The Utah Starzz were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Salt Lake City. They began play in the 1997 WNBA season as one of the league's eight original teams.
History
One of the eight original WNBA teams, the Starzz were partially named after the old ABA team Utah Stars. They were the sister team to the NBA's Utah Jazz.
In 2002, after five seasons, Utah Jazz ownership lost interest in keeping the Starzz, leaving the team at risk of folding. No local buyers could be found, so the Starzz announced their intention to move out of Salt Lake City. On December 5, 2002, the team was purchased by Spurs Sports & Entertainment, and it was announced that they would move immediately to San Antonio and change their nickname to the Silver Stars. The team relocated and became the San Antonio Silver Stars in 2003.
Uniforms
- 1997–2002: For home games, white with blue on the sides and shoulders and white Starzz logo text on the chest. For away games, blue with purple on the sides and white Starzz logo text on the chest. The Starzz logo is on the shorts.
Season-by-season records
| Season | Team | Conference | Regular season | Playoff Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | PCT | |||||
| Utah Starzz | |||||||
| 1997 | 1997 | West | 4th | 7 | 21 | .250 | |
| 1998 | 1998 | West | 5th | 8 | 22 | .267 | |
| 1999 | 1999 | West | 6th | 15 | 17 | .469 | |
| 2000 | 2000 | West | 5th | 18 | 14 | .563 | |
| 2001 | 2001 | West | 3rd | 19 | 13 | .594 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Sacramento, 0–2) |
| 2002 | 2002 | West | 3rd | 20 | 12 | .625 | Won Conference Semifinals (Houston, 2–1) Lost Conference Finals (Los Angeles, 0–2) |
| Regular season | 87 | 99 | .468 | 0 Conference Championships | |||
| Playoffs | 2 | 5 | .286 | 0 WNBA Championships | |||
Players
Final roster
| Pos. | No. | Nat. | Name | Height | Weight | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | 43 | Aguilar, Elisa | 5' 8" (1.73m) | 156 lb (71kg) | George Washington | |
| G | 8 | Azzi, Jennifer | 5' 8" (1.73m) | 144 lb (65kg) | Stanford | |
| G | 20 | Caufield, LaNeishea | 5' 9" (1.75m) | 165 lb (75kg) | Oklahoma | |
| F | 34 | Crockrom, Danielle | 6' 1" (1.85m) | 158 lb (72kg) | Baylor | |
| C | 12 | Dydek, Margo | 7' 2" (2.18m) | 223 lb (101kg) | Poland | |
| G | 3 | Ferdinand, Marie | 5' 9" (1.75m) | 153 lb (69kg) | LSU | |
| F/C | 50 | Gardner, Andrea | 6' 3" (1.91m) | 190 lb (86kg) | Howard | |
| G | 15 | Goodson, Adrienne | 6' 0" (1.83m) | 160 lb (73kg) | Old Dominion | |
| C | 54 | Herrig, Amy | 6' 4" (1.93m) | 189 lb (86kg) | Iowa | |
| F | 23 | Johnson, LaTonya | 6' 1" (1.85m) | 149 lb (68kg) | Memphis | |
| G | 21 | Randall, Semeka | 5' 8" (1.73m) | 170 lb (77kg) | Tennessee | |
| F | 24 | Williams, Natalie | 6' 2" (1.88m) | 210 lb (95kg) | UCLA |
2002 Utah Starzz roster Players Coaches
- Head coach
- Candi Harvey (Ouachita Baptist)
- Assistant coaches
- Tammi Reiss (Eastern Michigan)
- Bobbi Morse (Virginia)
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (DP) Unsigned draft pick
- (FA) Free agent
- (S) Suspended
- Injured
Notable players
- Margo Dydek
- Marie Ferdinand-Harris
- Kristen Rasmussen
- Olympia Scott
- Natalie Williams
- Fran Harris
- Erin Alexander
- Adrienne Goodson
FIBA Hall of Fame
| Utah Starzz Hall of Famers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | ||||
| No. | Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted |
| 12 | Margo Dydek | C | 1998–2002 | 2019 |
Coaches
Head coaches
- Denise Taylor (1997–1998)
- Frank Layden (1998–1999)
- Fred Williams (1999–2001)
- Candi Harvey (2001–2002)
All-time notes
Draft picks
- 1997 Elite Draft: Dena Head (1), Wendy Palmer (9)
- 1997 WNBA Draft: Tammi Reiss (5), Jessie Hicks (12), Raegan Scott (21), Kim Williams (28)
- 1998 WNBA Draft: Margo Dydek (1), Olympia Scott (11), LaTonya Johnson (21), Tricia Bader (31)
- 1999 WNBA Draft: Natalie Williams (3), Debbie Black (15), Adrienne Goodson (27), Dalma Ivanyi (39)
- 2000 WNBA Draft: Naomi Mulitauaopele (12), Stacy Frese (35), Kristen Rasmussen (51)
- 2001 WNBA Draft: Marie Ferdinand (8), Michaela Pavlickova (24), Shea Ralph (40), Cara Consuegra (56)
- 2002 WNBA Draft: Danielle Crockrom (11), Andrea Gardner (27), Edmarie Lumbsley (43), Jaclyn Winfield (59)
All-stars
- 1999: Natalie Williams
- 2000: Natalie Williams
- 2001: Natalie Williams
- 2002: Marie Ferdinand, Adrienne Goodson
