Houston Comets
| Houston Comets | ||
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| founding | 1997 | |
| resolution | 2008 | |
| history |
Houston Comets 1997 - 2008 |
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| Stadion | Reliant Arena | |
| Location | Houston , Texas | |
| Club colors | Red Blue | |
| league | WNBA | |
| Conference | Western Conference | |
| Championships | 1997 , 1998 , 1999 , 2000 | |
| Conference title | 1997 , 1998 , 1999 , 2000 | |
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The Houston Comets were an American basketball franchise of the Women's National Basketball Association based in Houston , Texas . You played in the WNBA from 1997 to 2008. The team colors were red and blue.
In their final season in the WNBA, the Comets played their home games in the Reliant Arena and were one of eight teams that participated in the first season of the WNBA. The Comets were able to win the championship every time for the first four seasons, making them one of the most successful teams in WNBA history. Even after the 2015 season, the Comets are still the sole WNBA record champions with their four titles.
history
Four championships in four seasons (1997-2001)
The Houston Comets were one of eight teams to compete in the WNBA's inaugural season. In the first season of 1997 , the Comets could end the regular season with 18 wins in 28 games as the best team in the league. The Comets continued this strong performance in the playoffs, where they were finally able to win their first WNBA championship in the final against the New York Liberty , which also made them the first champion in the history of the WNBA. But not only the championship title went to Houston, but also most of the awards. Cynthia Cooper was named Finals MVP and MVP of the Season . Furthermore, it was Van Chancellor for Coach of the Year nominated. In the 1998 season , the WNBA took on two new teams, since both teams were placed in the Eastern Conference , a team from the East had to be relocated to the Western Conference . Since the Comets was the closest team to the Western Conference, the Comets were part of the Western Conference from this season onwards. The Comets were not influenced by this change and were able to win 27 of 30 games in the regular season. With that they won 90% of their games, a brand that no other team has been able to beat. As in the previous season, the Comets made it into the finals, where they met the Phoenix Mercury this time . While in the 1997 season a single game decided in the playoffs about elimination and advancement, this season was played in the playoffs for the first time according to the best-of-three system. After the Mercury won the first game in Phoenix, the Comets won the remaining two home games and were able to win the WNBA championship again. Cooper was also awarded the Finals MVP and MVP of the Season that season. Chancellor was also voted Coach of the Year for the second time. As of the 1999 season , the Comets were also known as the Big Three aka Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson . Not much has changed this season from the previous ones. The Comets finished the regular season as the best team and even if they always had to play the full distance in the playoffs, winning the third title in a row was never in danger. The Comets dedicated this championship to Kim Perrot , who died that year of complications from lung cancer. As in the previous two seasons, Cooper was named Finals MVP and Chancellor was named Coach of the Yeahr. In honor of Perrot, the Sportsmanship Award was renamed the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award in the 2000 season . This season the Comets could not finish the regular season as the best team in the entire league for the first time. The Los Angeles Sparks were able to win a game more than the Comets with 28 wins. But in the playoffs not even the Sparks could stand in the way of the Comets, who could decide every game for themselves and thus won their fourth title in a row. At the end of this season, several awards went to players from the Comets. Cooper received the Finals MVP Award for the fourth year in a row and Swoopes was named MVP of the season and Defensive Player of the Year . After winning the fourth championship, Cooper announced her retirement from professional sports.
Time after Cooper and dissolution (2002-2008)
Without Cooper, the Comets could not defend their title in the 2001 season and were eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals. In the 2002 season , the dream of the fifth title was already over after the Western Conference semifinals, which was mainly due to the fact that Swoopes had to sit out almost the whole year due to an injury. In the 2003 season, the Comets were eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals, as in the previous two seasons. In the 2004 season, the Comets hit a new Tiefpunktverpassten when they missed the first time in its history the playoffs. In the 2005 season they made it back to the playoffs, where they defeated the reigning champions Seattle Storm in the Western Conference semifinals , but the Comets had to give the eventual champions the Sacramento Monarchs clearly defeated in two games in the Western Conference Finals . After the Comets were eliminated in the playoffs against the Monarchs in the 2006 season , the previous owner Leslie Alexander sold the franchise to Hilton Koch . In January 2007, Chancellor resigned as head coach of the Comets. Karleen Thompson was then appointed the new head coach and general manager of the Comets. On December 12th, Koch announced that from the 2008 season onwards, the Comets would no longer play in the Toyota Center but in the Reliant Arena . In the regular season, the Comets were able to win exactly half of their games, but this result was just not enough to reach the playoffs. On December 2, 2008, WNBA President Donna Orender announced that the previous season was the last of the Comets in the WNBA. Although some investors were interested in taking over the franchise, the decision was made to dissolve the club as a change of ownership would not have been completed in time by the beginning of the 2009 season . On December 8, 2008, a dispersal draft took place for the players of the Comets .
Achievements and honors
Sporting successes
The Comets were able to win the WNBA championship four times in the 1997 , 1998 , 1999 and 2000 seasons , so they are still the most successful team in the history of the WNBA, ahead of the Shock / Wings , the Phoenix Mercury and the Minnesota Lynx with three titles each . In addition, the Comets are the only WNBA team that was able to achieve the best record in the regular season in both the Eastern and Western Conference.
WNBA trophies and awards
Due to the team's success, the Comets also won many individual awards.
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WNBA Most Valuable Player Award
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Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award
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WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award
WNBA Most Improved Player Award
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Season after season
Abbreviations: Sp. = Games, S = victories, N = defeats
| season | Sp. | S. | N | Wins in% | space | Playoffs |
| 1997 | 28 | 18th | 10 | 64.3 | 1st, Eastern Conference | WNBA semifinals win, 1-0 ( Charlotte Sting ) WNBA champions , 1-0 ( New York Liberty ) |
| 1998 | 30th | 27 | 3 | 90.0 | 1st, Western Conference | WNBA semifinals win, 2-0 ( Charlotte Sting ) WNBA champions , 2-1 ( Phoenix Mercury ) |
| 1999 | 32 | 26th | 6th | 81.3 | 1st, Western Conference | Conference Finals win, 2-1 ( Los Angeles Sparks ) WNBA champions , 2-1 ( New York Liberty ) |
| 2000 | 32 | 27 | 5 | 84.4 | 2nd, Western Conference | Conference semifinals win, 2-0 ( Sacramento Monarchs ) Conference finals win, 2-0 ( Los Angeles Sparks ) WNBA champions , 2-0 ( New York Liberty ) |
| 2001 | 32 | 19th | 13 | 59.4 | 4th, Western Conference | Conference semifinals lost, 2-0 ( Los Angeles Sparks ) |
| 2002 | 32 | 24 | 8th | 75.0 | 2nd, Western Conference | Conference semifinals lost, 2-1 ( Utah Starzz ) |
| 2003 | 34 | 20th | 14th | 58.8 | 2nd, Western Conference | Conference semifinals lost, 2-1 ( Sacramento Monarchs ) |
| 2004 | 34 | 13 | 21st | 38.2 | 6th, Western Conference | not qualified |
| 2005 | 34 | 19th | 15th | 55.9 | 3rd, Western Conference | Victory in the Conference Semifinals, 2-1 ( Seattle Storm ) defeat in the Conference Finals, 0-2 ( Sacramento Monarchs ) |
| 2006 | 34 | 18th | 16 | 52.9 | 3rd, Western Conference | Conference semifinals lost, 2-0 ( Sacramento Monarchs ) |
| 2007 | 34 | 13 | 21st | 38.2 | 5th, Western Conference | not qualified |
| 2008 | 34 | 17th | 17th | 50.0 | 5th, Western Conference | not qualified |
| total | 390 | 241 | 149 | 61.8 | 9 playoff appearances in 12 seasons 15 series: 10 wins, 5 losses 34 games: 20 wins, 14 losses (58.8%) |
Trainer
| Surname | season | Regular season | Playoffs | ||||
| GC | W. | L. | GC | W. | L. | ||
| Van Chancellor | 1997 to 2006 | 322 | 211 | 111 | 34 | 20th | 14th |
| Karleen Thompson | 2007 to 2008 | 68 | 30th | 38 | - | - | - |
The Comets had only two head coaches in their eleven seasons in the WNBA. The greatest successes celebrated the Comets under Van Chancellor with whom the Comets won the championship four times in a row. Chancellor was named WNBA Coach of the Year in 1997 , 1998 and 1999 . When the Comets were sold to Hilton Koch , Chancellor resigned as head coach. His position was taken over by Karleen Thompson who was previously assistant coach of the Comets. Thompson could never reach the playoffs in the two seasons as head coach with the Comets.
Players
Blocked jersey numbers
The jersey numbers of the following players have been banned by the Comets:
| Blocked jersey numbers | |||
| Players | |||
| # | Surname | position | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Kim Perrot | Guard | 1997-1998 |
| 14th | Cynthia Cooper | Guard | 1997-2000, 2003 |
WNBA championship teams
(Participation in at least one playoff game)
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WNBA champion 1997 |
Guards: Cynthia Cooper (Finals MVP) , Kim Perrot , Tiffany Woosley Forwards: Janeth Arcain , Wanda Guyton , Yolanda Moore , Sheryl Swoopes , Tina Thompson , Forward Center: Tammy Jackson Head coach: Van Chancellor |
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WNBA champion 1998 |
Guards: Cynthia Cooper (Finals MVP) , Kim Perrot Forwards: Janeth Arcain, Tammy Jackson , Yolanda Moore, Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson Center: Monica Lamb Head coach: Van Chancellor |
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WNBA champion 1999 |
Guards: Cynthia Cooper (Finals MVP) , Sonja Henning , Jennifer Rizzotti Forwards: Janeth Arcain, Tammy Jackson, Mila Nikolich , Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson, Amaya Valdemoro Center: Polina Tzekova , Kara Wolters Head coach: Van Chancellor |
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WNBA champion 2000 |
Guards: Cynthia Cooper (Finals MVP) , Jennifer Rizzotti, Coquese Washington Forwards: Janeth Arcain, Tammy Jackson, Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson, Amaya Valdemoro Forwards / Guards: Kelley Gibson Center: Tiffani Johnson Head coach: Van Chancellor |
First-round voting rights in the WNBA Draft
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In the twelve years of existence, the club had only ten draft rights in the first round of the WNBA draft . With the exception of 2004 and 2006 , the franchise had one draft pick each in the first round.
Before the first WNBA season, the franchise was lucky enough to be the first team to select a player in the first position. With Tina Thompson , the team from Houston was able to add another building block to the very successful team. Due to the team success, the Comets did not have any top draft picks in the following seasons. A maximum of one player in fifth position could be selected. This is also the main reason why none of the Comets players received the award for the best newcomer of the year .
Individual evidence
- ↑ WNBA.com (2 December 2008), Houston Comets to Suspend Operations for 2009 WNBA Season
- ^ All-Time WNBA Draft Picks. WNBA, accessed November 30, 2016 .