WNBA To Select Western Conference All-Star Coach Based On Winning Percentage In 2007
June 5, 2007 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release
NEW YORK, NY, June 5, 2007 -- The WNBA announced today a change in the method by which head coaches for the 2007 WNBA All-Star Game will be selected. The game will be held on Sunday, July 15 in Washington, D.C. and will be televised nationally on ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET.
This season, the head coach of the Western Conference All-Star team will be selected based on the club with the best winning percentage as of July 1, while the head coach of the Eastern Conference All-Star team will remain Bill Laimbeer, by virtue of the Shock's 2006 Eastern Conference Championship.
Pursuant to WNBA guidelines, the coach of the previous season's conference champion typically serves as the All-Star coach for that conference, provided that the coach remains in the same capacity. As John Whisenant resigned his head coaching position with the Sacramento Monarchs after guiding the club to the 2006 Western Conference title and is now serving as the team's General Manager, a new Western Conference All-Star coach will be chosen in the following manner:
After all games have been completed on July 1, the coach of the team in the Western Conference with the best winning percentage will be appointed as the 2007 Western Conference All-Star coach.
Fans worldwide currently have the opportunity to select their favorite players as starters for the eighth WNBA All-Star Game by voting online at WNBA.com, by visiting t-zonesSM on their T-Mobile phones or by entering wap.wnba.com on their mobile phone. Fans can also vote in person at WNBA arenas, WNBA BE Tour locations, the NBA Store, NBA Nation and ESPN Zone in Washington, D.C.
The WNBA All-Star Balloting Program presented by AOL and T-Mobile will be conducted through June 24. Following the completion of fan voting, starting line-ups will be announced on July 3. WNBA head coaches will then select the remaining All-Stars in their respective conference, with the reserves being announced on July 10. By hosting the 2007 All-Star Game, Washington, which also hosted the game in 2002, will join New York as the only cities to stage multiple WNBA All-Star games. In addition to hosting the league's first All-Star event on July 14, 1999, New York's Madison Square Garden was the site of the All-Star Game in 2003 and again last year during the league's 10th anniversary season. The Western Conference dominated play with a perfect 6-0 record before MVP Katie Douglas led the Eastern Conference to a 98-82 victory in last year's WNBA All-Star Game.
Now in its second decade of play, the WNBA features comprehensive national television coverage. ESPN2 and ABC will combine to televise up to 36 games nationally during the 2007 regular season and playoffs. Highlighting ESPN2's 16 regular season telecasts will be the second straight year of "WNBA Tuesdays", which includes 5 doubleheaders and WNBA action on 11 of 14 Tuesday nights in-season. NBA TV will complement ABC and ESPN2's coverage by televising 70 regular season and up to nine playoff games.
In 2006, the WNBA concluded its historic tenth season with an action-packed WNBA Playoffs. The 2006 WNBA Finals capped a playoff run in which the WNBA saw significant increases in attendance and viewership. The Finals, which aired live on ESPN2, saw the Detroit Shock top the Sacramento Monarchs in the first WNBA Finals match up ever to go to a fifth and deciding game.
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from June 5, 2007
- WNBA To Select Western Conference All-Star Coach Based On Winning Percentage In 2007 - WNBA
- Sacramento Monarchs Weekly Update - Sacramento Monarchs
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