Tulsa Shock

Tulsa Shock
Tulsa Shock logo
Conference	Western
Founded	1998 (as Detroit)
History	Detroit Shock (1998-2009) Tulsa Shock (2010-present)
Arena	BOK Center
Location	Tulsa, Oklahoma
Team colors	Black, Red, Gold
Head coach	Nolan Richardson
Ownership	Tulsa Pro Hoops LLC
Championships	3 (2003, 2006, 2008)
Conference titles	4 (2003, 2006, 2007, 2008)

The Tulsa Shock is a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team was founded in 1998 as the now-defunct Detroit Shock. They were one of the league's first expansion franchises. They were also the first WNBA expansion franchise to win a WNBA Championship.

On October 20, 2009, the WNBA officially announced that the Shock would move to Tulsa.

Franchise history

The Detroit Shock (1998-2009)

File:DetroitShocklogo 1998-2002.jpg

Detroit Shock logo used from 1998-2002

The Early Years (1998-2002)

The Shock were one of the first WNBA expansion teams and began play in 1998. The Shock quickly brought in a blend of rookies and veterans. The Shock's first coach was hall of famer Nancy Lieberman. They would start out their inaugural season 0-4, but would put together an amazing expansion season, and finish 17-13, missing out on the postseason by one game.

After the 2000 season, head coach Lieberman was fired and replaced by Greg Williams. In the 2001 WNBA Draft, the Shock drafted Deanna Nolan with the #6 pick. She later developed into the team star.

The 2002 Shock started the season 0-10, at which point Williams was fired and replaced by former Detroit Pistons legend Bill Laimbeer. The team finished the season 9-23, but Laimbeer's ideas influenced the team's front office. There were rumors the Shock would fold after the awful season. Laimbeer convinced the owners to keep the team around for another year, convinced that he could turn things around.

The Bill Laimbeer Era (2003-2008)

After massive changes to the roster, Laimbeer predicted before the 2003 season that the Shock would be league champions, and his prediction would unbelievably come true. The Shock finished with a 25-9 record and winning the #1 seed by 7 games. In the playoffs, the Shock defeated the Cleveland Rockers 2-1 for their first playoff series win in franchise history. In the Conference Finals, the Shock swept the Connecticut Sun 2-0 to reach the WNBA Finals. Despite the achievements, the Shock were viewed as huge underdogs to the two time defending champion Los Angeles Sparks. The Shock emerged victorious in the series, winning a thrilling Game Three, 83-78. That game drew the largest crowd ever in WNBA history (22,076, later tied in 2007). Detroit became the first team in WNBA history to go from last place one season to world champions the very next season.

Detroit Shock logo used from 2003-2009

After coming up short in 2004 and 2005, The 2006 Shock finished 23-11 record and winning the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Shock swept the Indiana Fever in the first round. In the Conference Finals, the Shock defeated the Connecticut Sun once again, winning the series 2-1. In the Finals, the Shock faced the defending champion Sacramento Monarchs and won the series 3-2, and their second WNBA Title.

In 2007, the Shock sought to defend their title and repeat--something they were unable to do in 2004. They captured the #1 seed in the East for the second time in franchise history. The Shock advanced to the WNBA Finals once again. They were defeated, however, by the Phoenix Mercury in five games. The 2008 Shock posted a 22-12 regular season record, the best record in the East yet again. In the WNBA Finals, the Shock were faced up against the San Antonio Silver Stars, who had not lost to an Eastern Conference team all season. Surprisingly, Detroit swept San Antonio, capturing their 3rd championship in franchise history, and last in Detroit.

The Final Shock Season (2009)

Three games into the 2009 season, seven year head coach and general manager Bill Laimbeer resigned from his position. Assistant coach Rick Mahorn was promoted to head coach as the Shock continued to stumble. Plagued by injuries, age, and a suspension, the Shock surprised the league; by the 2009 All-Star break, the Shock were in last place in the Eastern Conference. However, the Shock recovered in the second half of 2009 and eventually made the playoffs for the seventh straight year. The Shock, however, lost in the Conference Finals to the Indiana Fever missing the championship series for the first time since 2005.

The Tulsa Shock (2010-present)

Relocation (2010)

Tulsa had been mentioned as a possible future city for WNBA expansion, but efforts did not come together until the middle of 2009. An organizing committee with Tulsa businessmen and politicians began the effort to attract an expansion team. The group was originally given a September 1 deadline. WNBA President Donna Orender extended that deadline to sometime in October. The investment group hired former University of Tulsa head coach Nolan Richardson as the potential franchise general manager and head coach. This move was viewed as strange by some, considering that Tulsa hadn't even secured a franchise before hiring a coach. The investors claimed it was to show the league they were serious about wanting a team. On October 15, 2009, the group made its official request to join the league.

On October 20, 2009, WNBA President Donna Orender, lead investors Bill Cameron and David Box, Tulsa mayor Kathy Taylor, Oklahoma governor Brad Henry, and head coach Nolan Richardson were present for a press conference announcing that the Detroit Shock would relocate to Tulsa. On January 23, 2010, the franchise announced that the team will remain as the Shock. The colors are now black, red, and gold.

Uniforms

• Detroit: 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.
• Tulsa: TBD

Players

Current Roster

Dallas Wings roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From Yrs C 21 Brown, Kalani 6' 7" (2.01m) 245 lb (111kg) 1997-03-21 Baylor 4 G/F 18 Brown, Jaelyn 6' 1" (1.85m) 170 lb (77kg) 1998-10-12 California R F 6 Howard, Natasha 6' 2" (1.88m) 165 lb (75kg) 1991-09-02 Florida State 10 F/C 28 Kuier, Awak (S) 6' 4" (1.93m) 168 lb (76kg) 2001-08-19 Finland 2 G 8 Lopez Sénéchal, Lou 6' 1" (1.85m) 155 lb (70kg) 1998-05-12 Connecticut R C 7 McCowan, Teaira 6' 7" (2.01m) 239 lb (108kg) 1996-09-28 Mississippi State 5 G 24 Ogunbowale, Arike 5' 8" (1.73m) 165 lb (75kg) 1997-03-02 Notre Dame 5 F 0 Sabally, Satou 6' 4" (1.93m) 175 lb (79kg) 1998-04-25 Oregon 4 G 4 Sheldon, Jacy 5' 10" (1.78m) 140 lb (64kg) 2000-08-23 Ohio State R F 20 Siegrist, Maddy 6' 2" (1.88m) 175 lb (79kg) 2000-05-22 Villanova 1 C 10 Soares, Stephanie  6' 6" (1.98m) 196 lb (89kg) 2000-04-17 Iowa State R G 1 Uzun, Sevgi 5' 10" (1.78m) 141 lb (64kg) 1997-11-25 Turkey R	Head coach Chris Koclanes (Old Dominion) Assistant coaches Brandi Poole (Sewanee) Zak Buncik (UT Arlington) Athletic trainer Branay Hicks (UT Tyler) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured   WNBA roster page
East ATL CHI CON IND NY WAS West DAL LV LA MIN PHO SEA

Hall of Famers

• Lynette Woodard
• Nancy Lieberman (head coach)

Former players

• Jennifer Azzi
• Carla Boyd
• Sandy Brondello, now an assistant coach for the San Antonio Silver Stars
• Dominique Canty, now a member of the Chicago Sky
• Swin Cash, now a member of the Seattle Storm
• Tasha Humphrey, now a member of the Minnesota Lynx
• Shannon Johnson
• Ivory Latta, now a member of the Atlanta Dream
• Astou Ndiaye-Diatta
• Wendy Palmer
• Elaine Powell
• Ruth Riley, now a member of the San Antonio Silver Stars
• Sheri Sam

Coaches and others

Head Coaches:

• Nancy Lieberman (1998-2000)
• Greg Williams (2001-2002)
• Bill Laimbeer (2002-2009)
• Rick Mahorn (2009)
• Nolan Richardson (2010-present)

All-Stars

• 1999: Sandy Brondello
• 2000: Wendy Palmer
• 2001: None
• 2002: None
• 2003: Swin Cash, Cheryl Ford, Deanna Nolan
• 2004: Cheryl Ford, Deanna Nolan
• 2005: Swin Cash, Cheryl Ford, Deanna Nolan, Ruth Riley
• 2006: Cheryl Ford, Deanna Nolan, Katie Smith
• 2007: Cheryl Ford, Deanna Nolan, Kara Braxton
• 2008: No All-Star Game
• 2009: Katie Smith

Radio and Television

Some games are carried nationally by ABC, ESPN2, or NBA TV.

External links

• WNBA Tulsa - Official Site