15 | .531 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles, 0–2) | Lin Dunn |
| 2003 | 2003 | West | 5th | 18 | 16 | .529 | Anne Donovan | |
| 2004 | 2004 | West | 2nd | 20 | 14 | .588 | Won Conference Semifinals (Minnesota, 2–0) Won Conference Finals (Sacramento, 2–1) Won WNBA Finals (Connecticut, 2–1) | Anne Donovan |
| 2005 | 2005 | West | 2nd | 20 | 14 | .588 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Houston, 1–2) | Anne Donovan |
| 2006 | 2006 | West | 4th | 18 | 16 | .529 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles, 1–2) | Anne Donovan |
| 2007 | 2007 | West | 4th | 17 | 17 | .500 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Phoenix, 0–2) | Anne Donovan |
| 2008 | 2008 | West | 2nd | 22 | 12 | .647 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles, 1–2) | Brian Agler |
| 2009 | 2009 | West | 2nd | 20 | 14 | .588 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles, 1–2) | Brian Agler |
| 2010 | 2010 | West | 1st | 28 | 6 | .824 | Won Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles, 2–0) Won Conference Finals (Phoenix, 2–0) Won WNBA Finals (Atlanta, 3–0) | Brian Agler |
| Regular season | 196 | 172 | .533 | 2 Conference Championships | ||||
| Playoffs | 16 | 14 | .533 | 2 WNBA Championships | ||||
Players and coaches
Current roster
Seattle Storm roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Wnba Last transaction: 2010-05-14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Head coaches
Lin Dunn (2000–2002), now Head Coach of the Indiana Fever
Anne Donovan (2003–2007) (Hall of Famer) First Female Coach to win a WNBA championship.
Brian Agler (2008–present)
A game against the Minnesota Lynx at KeyArena, home of the Storm
Individual awards
WNBA MVP
Lauren Jackson- 2003, 2007, 2010
WNBA Finals MVP
Betty Lennox- 2004
All-Star Game MVP
Swin Cash- 2009
Former players
Tully Bevilaqua, now a member of the Indiana Fever
Sandy Brondello, now head coach for the San Antonio Silver Stars
Edna Campbell
Iziane Castro Marques, now a member of the Atlanta Dream
Simone Edwards, now an assistant coach at Radford University
Yolanda Griffith
Sonja Henning
Betty Lennox, now a member of the Los Angeles Sparks
Michelle Marciniak, now an assistant coach for the University of South Carolina
Kate Paye, now an assistant coach at Stanford University
Semeka Randall, now the head coach at Ohio University
Sheri Sam
Kate Starbird
Sheryl Swoopes
Alicia Thompson
Kamila Vodichkova
All-Stars
2000: None
2001: Lauren Jackson
2002: Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson
2003: Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson
2004: Sue Bird
2005: Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson
2006: Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson
2007: Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson
2008: No All-Star Game
2009: Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Lauren Jackson
2010: Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Lauren Jackson
(source:wikipedia)
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