Cleveland Rockers
From Hoopedia
The Cleveland Rockers was a Women's National Basketball Association team. The Rockers was one of the original eight league franchises in 1997. The owner was Gordon Gund, who also owned the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. In September 2003, Gund announced that his Gund Arena Company would no longer operate the Rockers. The team folded after the 2003 season as the league was not able to find a new owner for the team.
Contents |
History
The Rockers, who got their nickname to honor Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, had little success. In 1997, they started with such players like Isabelle Fijalkowski and former Harlem Globetrotter Lynette Woodard, who had been the first female player in Globetrotter history. The Rockers missed the playoffs in 1997, made them in 1998, going 20-10 and winning the Eastern Conference title, but lost to the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA semi-finals (before they split the playoffs by conference). They made the conference finals again in 2000 but lost to the New York Liberty.
Hall of Famers
- Lynette Woodard (Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame)
Top Players
- Mery Andrade
- Lucienne Berthieu
- Tully Bevilaqua
- Tricia Bader Binford
- Cindy Blodgett
- Jenny Boucek
- Rushia Brown
- Helen Darling
- Michelle Edwards
- Isabelle Fijalkowski
- Tracy Henderson
- Deanna Jackson
- Pollyanna Johns-Kimbrough
- Merlakia Jones
- Betty Lennox
- Anita Maxwell
- Suzie McConnell Serio
- Chasity Melvin
- Eva Nemcova
- Jennifer Rizzotti
- Paige Sauer
- Penny Taylor
- LaToya Thomas
- Ann Wauters
- Lynette Woodard
Head Coaches
- Linda Hill-McDonald (1997-1999)
- Dan Hughes (2000-2003)
