Sports stats



WNBA Chicago Sky

Chicago WNBA Team Hires NBA Hall-of-Famer Dave Cowens as Head Coach

May 26, 2005 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Chicago Sky News Release


Chicago, May 26, 2005 -- The Chicago WNBA franchise announced the hiring of former Boston Celtics great and Hall-of-Famer Dave Cowens as head coach of the new team.

We promised this city a team that will compete with the heart and soul people associate with Chicago. We promised a team that works as hard as the people of Chicago do. I am thrilled that we have found a coach who is the personification of this philosophy, said team President and CEO Margaret Stender.

Cowens, 57, played center for the Boston Celtics. Although he was considered too small at 69 for the position by some critics, the left-hander relied on hustle and heart to help resurrect a Celtics dynasty. Cowens played for 11 years, 10 of which were with the Celtics. He was voted NBA MVP in 1973, was a seven-time NBA All-Star, and led the Celtics to two NBA championships. While with Boston, he averaged 18 points and 14 rebounds, ranking 3 in rebounds overall, 10th in games played and 8th in assists.

The WNBA represents all that is great about basketball, said Cowens, named in 1996 as one of the 50 greatest ever NBA players. My goal as a player in the NBA was not to be the best player on the floor, but to be the best team player. I see that concept everywhere I look in the WNBA. The players move the ball, play intense defense and dive for loose balls. They play with mutual respect, tenacity and high energy.

Cowens has had coaching experience in the NBA beginning with Boston as a player-coach and then with the Charlotte Hornets and the Golden State Warriors compiling a 153-176 record. He led the Hornets to back-to-back 50-plus win seasons and finished second to Pat Riley in the NBA Coach of the Year balloting after the 1996-97 season.

"The Chicago team is quickly building on the high level of professionalism and on-the-court action on which we in the WNBA pride ourselves," said WNBA President Donna Orender. "The addition of a Head Coach with the basketball experience, undeniable talent and incredible passion for our game that Dave Cowens possesses underscores the Chicago team ownership's commitment to bringing the best the world of women's basketball has to offer to the great city of Chicago."

Doug Bruno, head coach of the DePaul University womens team, will join the Chicago WNBA team as a consultant. Bruno has coached the DePaul women for 19 years and has helped the Blue Demons achieve national status as one of the top womens programs in the country. An alumnus of DePaul, Bruno coached the Chicago Hustle of the Womens Basketball League from 1978-80.

The Chicago WNBA team will begin play in the 2006 season at the UIC Pavilion, located on the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago and with a seating capacity of 7,500. The Chicago team will be the leagues 14th franchise and will play in the Eastern Conference.

Check out the Chicago Sky Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Women's National Basketball Association message board...

Women's National Basketball Association Stories from May 26, 2005


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.

OurSports Central