Sacramento Monarchs
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| Sacramento Monarchs | |
 |
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| Conference | Western Conference |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Home court | ARCO Arena |
| Colors | Dark purple, gray |
| WNBA Championships | 1 (2005) |
| Conference Championships | 2 (2005, 2006) |
| Playoff Appearances | 6 (1999–2001, 2003–2006) |
| Head coach | Jenny Boucek |
| General manager | John Whisenant |
| Owner | Maloof family |
| Mascot | Monty [1] |
The Sacramento Monarchs is a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Sacramento, California. The team is one of the WNBA's eight original franchises and was noted early on for standout players Ticha Penicheiro, Ruthie Bolton and Yolanda Griffith.
While the Monarchs have been one of the more successful WNBA franchises, they have often trailed behind perennial Western Conference champions the Houston Comets and the Los Angeles Sparks. However, in 2005, the team brought Sacramento its first major championship in a professional sport, winning the WNBA Finals for the first time.
The team is named after the Monarch butterfly and the type of ruler. As the name "Monarchs" suggests, they are the sister team of the Sacramento Kings.
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[edit] Franchise History
The Monarchs made an impact in the WNBA almost immediately. With the hiring of Portuguese national team player Ticha Penicheiro, popular player Ruthie Bolton and prolific scorer Yolanda Griffith, all of whom have been WNBA All-Stars, the Monarchs have been able to make the playoffs almost every year so far, but were normally eliminated before reaching the WNBA Finals.
After losing to the Seattle Storm in the 2004 WNBA Western Conference Championship, the Monarchs made major roster moves to improve the team, by way of obtaining younger players and emphasizing Head Coach John Whisenant's defense-oriented system. Bolton, one of the team's original players, became a free agent and the Monarchs made the difficult decision not to keep her on the active playing roster, though they did offer her a position in their front office. Edna Campbell, a breast cancer survivor and another fan favorite, was not signed by the Monarchs and later signed with the San Antonio Silver Stars.
On March 3, 2005, the Monarchs traded Tangela Smith and a 2006 second round draft pick to the Charlotte Sting in exchange for former Stanford University standout Nicole Powell, Olympia Scott-Richardson, and Erin Buescher. After signing two Chinese players, Miao Lijie and Sui Feifei, the Monarchs traded Chantelle Anderson to the San Antonio Silver Stars for a 2006 draft pick. During the 2005 WNBA Draft, the Monarchs drafted point guard Kristin Haynie from Michigan State University and Chelsea Newton from Rutgers University. The Monarchs did sign Ruthie Bolton as a free agent for the purpose of her trying to win a spot on team's roster during its pre-season training camp, but eventually waived her. Bolton later joined the Monarchs to work in their promotions and public relations department.
The offseason moves immediately paid off for the Monarchs as the team finished with a franchise-best 25-9 win/loss record. Whisenant was later named the WNBA Coach of the Year, and Powell received the WNBA Most Improved Player Award. After previous seasons of being eliminated from the WNBA Playoffs by either the Houston Comets or the Los Angeles Sparks, the Monarchs finally defeated both teams during the 2005 WNBA Playoffs to earn their first appearance in the WNBA Finals against the Connecticut Sun. The Monarchs won their first ever WNBA Finals by defeating the Sun, three games to one in a best-of-five playoff series, which brought Sacramento its first major championship in a professional sport.
[edit] Season-by-Season Records
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Win-Loss %
| Season | W | L | % | Playoffs | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento Monarchs | |||||
| 1997 | 10 | 18 | .357 | ||
| 1998 | 8 | 22 | .267 | ||
| 1999 | 19 | 13 | .594 | Lost First Round | Los Angeles 71, Sacramento 58 |
| 2000 | 21 | 11 | .656 | Lost First Round | Houston 2, Sacramento 0 |
| 2001 | 20 | 12 | .625 | Won First Round Lost Conference Finals |
Sacramento 2, Utah 0 Los Angeles 2, Sacramento 1 |
| 2002 | 14 | 18 | .438 | ||
| 2003 | 19 | 15 | .559 | Won First Round Lost Conference Finals |
Sacramento 2, Houston 1 Los Angeles 2, Sacramento 1 |
| 2004 | 18 | 16 | .529 | Won First Round Lost Conference Finals |
Sacramento 2, Los Angeles 1 Seattle 2, Sacramento 1 |
| 2005 | 25 | 9 | .735 | Won First Round Won Conference Finals Won WNBA Finals |
Sacramento 2, Los Angeles 0 Sacramento 2, Houston 0 Sacramento 3, Connecticut 1 |
| 2006 | 21 | 13 | .618 | Won First Round Won Conference Finals Lost WNBA Finals |
Sacramento 2, Houston 0 Sacramento 2, Los Angeles 0 Detroit 3, Sacramento 2 |
| Totals | 175 | 147 | .543 | ||
| Playoffs | 22 | 15 | .595 | 1 WNBA Championship |
Stats updated September 9, 2006
[edit] Players of note
[edit] Hall of Famers
- Bridgette Gordon (scheduled to be inducted in July 2007)
[edit] Retired numbers
- 6 Ruthie Bolton
- GM Jerry Reynolds, the Monarchs' first General Manager, has a retired jersey marked "GM", that was hung onto the ARCO Arena's rafters in 2004.
[edit] Not to be forgotten
- Tajama Abraham, now Tajama Ngongba, an Assistant Coach at George Washington University
- Chantelle Anderson
- Quacy Barnes, now an Assistant Coach at Eastern Illinois University
- Cass Bauer-Bilodeau
- Cindy Blodgett, now an Assistant Coach at Brown University
- Linda Burgess
- Latasha Byears
- Edna Campbell
- Stacy Clinesmith
- La'Keshia Frett
- Bridgette Gordon
- Lady Grooms
- Kedra Holland-Corn
- Pamela McGee
- Chelsea Newton
- Olympia Scott-Richardson
- Tangela Smith
- Kate Starbird
- Katy Steding, now the head coach at Warner Pacific College
- Chantel Tremitiere
- Kara Wolters
- Corissa Yasen (died in 2001)
[edit] Current Roster
| Sacramento Monarchs Current Roster |
||||
| Head Coach: John Whisenant | Edit | |||
| Pos. | No. | Name | College | |
| F | 32 | Rebekkah Brunson | Georgetown | |
| F-C | 7 | Erin Buescher | The Masters College | |
| G | 5 | Scholanda Dorrell | Louisiana State | |
| F-C | 33 | Yolanda Griffith | Florida Atlantic | |
| G | 4 | Kristin Haynie | Michigan State | |
| G | 20 | Kara Lawson | Tennessee | |
| G | 9 | Hamchétou Maïga-Ba | Old Dominion | |
| G | 21 | Ticha Penicheiro | Old Dominion | |
| F | 14 | Nicole Powell | Stanford | |
| F | 8 | Kim Smith | Utah | |
| F | 22 | DeMya Walker | Virginia | |
| (IL) - Inactive List | ||||
[edit] Coaches and others
Head Coaches:
- Mary Murphy (1997), now a color commentator for Pac-10 women's basketball games on Fox Sports Net in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Heidi VanDerveer (1997-1998), now an assistant coach for the Seattle Storm
- Sonny Allen (1999-2000)
- Maura McHugh (2001-2003), now the Head Coach at State University of New York at Stony Brook
- John Whisenant (2003-2006)
- Jenny Boucek (starting in 2007)
General Managers:
[edit] Trivia
- First professional women sports team to appear on cover of Wheaties box.
[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) |
