Charlotte Sting Weekly Update

Published on May 16, 2005 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Charlotte Sting News Release


OPENING NIGHT
The Sting open the 2005 season on Saturday, May 21 at 6 p.m. at the Charlotte Coliseum. The first 5,000 fans receive commemorative t-shirts courtesy of BET as well as STAPLES schedule magnets. As part of the festivities, Young MC will perform at halftime. A Fanfest, featuring inflatable games and contests, will be held on the concourse.

BE SMART, BE FIT, BE YOURSELF EVENT
The entire Sting team will visit Sterling Paideia Elementary School in Pineville, NC on Thursday, May 19 at 1:30 p.m. to host a Be Smart, Be Fit, Be Yourself Event. The team will help the kids participate in obstacle courses, arts and crafts and nutrition exercises.

BATTLE OF #1 AND #2
The top two picks in the 2005 WNBA Draft will face off for the first time this season when the Sting travel to Indiana to meet the Fever on Sunday, May 22. The Sting selected Janel McCarville from the University of Minnesota with the #1 pick in the draft while the Fever selected Tan White from Mississippi State with the #2 pick.

TAKING IT AWAY
On May 12 vs. the Los Angeles Sparks, both Tangela Smith and Sheri Sam recorded five steals in the game. This marks the first time in Sting history that two players have recorded 5-plus steals in the same game.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Sheri Sam and Tangela Smith have had strong performances in their first two appearances as members of the Charlotte Sting. Sam, signed as a free agent, has led the team in scoring in both preseason games and is averaging 13 points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals in two preseason games. Smith, acquired in an offseason trade with the Monarchs, has also scored in double-digits in both preseason games. She tied Sam for top Sting scoring honors on Thursday, May 12 vs. LA. In preseason play, Smith is averaging 12.5 points, two rebounds and four steals per game.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Mon., May 16 – vs. Houston
7 p.m. – 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.

Sat., May 21 – vs. Washington
6 p.m. – Charlotte Coliseum

The Sting open their 2005 campaign by hosting their closest Eastern Conference rival, the Washington Mystics. The Mystics are led by second-year standout Alana Beard. As a rookie in 2004, Beard averaged 13.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists. During the offseason, the Mystics added depth to their frontcourt by acquiring forward DeLisha Milton-Jones from the Los Angeles Sparks and signing Charlotte Smith-Taylor as a free agent.

Sun., May 22 – at Indiana
7 p.m. – Conseco Fieldhouse

The Sting play their first back-to-back of the season as they travel to Indiana to face the Fever. In 2004, forward Tamika Catchings led the Fever in points (16.7 ppg), rebounds (7.3 rpg), assists (3.4 apg), blocks (1.12 bpg) and steals (1.97 spg). WNBA veteran Natalie Williams teams up with Catchings to create a dangerous duo in the Fever frontcourt. Indiana added another scoring threat to their roster by selecting Tan White with the second pick in the draft.

SMITH-TAYLOR RETURNS TO CHARLOTTE
Selected by the Sting in the third round of the 1999 WNBA Draft, Charlotte Smith-Taylor spent six seasons with the Sting before signing with the Mystics as a free agent during the offseason. The Shelby, North Carolina native makes her first return to the Queen City on Saturday, May 21 as the Sting host the Mystics at 6 p.m.

KEY WNBA DATES
May 20 – Final roster cut-down
May 21 – Opening Night – Sting vs. Mystics – 6 p.m.
July 9 – WNBA All-Star Game –Mohegan Sun Arena
August 1 – 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.

BOBCATS HAVE SECOND-MOST CHANCES IN LOTTERY
The Bobcats will have the second-most combinations
in the 2005 NBA Draft Lottery. Charlotte will have a
total of 183 chances out of 1,000 with its two lottery
selections. The NBA Draft Lottery will take place on
May 24 in Secaucus. New Jersey.

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