San Antonio Stars
| San Antonio Stars | ||
|---|---|---|
| founding | 1996 | |
| history |
Utah Starzz 1997 - 2002 San Antonio Silver Stars 2003 - 2013 San Antonio Stars 2014 - 2017 Las Vegas Aces since 2018 |
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| Stadion |
AT & T Center 2003 - 2014 and 2016 - 2017 Freeman Coliseum 2015 |
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| Location | San Antonio , Texas | |
| Club colors | black, silver, white | |
| league | WNBA | |
| Conference | Western Conference | |
| Head coach | Vickie Johnson | |
| General manager | Dan Hughes | |
| owner | Peter Holt | |
| Championships | no | |
| Conference title | 2008 | |
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The San Antonio Stars were an American women's basketball team from the Women's National Basketball Association based in San Antonio , Texas . The team was originally based in Utah, playing under the name San Antonio Silver Stars from 2003 to 2013 and under the name San Antonio Stars from 2014 to 2017. The Silver Stars / Stars were the sister team of the San Antonio Spurs . After the 2017 season, the team was relocated to Las Vegas and plays there under the name Las Vegas Aces .
history
Started in Utah (1997 to 2002)
By 2002 the team was based in Salt Lake City , Utah under the name Utah Starzz , which like all other teams in the league were owned by the NBA . When in 2002 the NBA decided to sell all the teams to the same city-based NBA teams or to third parties, no one was interested in the franchise .
New start in San Antonio (2003 to 2006)
In contrast to other teams, which had to be dissolved due to a lack of interest, the franchise was sold to the owners of the San Antonio Spurs . So the team was relocated to San Antonio , where the Starzz became the Silver Stars. However, this relocation happened at the worst possible moment, because the Utah Starzz were slowly able to celebrate small successes in the WNBA, through the relocation some important players were transferred, so that the Silver Stars could not reach the playoffs four times in a row by 2006 after poor performance.
First successes in San Antonio (2007 to 2013)
Before the 2007 season, the Silver Stars brought Becky Hammon , Ruth Riley , Erin Buescher and Sandora Irvin to San Antonio. Furthermore, Helen Darling was selected in the Dispersal Draft and Camille Little in the 2007 WNBA Draft . The Silver Stars also held their key players in San Antonio. This surprising upgrade made the Silver Stars one of the strongest teams in the Western Conference in the 2007 season. So it was no big surprise that the Silver Stars moved into the WNBA play-offs for the first time since moving to San Antonio , where they beat the Sacramento Monarchs 2-1 in the Western Conference semifinals . In the Western Conference Finals, however, they lost to the Phoenix Mercury . In the 2007 season WNBA MVP election, Becky Hammon was ranked second.
The San Antonio Silver Stars celebrated the most successful season in team history in the 2008 season when they finished the regular season for the first time as the most successful team in the Western Conference . With 24 wins in 34 season games, the Silver Stars not only led the Western Conference, but also the league. In the playoff, the teams of the Sacramento Monarchs and the Los Angeles Sparks could then be beaten. Thus, the team reached this season for the first time in the history of the franchise (including the time in Utah) the WNBA Finals, where they lost 3-0 in games of the Detroit Shock . With the move into the final series, the win of the Western Conference title was connected.
In the following years the playoffs were still regularly reached, but no more series could be won and the season ended after the first playoff round at the latest.
New name, no new successes (2014 to 2017)
For the 2014 season, the team gave itself a new name, but the sporting success continued to decline. After the 2014 season ended at least after the first playoff round, the stars played their weakest season in team history in 2015 and ended the regular season with only 6 wins. The home games of the season had to be played in the traditional hall in the Freeman Coliseum due to renovation work . Even after returning to the AT&T Center in the 2016 season , the team was not much more successful. With 7 wins this time, the team was again the weakest in the entire WNBA. In 2017 , the team was able to improve by one victory, but missed the playoffs again as the weakest team in the league.
Moved to Las Vegas
After the 2017 season, the team was relocated to Las Vegas and plays there under the name Las Vegas Aces .
Venue
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The San Antonio Stars have played their home games at the AT&T Center in San Antonio since their relocation . The arena is currently also home to the San Antonio Spurs NBA team and the AHL's San Antonio Rampage . Due to renovation work, the stars had to play their home games at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio in 2015. In 2016 she returned to the AT&T Center.
Audience numbers
The audience numbers of the Silver Stars / Stars were well above the WNBA average in the first season after the relocation. In the following season, the average attendance fell below the league average. Since the low point in 2006, audience participation has increased slightly and has been above the WNBA average in recent years. By moving to the Freeman Coliseum in the 2015 season, the average dropped significantly to the worst value in the league. After returning to the main venue, the audience increased a little, but could neither reach the WNBA average nor the own values in front of the alternative location.
Achievements and honors
Sporting successes
The San Antonio Silver Stars celebrated their greatest success in Texas in the 2008 season when they finished the basic round for the first time as the most successful team in the Western Conference . With 24 wins in 34 season games, the Silver Stars not only led the Western Conference, but also the league. In addition, they reached this season for the first time in the history of the franchise (including the time in Utah) the WNBA Finals, where they lost 3-0 in games of the Detroit Shock .
Individual awards
Similar to the team successes, there were no individual awards in the first few years in San Antonio. Individual awards were only given to the Silver Stars once they had made their first playoff participation. After being renamed Stars, only one more award could be won. Despite the awards in recent years, relatively few went to San Antonio.
Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award : The honor for good sporting behavior, which is honored with the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award , has already gone to the team three times. This makes the stars the most successful team in this category alongside the Indiana Fever. Becky Hammon received the only award under the shortened club name.
Peak Performer : The honors for the best statistical values went twice to players of the Silver Stars. All awards were won in the assist category.
- 2007 - Becky Hammon (Assists)
- 2013 - Danielle Robinson (Assists)
Coach of the Year Award : The award for the best coach of the regular season went to San Antonio for the first time in the year of the first playoff participation.
Season after season
Abbreviations: Sp. = Games, S = victories, N = defeats
| season | Sp. | S. | N | Wins in% | space | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seasonal balances 1997 to 2002 see Utah Starzz | ||||||
| Total Starzz |
186 | 87 | 99 | 46.8 | 2 playoff appearances in 6 seasons 3 series: 1 win, 2 losses 7 games: 2 wins, 5 losses (28.6%) |
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| San Antonio Silver Stars | ||||||
| 2003 | 34 | 12 | 22nd | 35.3 | 6th, Western Conference | not qualified |
| 2004 | 34 | 9 | 25th | 26.5 | 7th, Western Conference | not qualified |
| 2005 | 34 | 7th | 27 | 20.6 | 7th, Western Conference | not qualified |
| 2006 | 34 | 13 | 21st | 38.2 | 6th, Western Conference | not qualified |
| 2007 | 34 | 20th | 14th | 58.8 | 2nd, Western Conference | Victory in the Conference Semifinals, 2-1 ( Sacramento Monarchs ), loss in the Conference Finals, 0-2 ( Phoenix Mercury ) |
| 2008 | 34 | 24 | 10 | 70.6 | 1st, Western Conference | Victory in the Conference Semifinals, 2-1 ( Sacramento Monarchs ) victory in the Conference Finals, 2-1 ( Los Angeles Sparks ) defeat in the WNBA Finals, 0-3 ( Detroit Shock ) |
| 2009 | 34 | 15th | 19th | 44.1 | 4th, Western Conference | Conference semifinals lost, 2-1 ( Phoenix Mercury ) |
| 2010 | 34 | 14th | 20th | 41.2 | 3rd, Western Conference | Conference semifinals lost, 2-0 ( Phoenix Mercury ) |
| 2011 | 34 | 18th | 16 | 52.9 | 4th, Western Conference | Conference semifinals lost, 2-1 ( Minnesota Lynx ) |
| 2012 | 34 | 21st | 13 | 61.8 | 3rd, Western Conference | Conference semifinals lost, 2-0 ( Los Angeles Sparks ) |
| 2013 | 34 | 12 | 22nd | 35.3 | 5th, Western Conference | not qualified |
| Sum of Silver Stars |
374 | 165 | 209 | 44.1 | 6 playoff appearances in 11 seasons 9 series: 3 wins, 6 losses 24 games: 8 wins, 16 losses (33.3%) |
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| San Antonio Stars | ||||||
| 2014 | 34 | 16 | 18th | 47.1 | 3rd, Western Conference | Conference semifinals lost, 2-0 ( Minnesota Lynx ) |
| 2015 | 34 | 6th | 28 | 17.6 | 6th, Western Conference | not qualified |
| 2016 | 34 | 7th | 27 | 20.6 | 6th, Western Conference | not qualified |
| 2017 | 34 | 8th | 26th | 23.5 | 6th, Western Conference | not qualified |
| Sum of stars |
136 | 37 | 99 | 27.2 | 1 playoff participation in 4 seasons 1 series: 0 wins, 1 loss 2 games: 0 wins, 2 losses (0.0%) |
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| total sum |
696 | 289 | 407 | 41.5 | 9 playoff appearances in 21 seasons 13 series: 4 wins, 9 losses 33 games: 10 wins, 23 losses (30.3%) |
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| continue at Las Vegas Aces | ||||||
Trainer
| Surname | season | Regular season | Playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W. | L. | GC | W. | L. | ||
| Candi Harvey | 2003 | 22nd | 6th | 16 | - | - | - |
| Shell Dailey | 2003 | 12 | 6th | 6th | - | - | - |
| Dee Brown | 2004 | 24 | 6th | 18th | - | - | - |
| Shell Dailey | 2004 | 10 | 3 | 7th | - | - | - |
| Dan Hughes | 2005 to 2009 | 170 | 79 | 91 | 17th | 7th | 10 |
| Sandy Brondello | 2010 | 34 | 14th | 20th | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Dan Hughes | since 2011 | 34 | 18th | 16 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
Players
Last squad of the 2017 season
As of September 11, 2017
| No. | country | Surname | position | Date of birth | Experience in WNBA |
college |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th |
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Moriah Jefferson | Guard | 03/08/1994 | 1 season | University of Connecticut |
| 5 |
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Dearica Hamby | Forward | 11/06/1993 | 2 seasons | Wake Forest University |
| 6th |
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Alex Montgomery | Guard-Forward | 11/12/1988 | 6 seasons | Georgia Tech |
| 7th |
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Shay Murphy | Guard | April 15, 1985 | 8 seasons | University of Southern California |
| 10 |
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Kelsey Plum | Guard | 08/24/1994 | Rookie | University of Washington |
| 11 |
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Cierra Burdick | Forward | 09/30/1993 | 2 seasons | University of Tennessee |
| 12 |
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Nia Coffey | Forward | 06/11/1995 | Rookie | Northwestern University |
| 17th |
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Sequoia Holmes | Guard | 06/13/1986 | 2 seasons | University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
| 20th |
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Isabelle Harrison | center | 09/27/1993 | 1 season | University of Tennessee |
| 21st |
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Kayla McBride | Guard | 06/25/1992 | 3 seasons | University of Notre Dame |
| 40 |
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Kayla Alexander | center | 01/05/1991 | 4 seasons | Syracuse University |
| 51 |
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Sydney Colson | Guard | 08/06/1989 | 3 seasons | Texas A&M University |
First-round voting rights in the WNBA Draft
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Since the team was relocated prior to the 2003 season , the club had 13 draft rights in the first round of the WNBA draft in 15 seasons . Three times the Silver Stars / Stars did not have a draft pick in the first round due to trades ( 2004 , 2008 and 2009 ). In the 2017 WNBA Draft , for the first time, two players could be selected in the first round of the draft.
The team from Texas was able to select the first player in the draft once. As the top draft pick, Kelsey Plum ( 2017 ) could not quite meet the expectations placed in her and was not voted the best newcomer of the year after her first seasons in the WNBA , but was at least part of the all-rookie team. (Note: In 1999, when the franchise was still in Utah, the club was also able to secure the first draft right)
Before the move after the 2017 season , Kayla Alexander , Kayla McBride , Dearica Hamby , Moriah Jefferson , Kelsey Plum and Nia Coffey were six players selected by the team in the first round of the draft.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ San Antonio Silver Stars Draft History. WNBA, accessed July 15, 2012 .
- ^ All-Time WNBA Draft Picks. WNBA, accessed November 30, 2016 .