San Antonio Silver Stars Franchise History
From Hoopedia
Originally the Utah Starzz, one of the league's original eight franchises, the San Antonio Silver Stars are entering their fifth season in the Alamo City... one of 14 teams that make up the WNBA... The Silver Stars are led by head coach and general manager Dan Hughes, who is beginning his third season at the helm... The 2006 Silver Stars 13 wins nearly doubled their 2005 total and marked the franchise's most victories since moving to San Antonio... Silver Stars basketball was more exciting than ever in 2006... With the addition of the 24-second shot clock, scoring was up league-wide and San Antonio was no exception, adding 10 points to their per game average... Vickie Johnson, one of only seven 10-year WNBA veterans, became the first WNBA player to start 300 games... Johnson joined former Olympian Shannon "PeeWee" Johnson to form a formidable backcourt... Rookie Sophia Young led the squad in both scoring and rebounding, earning a spot on the all-star team and a unanimous selection to the all-rookie squad... San Antonio also saw the return of Agnieszka Bibrzycka who poured in a team-best 55 three-pointers... The Silver Stars have continued to exhibit a strong commitment to the San Antonio community through various community programs... Created on April 24, 1996, when the NBA Board of Governors approved the concept for the women's league, the first WNBA game was played in June of 1997... The WNBA's 34-game regular-season schedule runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day... For more information on the Silver Stars, contact Leigh Anne Gullett at (210) 444-5738.
JUNE 21, 1997 Utah makes its basketball debut when they hosted the Sacramento Monarchs at the Delta Center. The opening night lineup includes Wendy Palmer, Deborah Carter, Karen Booker, Lady Hardmon and Tammi Reiss. The Monarchs hand the Starzz a 70-60 loss. Utah records its first win in franchise history two nights later, beating the Los Angeles Sparks 102-89.
JULY 11, 1999 Natalie Williams becomes the first Utah player to earn WNBA Player of the Week Honors for the period ending July 11.
JULY 7, 2001 Margo Dydek puts on a record breaking performance, as she notches the first triple double in Starzz history and only the second triple double in WNBA history with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocked shots. Her 10 blocked shots also breaks her personal WNBA record of nine set on August 6, 1998.
AUGUST 17, 2001 The Utah Starzz make their first playoff appearance losing to the Sacramento Monarchs 65-89. The Starzz end up losing the series to the Monarchs 2-0.
JUNE 22, 2002 Natalie Williams etches her name into the WNBA record books as she becomes the first player to record a 20-20 game, scoring 22 points and grabbing 20 boards against Sacramento.
AUGUST 20, 2002 The Utah Starzz defeat the Houston Comets 75-72 in Game 3 of the first round of 2002 WNBA Playoffs to earn their first playoff series victory. The Starzz lose to the eventual WNBA Champion Los Angeles Sparks in the Western Conference finals.
Key Dates in San Antonio Silver Stars History
JANUARY 29, 2002 Spurs Sports & Entertainment receives word from the WNBA that they are assured a team in 2003.
MARCH 18, 2002 WNBA in S.A. 2003 campaign kicks off with goal of reaching 6,000 season ticket deposits by November 15, 2002.
NOVEMBER 13, 2002 SS&E announces they have reached the 6,000 ticket deposit goal and has secured a WNBA team for play in 2003.
DECEMBER 5, 2002 SS&E learns that the Utah Starzz will relocate to San Antonio to begin play in 2003.
JANUARY 10, 2003 SS&E changes the name of its WNBA team to the San Antonio Silver Stars.
FEBRUARY 19, 2003 The San Antonio Silver Stars unveil their new logo.
APRIL 25, 2003 Coretta Brown becomes the first player drafted by the San Antonio Silver Stars with the 11th overall pick in the 2003 WNBA Draft.
MAY 24, 2003 The San Antonio Silver Stars make their home debut beating the Seattle Storm 65-56 in front of 15,593 fans at the SBC Center.
JUNE 24, 2003 The Silver Stars earn their first road win defeating the Sacramento Monarchs 60-57 at ARCO Arena.
FEBRUARY 2, 2004 Silver Stars guard Jennifer Azzi announces her retirement from the WNBA. Azzi leaves the Silver Stars as the all-time leader in assists, free-throw percentage, three-point field goal percentage and three-pointer attempted and made.
AUGUST 26, 2004 Silver Stars guard Shannon ‘Pee Wee’ Johnson brings home the gold medal in women’s basketball by helping Team USA knock off Australia in the Gold Medal game, scoring eight of her 12 points in the fourth quarter en route to a 74-63 win. During the Olympic Tournament Johnson appeared in all eight games, averaging 6.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 16.4 minutes per game.
JANUARY 4, 2005 The Silver Stars name Dan Hughes head coach.
AUGUST 25, 2005 The Silver Stars name Dan Hughes general manager.
