San Antonio Stars

San Antonio Stars
Conference Western
Founded 1997 (as Utah)
History Utah Starzz
1997–2002
San Antonio Silver Stars
2003–2013
San Antonio Stars
2014–present
Arena AT&T Center
City San Antonio, Texas
Sponsor H-E-B
Team colors Silver, black, white[1]
              
Owner(s) Julianna Holt
General manager Ruth Riley
Head coach Vacant
Assistant coaches Vickie Johnson
James Wade
Championships 0
Conference titles 1 (2008)
Mascot The Fox
Official website stars.wnba.com

The San Antonio Stars are a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; the team moved to San Antonio before the 2003 season. The team is owned by Peter Holt, who also owns the Stars' NBA counterpart, the San Antonio Spurs.

The Stars have qualified for the WNBA Playoffs in seven of their fourteen years in San Antonio. The franchise has been home to many high-quality players such as all-star point guard Becky Hammon, solid power-forward Sophia Young, former first-overall draft pick Ann Wauters, and seven-foot-two-inch center Margo Dydek. In 2008, the Silver Stars went to the WNBA Finals but they were swept by Detroit.

In January 2014 the team dropped the "silver" from San Antonio Silver Stars (the name it had since the team first moved to San Antonio) and became the San Antonio Stars.[2]

Due to renovations at AT&T Center, the Stars played at Freeman Coliseum for the 2015 season.[3] For the 2016 season, the Stars have moved back to the AT&T Center after the renovations to the arena were completed.

Franchise history

The Utah Starzz years (1997–2002)

Main article: Utah Starzz

One of the eight original WNBA teams, the Utah Starzz (partially named after the old ABA team, the Utah Stars, but with the zz at the end like the Utah Jazz) never met the same success as their (former) counterpart in the NBA, the Utah Jazz. They held the distinction of having the worst record in the WNBA in 1997 and were the first team to select in the 1998 WNBA Draft. With their selection, they picked 7 ft. 2 in. center Margo Dydek, who easily became the tallest player in WNBA history. Unfortunately, the pickup of Dydek did little to help their cause and they again finished near the bottom of the league in the 1998 & 1999 seasons. The Starzz finally posted a winning record in 2000, but did not make the playoffs. In 2001, the Utah Starzz made it to the playoffs for the first time, but they were quickly swept in the first round by the Sacramento Monarchs. In 2002, the Starzz made it to the playoffs again, and this time beat the Houston Comets in the Western Conference Semifinals 2 games to 1. Their playoff run ended in the Western Finals, however, as they were swept aside by the eventual champs, the Los Angeles Sparks.

Relocation to San Antonio

When the NBA divested itself of all of its WNBA franchises at the end of the 2002 season, the Utah Jazz ownership did not wish to retain ownership of the Starzz. The Starzz then looked for local Utah potential buyers, but none were found, leaving the franchise with the choices of either being sold to out-of-town investor(s) or folding.

The Starzz avoided being folded when the franchise was sold to Peter Holt (the owner of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs) and relocated to San Antonio, Texas. The team's name was changed to the San Antonio Silver Stars and would change its team colors to the silver and black motif used by the Spurs.

The Stars fall short (2003–06)

Immediately after moving, the new Silver Stars made major roster moves, as they traded star Natalie Williams along with Coretta Brown to the Indiana Fever in exchange for Sylvia Crawley and Gwen Jackson. After losing seasons in 2003 and 2004, the team then traded away star Margo Dydek.

For the first four seasons (2003–2006) after moving to San Antonio, the franchise was unable to change its old losing trend and did not make the playoffs, in sharp contrast to their current NBA counterpart, the San Antonio Spurs. From 1997–2002, the Utah Starzz had a record of 87–99. From 2003–2006, the San Antonio Silver Stars record was 41–88.

Picking things up (2007–08)

The 2007 season brought a lot of change for the Silver Stars. They acquired stars Becky Hammon, Ruth Riley, and Sandora Irvin in trades, selected Helen Darling in Charlotte Sting's dispersal draft, drafted Camille Little in the second round, signed Erin Buescher during the off-season, and retained key players, such as Marie Ferdinand-Harris, Vickie Johnson, Shanna Crossley, Kendra Wecker, and Sophia Young. The new-look Silver Stars became an instant contender in the Western Conference. On August 4, 2007 the Silver Stars clinched their first playoff berth since the franchise relocated to San Antonio in 2003. In the first round, the Silver Stars were matched up against the Sacramento Monarchs. After losing game 1 in Sacramento, the Silver Stars would win games 2 and 3 to advance to the Western Finals. The Silver Stars faced off against a strong Phoenix Mercury team, which had the number 1 seed in the Western Conference. The Silver Stars would lose Game 1 at home 102–100 on a controversial call by ref Lisa Mattingly. Mattingly called a foul on Shanna Crossley with 2.1 seconds left in the game and the score tied at 100. Replay showed that Crossley made no contact with Phoenix's Cappie Pondexter. However, Pondexter was sent to the line and made both free throws and Crossley's half-court shot to win the game nearly went in. On September 1, 2007 the Silver Stars' season came to an end after the Stars lost Game 2 98–92 in Phoenix.

Heading into 2008, the Silver Stars were regarded as a premiere contender and did not disappoint. After an average start, the Stars seized control of the Western Conference and rode to the best record in the West, and the #1 seed in the playoffs. In the first round, the Silver Stars once again faced off against the Sacramento Monarchs. Unlike 2007, the Stars won Game 1 on the road, 85–78. But the Monarchs would prove pesky, spoiling a potential clinch in Game 2 crushing the Silver Stars at home 84–67. Now the Silver Stars had to win game 3 or face an offseason of disappointment. In the Game, the Silver Stars would secure a 14-point lead and it seemed over. But a late rally by the Monarchs, including the last seven points in regulation, sent the game into overtime. In overtime, the Silver Stars clamped down and proved they were the better team, defeating the Monarchs 86–81, advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the second season in a row. In the West Finals, the Stars faced the resurgent Los Angeles Sparks team. In Game 1 in LA, the Stars took an early lead, but an 11–0 run by the Sparks into the half changed the tempo of the game and the Sparks took Game 1 85–70. In Game 2, the Silver Stars blew a 14-point lead in the final quarter, as the Sparks took a one-point lead with 1.3 seconds left. The Stars season was over unless there would be a miracle. Fortunately for the Stars, Sophia Young delivered with a 14-foot turnaround shot to lift the Silver Stars to a 67–66 game 2. It came down to Game 3, with a trip to the WNBA Finals on the line. The two teams battled down the stretch, but the stellar play of Becky Hammon, who had 35 points and 4 crucial free throws, would lift the Silver Stars to their first WNBA Finals, defeating the Sparks 76–72. In the WNBA Finals, the Silver Stars faced the Detroit Shock, who were making their third WNBA Finals appearance in a row. In Game 1 at home, the Silver Stars fell behind early, but would tie the game at 69 with 2:15 left in the 4th quarter. But from there the Shock took control once again and won the game 77–69.

Struggling stars (2009–10)

By the time the 2009 season opened, San Antonio were already on a struggling basis, being stuck in fourth place in the West throughout the year. However, the Silver Stars eventually started to rise a bit and later clinched a playoff berth, despite a sub-500 record of 15–19. After winning the first game against the Phoenix Mercury, the Silver Stars were unable to recover and lost the remaining two games to lose the series 2–1.

The 2010 season was not much different for the Stars. They finished with an unimpressive 14–20 record but sneaked into the third seed of the playoffs in a below-average Western Conference. The Silver Stars were swept in the first round of the playoffs by Phoenix and it was clear that some changes were needed.

Stars align in San Antonio (2011–present)

In early 2011, it was announced that the Silver Stars would host the 2011 WNBA All-Star Game.

The Silver Stars started the 2011 season with a 7–3 record, led by the return of former head coach Dan Hughes. Along with the quality play from Becky Hammon and Sophia Young, three rookies made the Silver Stars' roster in 2011. Danielle Robinson, Danielle Adams, and Porsha Phillips were all drafted in 2011. Adams' play was so good that she was awarded the honor of being named Rookie of the Month for June, beating out top draft picks Maya Moore and Liz Cambage.

In the 2012 playoffs, the Silver Stars lost in the first round to the Los Angeles Sparks. The team would miss the playoffs in 2013. In the 2014 playoffs, the Stars would lose in the first round to the Minnesota Lynx.

Uniforms

Season-by-season records

Season Team Conference Regular season Playoff Results Head coach
W L PCT
Utah Starzz
1997 1997 West 4th 7 21 .250 Did not qualify Denise Taylor
1998 1998 West 5th 8 22 .267 Did not qualify D. Taylor (6–13)
F. Layden (2–9)
1999 1999 West 6th 15 17 .469 Did not qualify F. Layden (2–2)
F. Williams (13–15)
2000 2000 West 5th 18 14 .563 Did not qualify Fred Williams
2001 2001 West 3rd 19 13 .594 Lost Conference Semifinals (Sacramento, 0–2) F. Williams (5–8)
C. Harvey (14–5)
2002 2002 West 3rd 20 12 .625 Won Conference Semifinals (Houston, 2–1)
Lost Conference Finals (Los Angeles, 0–2)
Candi Harvey
San Antonio Silver Stars
2003 2003 West 6th 12 22 .353 Did not qualify C. Harvey (6–16)
S. Dailey (6–6)
2004 2004 West 7th 9 25 .265 Did not qualify D. Brown (6–18)
S. Dailey (3–7)
2005 2005 West 7th 7 27 .206 Did not qualify Dan Hughes
2006 2006 West 6th 13 21 .382 Did not qualify Dan Hughes
2007 2007 West 2nd 20 14 .588 Won Conference Semifinals (Sacramento, 2–1)
Lost Conference Finals (Phoenix, 0–2)
Dan Hughes
2008 2008 West 1st 24 10 .706 Won Conference Semifinals (Sacramento, 2–1)
Won Conference Finals (Los Angeles, 2–1)
Lost WNBA Finals (Detroit, 0–3)
Dan Hughes
2009 2009 West 4th 15 19 .441 Lost Conference Semifinals (Phoenix, 1–2) Dan Hughes
2010 2010 West 3rd 14 20 .412 Lost Conference Semifinals (Phoenix, 0–2) Sandy Brondello
2011 2011 West 4th 18 16 .529 Lost Conference Semifinals (Minnesota, 1–2) Dan Hughes
2012 2012 West 3rd 21 13 .618 Lost Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles, 0–2) Dan Hughes
2013 2013 West 5th 12 22 .353 Did not qualify Dan Hughes
San Antonio Stars
2014 2014 West 3rd 16 18 .471 Lost Conference Semifinals (Minnesota, 0–2) Dan Hughes
2015 2015 West 6th 8 26 .235 Did not qualify Dan Hughes
2016 2016 West 6th 7 27 .206 Did not qualify Dan Hughes
Regular season 283 379 .427 1 Conference Championship
Playoffs 10 23 .303 0 WNBA Championships

Players

Current roster

San Antonio Stars roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From Yrs
C 40 United States Alexander, Kayla 6' 4" (1.93m) 195 lb (88kg) 01-05-1991 Syracuse 3
C 32 United States Appel, Jayne 6' 4" (1.93m) 210 lb (95kg) 05-14-1988 Stanford 6
F/C 22 United States Baugh, Vicki 6' 4" (1.93m) 190 lb (86kg) 05-21-1989 Tennessee 2
G 51 United States Colson, Sydney 5' 8" (1.73m) 140 lb (64kg) 08-06-1989 Texas A&M 2
F 1 United States Currie, Monique 6' 0" (1.83m) 173 lb (78kg) 02-25-1983 Duke 10
G 24 United States Gwathmey, Jazmon 6' 2" (1.88m) 158 lb (72kg) 01-24-1993 James Madison R
F 5 United States Hamby, Dearica 6' 3" (1.91m) 189 lb (86kg) 11-06-1993 Wake Forest 1
G 4 United States Jefferson, Moriah 5' 6" (1.68m) 122 lb (55kg) 03-08-1994 Connecticut R
G 35 United States Knight, Whitney 6' 3" (1.91m) 156 lb (71kg) 01-09-1993 Florida Gulf Coast R
G/F 21 United States McBride, Kayla 5' 11" (1.8m) 174 lb (79kg) 06-25-1992 Notre Dame 2
G/F 6 United States Montgomery, Alex 6' 1" (1.85m) 185 lb (84kg) 11-12-1988 Georgia Tech 5
C 45 Spain Ndour, Astou 6' 5" (1.96m) 08-22-1994 Senegal 1
G/F 7 United States Peters, Haley 6' 3" (1.91m) 178 lb (81kg) 09-17-1992 Duke R
G 13 United States Robinson, Danielle 5' 9" (1.75m) 125 lb (57kg) 05-10-1989 Oklahoma 5



East: ATLCHICONINDNYWAS | West: DALLAMINPHOSASEA
Head coach
United States Dan Hughes (Muskingum)
Assistant coaches
United States Vickie Johnson (Louisiana Tech)
United States James Wade (Kennesaw)
Athletic trainer
United States Tonya Holley (St. Andrews Presbyterian)
Strength and conditioning coach
United States Chrissy Stragisher (Muskingum)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

WNBA roster page

Former players

Retired numbers

San Antonio Stars retired numbers
No. Player Position Tenure Ref
25 Becky Hammon G 2007–14 [4]

Coaches and staff

Owners

Head coaches

San Antonio Stars head coaches
Name Start End Seasons Regular season Playoffs
W L PCT G W L PCT G
Denise Taylor April 19, 1997 July 27, 1998 2 13 34 .277 47 0 0 .000 0
Frank Layden July 27, 1998 June 21, 1999 2 4 11 .267 15 0 0 .000 0
Fred Williams June 21, 1999 July 6, 2001 3 36 37 .493 73 0 0 .000 0
Candi Harvey July 6, 2001 July 26, 2003 3 40 33 .548 73 2 5 .286 7
Shell Dailey July 26, 2003 October 30, 2003 1 6 6 .500 12 0 0 .000 0
Dee Brown October 30, 2003 July 30, 2004 1 6 18 .250 24 0 0 .000 0
Shell Dailey August 10, 2004 end of 2004 1 3 7 .300 10 0 0 .000 0
Shell Dailey Total 2 9 13 .409 22 0 0 .000 0
Dan Hughes January 4, 2005 February 25, 2010 5 79 91 .465 170 7 10 .412 17
Sandy Brondello February 25, 2010 September 27, 2010 1 14 20 .412 34 0 2 .000 2
Dan Hughes January 28, 2011 end of 2016 6 82 122 .402 204 1 6 .143 7
Dan Hughes Total 11 161 213 .430 374 8 16 .333 24

General managers

Assistant coaches

Statistics

San Antonio Stars statistics
1990s
Season Individual Team vs Opponents
PPG RPG APG PPG RPG FG%
1997 W. Palmer (15.8) W. Palmer (8.0) T. Reiss (3.1) 64.6 vs 75.1 33.9 vs 36.0 .374 vs .429
1998 W. Palmer (13.5) E. Baranova (9.3) C. Tremitiere (3.6) 69.8 vs 76.5 33.4 vs 34.0 .423 vs .428
1999 N. Williams (18.0) N. Williams (9.2) D. Black (5.0) 74.0 vs 77.1 33.2 vs 30.4 .434 vs .438
2000s
Season Individual Team vs Opponents
PPG RPG APG PPG RPG FG%
2000 N. Williams (18.7) N. Williams (11.6) K. Hlede (3.0) 75.4 vs 75.2 33.8 vs 28.5 .453 vs .438
2001 N. Williams (14.2) N. Williams (9.9) J. Azzi (5.3) 69.0 vs 68.5 33.4 vs 30.4 .439 vs .399
2002 A. Goodson (15.7) M. Dydek (8.7) J. Azzi (4.9) 75.6 vs 73.3 33.4 vs 31.4 .441 vs .412
2003 M. Ferdinand (13.8) M. Dydek (7.4) J. Azzi (3.3) 65.1 vs 71.4 33.7 vs 34.5 .383 vs .398
2004 L. Thomas (14.2) A. Goodson (6.9) S. Johnson (4.4) 64.4 vs 69.5 29.5 vs 30.4 .419 vs .443
2005 M. Ferdinand (12.5) W. Palmer (5.7) S. Johnson (4.6) 63.0 vs 70.6 27.8 vs 31.0 .417 vs .436
2006 S. Young (12.0) S. Young (7.6) S. Johnson (3.7) 74.2 vs 76.6 34.4 vs 36.4 .406 vs .431
2007 B. Hammon (18.8) E. Buescher (6.1) B. Hammon (5.0) 74.0 vs 73.1 32.0 vs 33.4 .424 vs .423
2008 B. Hammon (17.6) A. Wauters (7.5) B. Hammon (4.9) 74.9 vs 71.1 32.1 vs 35.5 .433 vs .398
2009 B. Hammon (19.5) S. Young (6.5) B. Hammon (5.0) 76.9 vs 78.3 30.9 vs 34.9 .427 vs .439
2010s
Season Individual Team vs Opponents
PPG RPG APG PPG RPG FG%
2010 S. Young (15.3) M. Snow (6.2) B. Hammon (5.4) 76.8 vs 80.1 30.1 vs 33.1 .461 vs .467
2011 B. Hammon (15.9) S. Young (6.4) B. Hammon (5.8) 77.6 vs 75.5 31.3 vs 37.0 .430 vs .427
2012 S. Young (16.3) S. Young (7.2) B. Hammon (5.3) 82.1 vs 76.9 33.2 vs 34.9 .445 vs .432
2013 D. Adams (14.4) J. Appel (8.9) D. Robinson (6.7) 72.1 vs 77.9 32.1 vs 36.5 .400 vs .455
2014 K. McBride (13.0) J. Appel (7.9) D. Robinson (5.3) 77.8 vs 79.6 31.7 vs 34.1 .430 vs .474
2015 K. McBride (13.8) J. Appel (6.4) D. Robinson (5.0) 68.1 vs 76.7 32.6 vs 35.6 .390 vs .459

Media coverage

Currently, some Stars games are broadcast on Fox Sports Southwest (FS-SW), which is a local television station for the state of Texas. More often than not, NBA TV will pick up the feed from the local broadcast, which is shown nationally. Broadcasters for the Stars games are Andrew Monaco and Bob Weiss.

All games (excluding blackout games, which are available on ESPN3.com) are broadcast to the WNBA LiveAccess game feeds on the league website. Furthermore, some Stars games are broadcast nationally on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. The WNBA has reached an eight-year agreement with ESPN, which will pay right fees to the Stars, as well as other teams in the league.[5]

All-time notes

Regular season attendance

Regular season all-time attendance
Utah Starzz
Year Average High Low Sellouts Total for year WNBA game average
1997 7,611 (8th) 9,858 5,783 0 106,555 9,669
1998 8,104 (8th) 15,657 5,761 0 121,560 10,869
1999 7,544 (11th) 14,783 4,648 0 120,706 10,207
2000 6,420 (15th) 8,803 4,934 0 102,722 9,074
2001 6,907 (13th) 11,519 4,503 0 110,507 9,105
2002 7,420 (11th) 12,578 5,103 0 118,720 9,228
San Antonio Stars
Year Average High Low Sellouts Total for year WNBA game average
2003 10,384 (3rd) 15,593 7,692 0 176,526 8,826
2004 8,320 (6th) 10,506 5,764 0 141,444 8,589
2005 7,944 (8th) 9,772 5,508 0 135,054 8,172
2006 7,386 (10th) 10,634 5,998 0 125,564 7,476
2007 7,569 (10th) 10,262 4,070 0 128,680 7,819
2008 7,984 (9th) 16,255 5,705 0 135,722 7,948
2009 7,527 (10th) 10,572 4,723 0 127,957 8,029
2010 8,041 (7th) 12,414 4,924 0 136,696 7,834
2011 8,751 (4th) 14,797 6,358 0 148,767 7,954
2012 7,850 (4th) 15,184 5,023 0 133,454 7,452
2013 7,914 (5th) 12,086 5,390 0 134,532 7,531
2014 7,719 (7th) 12,659 5,012 0 131,226 7,578
2015 4,751 (12th) 9,080 1,738 0 80,766 7,184

Draft picks

Trades

All-Stars

Olympians

Honors and awards

  • 1997 All-WNBA Second Team: Wendy Palmer
  • 1999 All-WNBA First Team: Natalie Williams
  • 2000 All-WNBA First Team: Natalie Williams
  • 2000 Peak Performer (FT%): Jennifer Azzi
  • 2001 All-WNBA First Team: Natalie Williams
  • 2005 All-Rookie Team: Katie Feenstra
  • 2006 All-Rookie Team: Sophia Young
  • 2007 All-WNBA First Team: Becky Hammon
  • 2007 All-WNBA Second Team: Sophia Young
  • 2007 All-Rookie Team: Camille Little
  • 2007 Coach of the Year: Dan Hughes
  • 2007 Peak Performer (Assists): Becky Hammon
  • 2008 All-WNBA First Team: Sophia Young
  • 2008 All-WNBA Second Team: Becky Hammon
  • 2008 All-Defensive First Team: Sophia Young
  • 2008 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award: Vickie Johnson
  • 2009 All-WNBA First Team: Becky Hammon
  • 2009 All-WNBA Second Team: Sophia Young
  • 2011 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award: Ruth Riley
  • 2011 All-Rookie Team: Danielle Adams
  • 2011 All-Rookie Team: Danielle Robinson
  • 2012 All-WNBA Second Team: Sophia Young
  • 2012 All-Defensive Second Team: Danielle Robinson
  • 2012 All-Defensive Second Team: Sophia Young
  • 2013 Peak Performer (Assists): Danielle Robinson
  • 2013 All-Defensive Second Team: Jia Perkins
  • 2013 All-Defensive Second Team: Danielle Robinson
  • 2014 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award: Becky Hammon
  • 2014 All-WNBA Second Team: Danielle Robinson
  • 2014 All-Defensive Second Team: Danielle Robinson
  • 2014 All-Rookie Team: Kayla McBride
  • 2016 All-Rookie Team: Moriah Jefferson

References

  1. "San Antonio Stars Reproduction Guideline Sheet". NBA Media Central. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  2. Morton, Neal (2014-01-15). "San Antonio Stars drop the silver". mySanAntonio.com. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  3. San Antonio Stars to play 2015 Home Games at Freeman Coliseum
  4. "Stars Retire Becky Hammon's Jersey". WNBA. June 27, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  5. "WNBA Extends TV Rights Deal with ESPN and ABC". Sports Business. June 18, 2007. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Phoenix Mercury
WNBA Western Conference Champions
2008 (First title)
Succeeded by
Phoenix Mercury
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