1997 Utah Starzz season
The 1997 WNBA season was the inaugural season for the Utah Starzz. The Starzz were partially named after the old ABA team, the Utah Stars, but with the zz at the end like the Utah Jazz. The franchise held the distinction of having the worst record in the WNBA in 1997.
| 1997 Utah Starzz season | |
|---|---|
| Coach | Denise Taylor |
| Arena | Delta Center |
| Attendance | 7,611 per game |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–21 (.250) |
| Place | 4th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Offseason
Initial Player Allocation
| Pick | Player | Nationality | WNBA Team | College/HS/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Elena Baranova (C/F) |  Russia |
Utah Starzz | Russia |
| 16 | Lady Hardmon (G) |  United States |
Utah Starzz | Georgia |
WNBA draft
| Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College/HS/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Tammi Reiss | (G) | United States |
Virginia |
Regular season
Season standings
| Western Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix Mercury x | 16 | 12 | .571 | 9–3 | – |
| Los Angeles Sparks o | 14 | 14 | .500 | 8–4 | 2.0 |
| Sacramento Monarchs o | 10 | 18 | .357 | 4–8 | 6.0 |
| Utah Starzz o | 7 | 21 | .250 | 3–9 | 9.0 |
Season schedule
| Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 21 | Sacramento | 60-70 | Loss | 0-1 |
| June 23 | Los Angeles | 102-89 | Win | 1-1 |
| June 26 | @ Cleveland | 63-74 | Loss | 1-2 |
| June 28 | Houston | 58-76 | Loss | 1-3 |
| July 2 | @ Sacramento | 73-68 (OT) | Win | 2-3 |
| July 3 | Phoenix | 55-77 | Loss | 2-4 |
| July 5 | New York | 53-66 | Loss | 2-5 |
| July 7 | Sacramento | 69-79 | Loss | 2-6 |
| July 11 | @ Los Angeles | 68-75 | Loss | 2-7 |
| July 12 | Phoenix | 52-51 | Win | 3-7 |
| July 14 | @ Houston | 56-79 | Loss | 3-8 |
| July 16 | @ Charlotte | 63-75 | Loss | 3-9 |
| July 17 | @ New York | 54-80 | Loss | 3-10 |
| July 19 | @ Cleveland | 68-95 | Loss | 3-11 |
| July 22 | @ New York | 78-71 | Win | 4-11 |
| July 26 | Cleveland | 66-77 | Loss | 4-12 |
| July 30 | @ Los Angeles | 69-91 | Loss | 4-13 |
| August 2 | Houston | 74-63 | Win | 5-13 |
| August 4 | Charlotte | 73-70 | Win | 6-13 |
| August 6 | @ Phoenix | 46-78 | Loss | 6-14 |
| August 8 | @ Sacramento | 78-93 | Loss | 6-15 |
| August 11 | Cleveland | 59-74 | Loss | 6-16 |
| August 12 | @ Houston | 56-76 | Loss | 6-17 |
| August 16 | Los Angeles | 64-74 | Loss | 6-18 |
| August 17 | @ Phoenix | 63-71 (OT) | Loss | 6-19 |
| August 19 | New York | 81-75 | Win | 7-19 |
| August 21 | Charlotte | 56-66 | Loss | 7-20 |
| August 24 | @ Charlotte | 52-70 | Loss | 7-21 |
Player stats
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wendy Palmer | 28 | 28 | 33.4 | .374 | .250 | .676 | 8.0 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 15.8 |
| Elena Baranova | 28 | 27 | 32.6 | .390 | .377 | .694 | 7.4 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 12.2 |
| Kim Williams | 28 | 10 | 21.7 | .384 | .265 | .774 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 8.1 |
| Tammi Reiss | 28 | 26 | 29.7 | .312 | .297 | .764 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 7.7 |
| Dena Head | 27 | 4 | 17.4 | .390 | .313 | .844 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 5.7 |
| Lady Grooms | 28 | 24 | 24.7 | .347 | .100 | .655 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 5.5 |
| Deborah Carter | 19 | 7 | 15.1 | .390 | .222 | .714 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 4.0 |
| Greta Koss | 13 | 10 | 20.6 | .517 | .667 | .750 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 3.4 |
| Jessie Hicks | 26 | 0 | 10.1 | .463 | .000 | .563 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 3.2 |
| Karen Booker | 26 | 4 | 12.3 | .333 | .000 | .568 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 2.3 |
| Raegan Scott | 8 | 0 | 5.4 | .385 | — | 1.000 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.5 |
| Megan Compain‡ | 4 | 0 | 4.8 | .000 | .000 | — | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
‡ Waived during the season
- Elena Baranova ranked third in the WNBA in total rebounds with 207
- Dena Head ranked fifth in the WNBA in Free Throw Pct with .844
- Wendy Palmer ranked second in the WNBA in total rebounds with 225.
- Wendy Palmer ranked sixth in the WNBA in field goals with 157.
- Wendy Palmer ranked fourth in the WNBA in points with 443 points.
- Wendy Palmer ranked ninth in the WNBA in minutes per game with 33.4
- Wendy Palmer ranked fourth in the WNBA in points per game with 15.8
- Tammi Reiss ranked tenth in the WNBA in assists with 87.[2]
Awards and honors
- Elena Baranova: Led WNBA, Blocks, 63
- Elena Baranova: Led WNBA, Blocks per game, 2.2
- Elena Baranova, Ranked second in the WNBA (tied), Defensive Rebounds, 151
- Wanda Guyton: Ranked second in WNBA (tied), Offensive Rebounds, 76
- Wendy Palmer: Led WNBA, Field Goal Attempts, 420
- Wendy Palmer: Ranked second in the WNBA, Free Throws, 117
References
- "WNBA.com: All-Time WNBA Draft List". Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2008.
- "1997 WNBA Season Summary".
External links
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