Charlotte Sting earn #1 pick in 2005 WNBA draft
December 1, 2004 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Charlotte Sting News Release
December 1, 2004 â WNBA President Val Ackerman announced tonight that the Charlotte Sting have won the WNBA Draft Lottery, earning the rights to the top pick in the 2005 WNBA Draft next April. The Sting participated in the fourth annual draft lottery by virtue of their 16-18 record last season. The team had a 97-in-1000 chance of winning the #1 pick, the fourth-longest odds among the five eligible teams.   "This is great for us and hopefully will generate some excitement for our fans," said Sting General Manager and Head Coach Trudi Lacey. "It may open the door to begin the rebuilding process."             Although the Sting sat in second place in the Eastern Conference with a week remaining in the 2004 regular season, their race to the playoffs fell short and the team did not advance to the post-season for just the second time in franchise history.             San Antonio (9-25), Houston (13-21) and Indiana (15-19) all had better chances of winning this year's lottery. The Phoenix Mercury (17-17), who won the top pick last year and selected UConn's Diana Taurasi, rounded out the field of five teams eligible for this year's lottery.             The WNBA Draft Lottery assigns the draft order to non-playoff teams from the previous season.  The Indiana Fever will select second followed by Phoenix, San Antonio and Houston.  The remaining selections are based on inverse order of the team's respective 2004 regular season records.  Last season, Lacey orchestrated a trade with the Indiana Fever to move up in the Draft, selecting Stanford's Nicole Powell with the third overall pick. The Sting also selected Penn State's Kelly Mazzante (18th), Vanderbilt's Jenni Benningfield (22nd) and Texas Tech's Jia Perkins (35th) in the 2004 WNBA Draft.  The Charlotte Sting will open their ninth season of WNBA action next spring at the Charlotte Coliseum.  Fans interested in season tickets may call 704-424-WNBA or log on to www.charlottesting.com  for more information. Â
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Women's National Basketball Association Stories from December 1, 2004
- Mercury move up in 2005 WNBA draft - Phoenix Mercury
- Charlotte Sting earn #1 pick in 2005 WNBA draft - Charlotte Sting
- Comets to select fifth overall following WNBA draft lottery - Houston Comets
- Silver Stars get fourth pick in 2005 WNBA draft - San Antonio Stars
- WNBA 2005 Draft order set - WNBA
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