Charlotte Sting Weekly Update
May 9, 2005 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Charlotte Sting News Release
STING NEWS AND NOTES
STALEY ARRIVES IN CAMP
Point guard Dawn Staley arrived in Charlotte this past week ready for her seventh WNBA season. Staley arrives in camp having recently completed the 2004-05 NCAA basketball season with the Temple Owls. Staley guided the Owls to a 28-4 record, a national ranking and a 25-game win streak before falling in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
BUSY SUNDAY
Sting rookie Jessica Moore was busy on Sunday, May 8, as she attended her college graduation at the University of Connecticut in the morning before heading to Bridgeport to play in her first WNBA preseason game. She also took her last final exam upon her arrival in Connecticut on Saturday. In her WNBA debut, Moore recorded four points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
SHINING GOLD
Three Olympic gold medalists will be on hand when the Sting take on the Sparks on Thursday. Dawn Staley and Lisa Leslie have teamed up to help USA Basketball win three consecutive gold medals. The streak began in 1996 in Atlanta and continued in Sydney in 2000 and most recently, Athens in 2004. The Sparks' Chamique Holdsclaw was also a member of the team that won the gold in Sydney.
ENERGIZER BUNNIES
Two Sting players have shown great longevity throughout the course of their WNBA careers. Guard Dawn Staley has started and played in every game (196) of her six-year WNBA career. Meanwhile, Sheri Sam has only missed one game, playing in 195 games over her six-year career.
TOP PICK
When the Sting selected Janel McCarville with the top pick in the 2005 draft, she became the first #1 pick in Sting franchise history and joined these other WNBA stars as the top overall selection: Diana Taurasi, LaToya Thomas, Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson, Ann Wauters, Chamique Holdsclaw and Tina Thompson.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Thur., May 12 â vs. Los Angeles
6 p.m.- Bobcats Basketball Center
The Sting host the Los Angeles Sparks in their second preseason game of 2005. The Sparks are 1-0 in preseason action, as they defeated the San Antonio Silver Stars 82-74 on May 6. The Sparks are led by 2004 WNBA MVP Lisa Leslie. Leslie averaged 22.8 points and 9.5 rebounds while shooting 59.1% from the floor in 2004. Joining Leslie on the Sparks' roster is WNBA All-Star Chamique Holdsclaw. Holdsclaw was acquired by the Sparks from the Mystics on March 21 in exchange for Delisha Milton-Jones and the Sparks 2005 first round draft pick.
Mon., May 16 â vs. Houston
7 p.m. â Bobcats Basketball Center
The Sting take on the Houston Comets in their final preseason contest of 2005. The Comets are led by Sheryl Swoopes, who averaged 14.8 points in 2004. Returning to the Comets backcourt this season is Janeth Arcain, who sat out the 2004 WNBA season in order to focus on her commitment to the Brazilian National Team.
*Seating for both preseason games is general admission and tickets can be purchased for just $5.
KEY WNBA DATES
May 20 â Final roster cut-down
May 21 â Opening Night â Sting vs. Mystics â 6 p.m.
July 9 â WNBA All-Star Game âMohegan Sun Arena
August 1 â Trading Deadline
2004 RECAP
· The Sting finished the 2004 season in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 16-18 record.
· The Sting led the WNBA in defense holding their opponents to just 63.8 points per game.
· Dawn Staley recorded her 1,000th career WNBA assist and became just the third player in league history to reach that plateau.
· Tammy Sutton-Brown set several records in the blocked shot category. She set a career and franchise record by rejecting six shots on June 28 vs. Indiana. She also became the franchise's all-time leader in the category with 196 career blocks.
CATCH THE STING ON TV
The Sting will play five games this season on C-SET. The Sting at Washington game on August 2 will be televised nationally on ESPN 2. The television schedule is as follows:
Date Opponent Time Station
Thu., May 26 vs. Phoenix 7 p.m. C-SET
Sun., June 12 vs. Seattle 4 p.m. C-SET
Thu., June 30 at Washington 7 p.m. C-SET
Fri., July 22 at Connecticut 7:30 p.m. C-SET
Tue., August 2 at Washington 8 p.m. ESPN 2
Thu., August 25 at New York 7:30 p.m. C-SET
OVER THE AIRWAVES
All 34 regular season games can be heard live on WNMX 106.1 FM.
STING TICKETS
Sting tickets are on sale now. All seats are located in the lower bowl and start as low as $10. Fans can purchase tickets at the Charlotte Coliseum ticket office, any Ticketmaster location, by calling 1-877-WNBA-TIX or by logging onto www.charlottesting.com. For information on season tickets, Weekend Plans, Flex Plans or group tickets please a ticket representative at 704-424-WNBA.
WNBA OFFSEASON NEWS
-Chicago was awarded a WNBA team on February 8, 2005. The team has not yet been named but will begin play in the summer of 2006.
-Donna Orender was hired as the successor to Val Ackerman as WNBA President.
OKAFOR NAMED TOP NBA ROOKIE
Bobcats forward Emeka Okafor was named the
2004-05 NBA got milk? Rookie of the Year. Okafor led
all rookies this season with averages of 15.1 points and
10.9 rebounds in 35.6 minutes
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from May 9, 2005
- Seattle Storm request waivers on Michelle Greco and Eva Montesdeoca Lopez - Seattle Storm
- Silver Stars waive Hicks and Oha - San Antonio Stars
- Monarchs release Ruthie Bolton, offer her fan relations position - Sacramento Monarchs
- Charlotte Sting Weekly Update - Charlotte Sting
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
