The WNBA’s finish to the 2003 season Tuesday more than made up for what was kind of a messy start.
The Detroit Shock went from worst to first, beating two-time defending champion Los Angeles 83-78. The crowd of 22,076 for the deciding game three at Detroit’s Palace in Auburn Hills was the largest in WNBA history. And the fans were treated to a well-played game that went down to the wire.
It was all the league could want, and more than many hoped for just a few months ago.
The WNBA had to delay its draft until a collective-bargaining agreement was reached. Then with a fairly pedestrian college senior class, the draft wasn’t much of blockbuster. And once play got under way, it appeared Los Angeles was on its way to dominating the league again.
But Detroit emerged as the top story. The Shock had the WNBA’s worst record in 2002, 9-23. It was thought for a while that the franchise would not survive.
However, former Pistons player Bill Laimbeer started studying the Shock’s operation and was convinced he could right the ship. They gave him the helm when Detroit was 0-13 last summer, and so his team was 9-10 and thus built hope for this season.
Last fall, the WNBA changed its business structure from a central command to individual ownership for each team. Twelve owners took on that commitment, four wanted out. Two of the latter franchises, Utah and Orlando, were moved to San Antonio and Connecticut as expansion teams, putting the league at 14 teams.
The other two, Miami and Portland, disbanded. And Detroit was a big benefactor, as it got to pick first in the dispersal draft of those players. The Shock took Miami center Ruth Riley, who had led Notre Dame to the NCAA title in 2001.
Detroit then had the third pick in the regular draft and chose Louisiana Tech post player Cheryl Ford, daughter of NBA star Karl Malone. They combined with the Shock’s top pick from 2002, Swin Cash, to lead the turnaround.
Cash was a contender for the league’s season MVP. Ford won rookie of the year, and Riley was the WNBA finals MVP after scoring 27 points in game three.
Detroit became the first “true” East team to take the title. The first champion, Houston, was in the Eastern Conference when the league began in 1997 with just eight teams. But the Comets moved to the West the next year and won three subsequent titles.
The Shock was part of the youth movement in the league. Detroit has no player older than 29, and four of its starters are 24 or younger. The league MVP was Seattle’s Lauren Jackson, an Australian who is 22.
Leaguewide, scoring was up (68.1 points per game) and turnovers were down (28.6 per game). The attendance average dropped slightly, to 8,830 per game during the regular season. But the league has drawn 2 million-plus fans for four consecutive years.
Next season should bring the best incoming class of rookies the league has seen, including Kansas State center Nicole Ohlde.
As for the league’s long-term future, it seems secure. The deal reached between the WNBA and the players’ union is for five years.
The WNBA wants to get back to 16 teams and has shown notable interest in Kansas City. If KC could find an owner or ownership group, its chances of getting a team seem good.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/6803054.htm
The Detroit Shock went from worst to first, beating two-time defending champion Los Angeles 83-78. The crowd of 22,076 for the deciding game three at Detroit’s Palace in Auburn Hills was the largest in WNBA history. And the fans were treated to a well-played game that went down to the wire.
It was all the league could want, and more than many hoped for just a few months ago.
The WNBA had to delay its draft until a collective-bargaining agreement was reached. Then with a fairly pedestrian college senior class, the draft wasn’t much of blockbuster. And once play got under way, it appeared Los Angeles was on its way to dominating the league again.
But Detroit emerged as the top story. The Shock had the WNBA’s worst record in 2002, 9-23. It was thought for a while that the franchise would not survive.
However, former Pistons player Bill Laimbeer started studying the Shock’s operation and was convinced he could right the ship. They gave him the helm when Detroit was 0-13 last summer, and so his team was 9-10 and thus built hope for this season.
Last fall, the WNBA changed its business structure from a central command to individual ownership for each team. Twelve owners took on that commitment, four wanted out. Two of the latter franchises, Utah and Orlando, were moved to San Antonio and Connecticut as expansion teams, putting the league at 14 teams.
The other two, Miami and Portland, disbanded. And Detroit was a big benefactor, as it got to pick first in the dispersal draft of those players. The Shock took Miami center Ruth Riley, who had led Notre Dame to the NCAA title in 2001.
Detroit then had the third pick in the regular draft and chose Louisiana Tech post player Cheryl Ford, daughter of NBA star Karl Malone. They combined with the Shock’s top pick from 2002, Swin Cash, to lead the turnaround.
Cash was a contender for the league’s season MVP. Ford won rookie of the year, and Riley was the WNBA finals MVP after scoring 27 points in game three.
Detroit became the first “true” East team to take the title. The first champion, Houston, was in the Eastern Conference when the league began in 1997 with just eight teams. But the Comets moved to the West the next year and won three subsequent titles.
The Shock was part of the youth movement in the league. Detroit has no player older than 29, and four of its starters are 24 or younger. The league MVP was Seattle’s Lauren Jackson, an Australian who is 22.
Leaguewide, scoring was up (68.1 points per game) and turnovers were down (28.6 per game). The attendance average dropped slightly, to 8,830 per game during the regular season. But the league has drawn 2 million-plus fans for four consecutive years.
Next season should bring the best incoming class of rookies the league has seen, including Kansas State center Nicole Ohlde.
As for the league’s long-term future, it seems secure. The deal reached between the WNBA and the players’ union is for five years.
The WNBA wants to get back to 16 teams and has shown notable interest in Kansas City. If KC could find an owner or ownership group, its chances of getting a team seem good.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/6803054.htm
