Detroit Shock
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| Detroit Shock | |
 |
|
| Conference | Eastern Conference |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Home court | The Palace of Auburn Hills |
| Colors | Blue, red |
| WNBA Championships | 2 (2003, 2006) |
| Conference Championships | 2 (2003, 2006) |
| Playoff Appearances | 5 (1999, 2003–2006) |
| Head coach | Bill Laimbeer |
| General manager | Bill Laimbeer |
| Owner | William Davidson |
| Mascot | Zap [1] |
The Detroit Shock is a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Detroit, Michigan. Debuting in 1998, they were one of the league's first expansion franchises. They are the first WNBA expansion franchise to win a WNBA Championship. The team is the sister team of the Detroit Pistons and has been coached by Pistons legend Bill Laimbeer.
Uniforms:
- White with the team's logo of the stylized Detroit Shock name, in black and blue, over a WNBA basketball at home. Blue with the word "Detroit" across the front for the road jersey.
Contents |
[edit] Franchise history
Upon starting in 1998, the Detroit Shock quickly brought a blend of rookies and veterans, such as Sandy Brondello. (Brondello was later traded to the Miami Sol before the 2001 season.) Their first coach was hall of famer Nancy Lieberman.
Several years after making the playoffs in 1999, Detroit came in last place during the 2002 season, and former Detroit Pistons center Bill Laimbeer was brought in as coach. Laimbeer's ideas influenced the team's front management, who agreed with the new coach's idea to bring over some new players he felt necessary to become a contender.
Laimbeer predicted that the Shock would be league champions in 2003, and his prediction became a reality when they defeated the Los Angeles Sparks two games to one in the 2003 WNBA Finals. The final score in the championship game that year was Shock 83, Sparks 78. That game drew the largest crowd ever in WNBA history, as 22,076 came to watch. Detroit, much like the 1991 Minnesota Twins in baseball, became the first team in WNBA history to make it from last place to world champions the next year and the Shock also became the second Eastern conference team to win the championship in WNBA history (The Houston Comets were in the Eastern Conference in 1997).
2005 saw the addition of former Piston star Rick Mahorn as an assistant coach to Laimbeer. [2]
The Shock dethroned the Sacramento Monarchs by winning the last two games of the series and winning the series 3-2 in 2006. They became the first WNBA team to win non-consecutive championships.
[edit] Season-by-Season Records
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Win-Loss %
| Season | W | L | % | Playoffs | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Shock | |||||
| 1998 | 17 | 13 | .567 | ||
| 1999 | 15 | 17 | .469 | Lost First Round | Charlotte 60, Detroit 54 |
| 2000 | 14 | 18 | .438 | ||
| 2001 | 10 | 22 | .313 | ||
| 2002 | 9 | 23 | .281 | ||
| 2003 | 25 | 9 | .735 | Won First Round Won Conference Finals Won WNBA Finals |
Detroit 2, Cleveland 1 Detroit 2, Connecticut 0 Detroit 2, Los Angeles 1 |
| 2004 | 17 | 17 | .500 | Lost First Round | New York 2, Detroit 1 |
| 2005 | 16 | 18 | .471 | Lost First Round | Connecticut 2, Detroit 0 |
| 2006 | 23 | 11 | .676 | Won First Round Won Conference Finals Won WNBA Finals |
Detroit 2, Indiana 0 Detroit 2, Connecticut 1 Detroit 3, Sacramento 2 |
| Totals | 146 | 148 | .497 | ||
| Playoffs | 14 | 10 | .583 | 2 WNBA Championships |
Stats updated September 9, 2006
[edit] Players of note
[edit] Hall of Famers
None
[edit] Retired numbers
None
[edit] Not to be forgotten
- Jennifer Azzi
- Carla Boyd
- Sandy Brondello, now an Assistant Coach for the San Antonio Silver Stars
- Edwina Brown
- Dominique Canty
- Anna DeForge
- Barbara Farris
- Korie Hlede
- Astou Ndiaye-Diatta
- Claudia Neves
- Wendy Palmer
- Olympia Scott-Richardson
- Elena Tornikidou
[edit] Current Roster
| Detroit Shock Current Roster |
||||
| Head Coach: Bill Laimbeer | Edit | |||
| Pos. | No. | Name | College | |
| F | 21 | Jacqueline Batteast | Notre Dame | |
| F | 45 | Kara Braxton | Georgia | |
| F | 32 | Swin Cash | Connecticut | |
| F | 35 | Cheryl Ford | Louisiana Tech | |
| G | 11 | Kedra Holland-Corn | Georgia | |
| G-F | 14 | Deanna Nolan | Georgia | |
| F-C | 23 | Plenette Pierson | Texas Tech | |
| G | 5 | Elaine Powell | LSU | |
| C | 00 | Ruth Riley | Notre Dame | |
| G | 30 | Katie Smith | Ohio State | |
| F | 33 | Angelina Williams | Illinois | |
| (IL) - Inactive List | ||||
[edit] Coaches and others
Head Coaches:
- Nancy Lieberman (1998-2000), also served as General Manager (Hall of Famer)
- Greg Williams (2001-2002)
- Bill Laimbeer (2002-Present)
[edit] External links
| Women's National Basketball Association | |
| Eastern Conference | |
|---|---|
| Charlotte Sting | Chicago Sky | Connecticut Sun | Detroit Shock | |
| Indiana Fever | New York Liberty | Washington Mystics | |
| Western Conference | |
| Houston Comets | Los Angeles Sparks | Minnesota Lynx | Phoenix Mercury | |
| Sacramento Monarchs | San Antonio Silver Stars | Seattle Storm | |
| Former teams: Cleveland Rockers | Miami Sol | Portland Fire | |
| Media: The WNBA on ESPN2 | List of WNBA Finals broadcasters | |
| Other Women's Leagues: National Women's Basketball League | Women's National Basketball League (Australia) |
