Houston Comets to Suspend Operations for 2009 WNBA Season

[Dirty]

Posted Dec 2 2008 11:04AM

-- Dispersal Draft to be Held Dec. 8 --

HOUSTON AND NEW YORK, Dec. 2, 2008 – The Houston Comets will suspend operations for the 2009 season it was announced today by WNBA President Donna Orender. A WNBA Dispersal Draft involving Comets players will take place on Monday, Dec. 8.
“Multiple investors have come forward and expressed significant interest in purchasing the Comets and having them continue to play in Houston in 2009,” said Orender. “However, we made the judgment that we would not be able to complete a transaction with the right ownership group in time for the 2009 season. The WNBA is extremely grateful to the Comets organization, to the city of Houston and to the team’s loyal fans for helping build both the WNBA and the game of women’s basketball.”
Having concluded its 12th season in 2008 with increases in attendance, ratings, Web traffic, sponsorships and merchandise sales, the WNBA will play the 2009 season with 13 teams. The 2009 season also marks the first year of the WNBA’s new, eight-year television agreement with ESPN under which the league will receive a rights fee, a first for a women’s professional team sports league in the U.S.
Comets season ticket holders will be notified in the near future of a procedure for refunds.
Current Comets players, with the exception of unrestricted free agents Latasha Byears, Mwadi Mabika, Hamchetou Maiga-Ba, Michelle Snow and Tina Thompson, are eligible to be selected in the Dispersal Draft. The order of selection, based on the inverse order of 2008 regular season finish will be as follows:
1) Atlanta
2) Washington
3) Chicago
4) Minnesota
5) Phoenix
6) Indiana
7) Sacramento
8) New York
9) Los Angeles
10) Connecticut
11) Detroit
12) Seattle
13) San Antonio




WNBA.com: Houston Comets to Suspend
Operations for 2009 WNBA Season

[Dirty]

On Dec. 2, the WNBA made the difficult decision to suspend operation of the Houston Comets for the 2009 season. We truly appreciate the tremendous support of Houston fans, whose passion, commitment and loyalty helped make the Comets a cornerstone of our league for the past 12 years. The team's incredible four-year championship run in the league's early years established a level of performance against which WNBA teams will forever be measured. And, perhaps the greatest tribute of all, Comets players will always be proud to have called Houston their home. The vibrancy of the WNBA will live on in our teams and our fans. As we move forward we will look to build on the momentum evident in 2008 when our game on the court flourished and we saw growth in attendance, television ratings and other key areas. And while we are saddened that our 13th season will go forward without one of our original franchises, we encourage you to visit WNBA.com and support our other 13 teams. The heartfelt outpourings we have received from Comets fans have assured us that your passion will live on and that you will engage with civic and business leaders to keep the interest alive in the great Houston market.

true

[Dirty]

Houston Comets

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Houston Comets
Conference	Western
Founded	1997
Folded	2008
History	Houston Comets (1997-2008)
Arena	Compaq Center (1997-2003) Toyota Center (2004-2007) Reliant Arena (2008)
City	Houston, Texas
Team colors	Red, Silver, White, Blue
Championships	4 (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
Conference titles	4 (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
Mascot	Haley [1]
Official website	WNBA.com

The Houston Comets was a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team is one of the original eight WNBA teams and won all four championships in the first four years of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and they have won more championships than any other team in the WNBA. They began as the sister team of the Houston Rockets. The team was folded and disbanded by the league in 2008 because new ownership was not found.
The Comets were also known for courting great women's basketball stars. The team had among its members Cynthia Cooper (the WNBA's first MVP), college and national team standout Sheryl Swoopes, Kim Perrot, who succumbed to cancer in 1999, and college stars Michelle Snow and Tina Thompson.

Contents [hide] 1 Franchise history 1.1 Building the First Dynasty of the WNBA (1997-2000) 1.2 The Years of Change and Rebuilding (2001-06) 1.3 New Ownership and a New Home (2007) 1.4 End of the Era (2008) 2 Season-by-season records 2.1 Team owners 3 Players of note 3.1 Final roster 3.2 Retired numbers 3.3 Former Comets 4 Coaches and others 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Franchise history

[edit] Building the First Dynasty of the WNBA (1997-2000)

The Comets were one of the founding teams in the WNBA. They capped off the league's inaugural season in 1997 with a win over the New York Liberty in the WNBA championship game to win the WNBA's first championship. When the league expanded the next season, the Comets were moved from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference. In 1998, they repeated the championship, although by then the championship game had been extended into a three game championship series. They beat the Phoenix Mercury in the first-ever WNBA Finals that year.
In 1999, led by what was already known as the Big Three, (Cythnia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson), the Comets survived a highlight film last second, court-to-court, game winning shot by the Liberty's Teresa Weatherspoon in Game 2 of the finals to beat the Liberty in three games and win their third straight title, this one after the death of teammate Kim Perrot, who died of cancer. In 2000, the Comets went all the way to the Finals again, and beat the Liberty in two games to win their fourth title in a row. 2000 was the Comets' last championship and last WNBA Finals appearance in franchise history.
[edit] The Years of Change and Rebuilding (2001-06)

After Cooper retired in 2001, Houston clinched the playoffs with a 19-13 record, but lost in the first round in a sweep to the 2001 eventual champion Los Angeles Sparks. In 2002, when Swoopes was injured most of the year with a torn ACL, the Comets were able to qualify for the playoffs with a 24-8 record, but lost to the Utah Starzz in 3 games. In 2003, they qualified to the playoffs for the 7th straight year, but losing first round to the Sacramento Monarchs in 3 games. They missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history with a record of 13-21 in 2004, but returned to the playoffs with a 19-15 record, finishing 3rd. In the first round, the Comets knocked out the 2004 defending champion Seattle Storm in 3 games, but lost in the conference finals to the Sacramento Monarchs in a sweep, which Sacramento later became WNBA Champions in 2005. Houston would return to the playoffs with an 18-16 record, but lost to the 2005 defending champion Sacramento Monarchs in another sweep. 2006 was the last playoff appearance for the Houston Comets. After the Comets' season ended in 2006, the Comets underwent major front-office changes during the off-season. In October 2006, team owner Leslie Alexander (who also owns the NBA's Houston Rockets team) announced he was selling the Comets, and longtime Head Coach Van Chancellor resigned in January 2007.
[edit] New Ownership and a New Home (2007)

On January 31, 2007, the WNBA Board of Governors approved the sale of the team to Hilton Koch, a Houston-based mattress and furniture businessman. Two weeks later, Comets assistant coach Karleen Thompson was named to become the team's new Head Coach and General Manager for the 2007 season.
For the 2007 season, they would miss the playoffs for the second time in franchise history after starting the season 0-10, resulting in a 13-21 record.
On December 12, 2007, team owner Hilton Koch announced that the Comets would be moving from the Toyota Center to Reliant Arena for the 2008 WNBA season.^[1] This resulted in a loss of fans. The Compaq Center drew 13,000 fans, but the Reliant Arena could only house 7,200. In 2008, the Comets' final year, they only drew an average 6,000 fans per game and sold out four games.^[2]
[edit] End of the Era (2008)

In 2008, Koch put the team up for sale, asking $10 million USD. No investors stepped up. The WNBA took over management of the Comets and disbanded the team in December 2008.^[3] They stated that they would only be suspending operations in 2009, which some people saw as a sign that the franchise could be revived if an investor came in. Comets players were sent off to other teams in a dispersal draft.^[4]
League president Donna Orender said that the collapse of the Comets was not a sign that the WNBA was in trouble. Former player Cynthia Cooper-Dyke said that the loss of the Comets was "disturbing news" and that the Comets were integral to the WNBA.^[2]
The Comets played their final home game on September 15, 2008 at the Strahan Coliseum on the campus of Texas State due to Hurricane Ike. They defeated the Sacramento Monarchs 90-81. They finished the season 17-17 and missed the playoffs for the third time in their history.^[2]
[edit] Season-by-season records

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Win–Loss %

Season	W	L	%	Playoffs	Results
Houston Comets
1997	18	10	.643	Won WNBA Semifinals Won WNBA Finals	Houston 70, Charlotte 54 Houston 65, New York 51
1998	27	3	.900	Won WNBA Semifinals Won WNBA Finals	Houston 2, Charlotte 0 Houston 2, Phoenix 1
1999	26	6	.813	Won Conference Finals Won WNBA Finals	Houston 2, Los Angeles 1 Houston 2, New York 1
2000	27	5	.844	Won First Round Won Conference Finals Won WNBA Finals	Houston 2, Sacramento 0 Houston 2, Los Angeles 0 Houston 2, New York 0
2001	19	13	.594	Lost First Round	Los Angeles 2, Houston 0
2002	24	8	.750	Lost First Round	Utah 2, Houston 1
2003	20	14	.588	Lost First Round	Sacramento 2, Houston 1
2004	13	21	.382
2005	19	15	.559	Won First Round Lost Conference Finals	Houston 2, Seattle 1 Sacramento 2, Houston 0
2006	18	16	.529	Lost First Round	Sacramento 2, Houston 0
2007	13	21	.382
2008	17	17	.500
Totals	241	149	.618
Playoffs	20	14	.588	4 WNBA Championships

[edit] Team owners

• Leslie Alexander (1997-2006)
• Hilton Koch (2007-2008)
• WNBA (2008)

[edit] Players of note

[edit] Final roster

Houston Comets roster v • d • e
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. From 1.5 G 1 USA  Ajavon, Matee 70 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Rutgers 2.5 G/F 00 USA  Byears, Latasha 71 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 206 lb (93 kg) DePaul 1.5 G 20 USA  Dixon, Tamecka 69 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 148 lb (67 kg) Kansas 1.5 G 15 USA  Hodges, Roneeka 71 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Florida State 2.5 G/F 17 USA  Holmes, Sequoia 73 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 155 lb (70 kg) UNLV 1.5 G 41 USA  Johnson, Shannon 67 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) 152 lb (69 kg) South Carolina 3.5 F 21 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Lyttle, Sancho 76 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Houston 1.5 G 4 Democratic Republic of the Congo  Mabika, Mwadi 71 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Democratic Republic of the Congo 2.5 G/F 99 Mali  Maïga-Ba, Hamchétou 73 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Old Dominion 5.0 C 2 USA  Snow, Michelle 77 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 158 lb (72 kg) Tennessee 3.5 F 7 USA  Thompson, Tina 74 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 178 lb (81 kg) Southern California 1.5 G 5 USA  White, Erica 63 5 ft 3 in (1.6 m) 135 lb (61 kg) LSU 3.5 F 8 USA  Williams, Mistie 75 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 184 lb (83 kg) Duke	Head coach Karleen Thompson (Southern California) Assistant coach(es) Ryan Weisenberg (Cal Poly) Laurie Byrd (Eastern Michigan) Strength and conditioning coach(es) Virgil Campbell Athletic trainer(s) Courtney Watson Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (IN) Inactive (S) Suspended Injured Roster Last transaction: 2008-09-22

[edit] Retired numbers

• 10. Kim Perrot
• 14. Cynthia Cooper

[edit] Former Comets

• Matee Ajavon, now a member of the Washington Mystics
• Janeth Arcain, played nine seasons with the Comets (1997-2005) and overseas before retiring. A key player during the Comets WNBA dynasty from 1997-2000, her breakout season was 2001, when she got the WNBA Most Improved Player Award & First Team All-WNBA honors.
• Octavia Blue
• Latasha Byears
• Dominique Canty, now a member of the Chicago Sky
• Cynthia Cooper, now the Head Coach at Prairie View A&M University
• Tamecka Dixon
• Ukari Figgs
• Sonja Henning
• Tammy Jackson
• Shannon Johnson
• Amanda Lassiter
• Edwige Lawson, now a member of the San Antonio Silver Stars
• Tynesha Lewis
• Sancho Lyttle, now a member of the Atlanta Dream
• Mwadi Mabika
• Hamchétou Maïga-Ba
• Kim Perrot
• Jennifer Rizzotti, now the head coach at Hartford University
• Michelle Snow
• Dawn Staley, now the head coach at the University of South Carolina
• Sheryl Swoopes, now a member of the Seattle Storm
• Lindsay Taylor
• Tina Thompson, now a member of the Los Angeles Sparks
• Amaya Valdemoro
• Coquese Washington, now the head coach at Penn State University
• Kara Wolters
• Monica Lamb-Powell, now the president of the Monica Lamb Wellness Foundation

[edit] Coaches and others

Head Coaches:

• Van Chancellor (1997-2006)
• Karleen Thompson (2007-2008)

[edit] References

1. ^ Comets moving to Reliant from Houston Chronicle
2. ^ ^{a b c} Dial, Jenny. The Houston Chronicle. "WNBA TO SHUT DOWN COMETS :DISPERSAL DRAFT PLANNED FOR NEXT WEEK. " Seattle Post - Intelligencer [Seattle, Wash.] 2 Dec. 2008,E.2.
3. ^ Altavilla, John. "LEAGUE LOOKS AHEAD AFTER COMETS' DEMISE :WNBA. " Hartford Courant [Hartford, Conn.] 5 Dec. 2008,B.3. Hartford Courant.
4. ^ Tim Lemke, THE WASHINGTON TIMES. "Comets just flamed out :Economic troubles cause WNBA team to close shop. " Washington Times [Washington, D.C.] 3 Dec. 2008,C.2

[edit] External links

Houston portal

• Houston Comets Official Website

[hide] v • d • e Women's National Basketball Association Defunct Teams
Eastern Conference	Western Conference
Charlotte Sting	Houston Comets
Cleveland Rockers	Portland Fire
Miami Sol	Utah Starzz*
Orlando Miracle*
In 2003, the Orlando Miracle and the Utah Starzz became the Connecticut Sun and the San Antonio Silver Stars, respectively.

[hide] v • d • e Women's National Basketball Association (2009)
Eastern Conference		Western Conference
Atlanta Dream	Indiana Fever	Los Angeles Sparks	Sacramento Monarchs
Chicago Sky	New York Liberty	Minnesota Lynx	San Antonio Silver Stars
Connecticut Sun	Washington Mystics	Phoenix Mercury	Seattle Storm
Detroit Shock
Annual events: Draft · All-Star Game · Playoffs · Finals
Other: All-decade team · Arenas · Awards · Career rebounding · Career scoring · Coaches · Current rosters · Defunct teams · Expansion draft history Finals broadcasters · LiveAccess · MVP · NBA · NBA TV · Players · Rookie of the Year · Seasons · WNBA on ESPN

[show] v • d • e Houston Comets Formerly the Houston Comets • Founded in 1997 • Based in Houston, Texas Arenas Toyota Center • Reliant Arena Head Coaches Chancellor • Thompson Seasons 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008

[show] v • d • e Houston Comets 1997 WNBA Champions 4 Arcain | 5 Woosley | 7 Thompson | 9 Guyton | 10 Perrot | 14 Cooper (Finals MVP) | 20 Harris | 22 Swoopes | 23 Jackson | 33 Moore | Coach Chancellor

[show] v • d • e Houston Comets 1998 WNBA Champions 5 Woosley | 7 Thompson | 9 Arcain | 10 Perrot | 13 Valdemoro | 14 Cooper (Finals MVP) | 22 Swoopes | 23 Jackson | 33 Moore | 40 Lamb | 00 Roberts | Coach Chancellor

[show] v • d • e Houston Comets 1999 WNBA Champions 7 Thompson | 9 Arcain | 13 Valdemoro | 14 Cooper (Finals MVP) | 15 Tzekova | 21 Rizzotti | 22 Swoopes | 23 Jackson | 24 Nikolich | 34 Henning | 52 Wolters | Coach Chancellor

[show]

v • d • e

Houston Comets 2000 WNBA Champions

[Dirty]

Houston Comets

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Houston Comets
Conference	Western
Founded	1997
Folded	2008
History	Houston Comets (1997-2008)
Arena	Compaq Center (1997-2003) Toyota Center (2004-2007) Reliant Arena (2008)
City	Houston, Texas
Team colors	Red, Silver, White, Blue
Championships	4 (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
Conference titles	4 (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
Mascot	Haley [1]
Official website	WNBA.com

The Houston Comets was a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team is one of the original eight WNBA teams and won all four championships in the first four years of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and they have won more championships than any other team in the WNBA. They began as the sister team of the Houston Rockets. The team was folded and disbanded by the league in 2008 because new ownership was not found.
The Comets were also known for courting great women's basketball stars. The team had among its members Cynthia Cooper (the WNBA's first MVP), college and national team standout Sheryl Swoopes, Kim Perrot, who succumbed to cancer in 1999, and college stars Michelle Snow and Tina Thompson.

Contents [hide] 1 Franchise history 1.1 Building the First Dynasty of the WNBA (1997-2000) 1.2 The Years of Change and Rebuilding (2001-06) 1.3 New Ownership and a New Home (2007) 1.4 End of the Era (2008) 2 Season-by-season records 2.1 Team owners 3 Players of note 3.1 Final roster 3.2 Retired numbers 3.3 Former Comets 4 Coaches and others 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Franchise history

[edit] Building the First Dynasty of the WNBA (1997-2000)

The Comets were one of the founding teams in the WNBA. They capped off the league's inaugural season in 1997 with a win over the New York Liberty in the WNBA championship game to win the WNBA's first championship. When the league expanded the next season, the Comets were moved from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference. In 1998, they repeated the championship, although by then the championship game had been extended into a three game championship series. They beat the Phoenix Mercury in the first-ever WNBA Finals that year.
In 1999, led by what was already known as the Big Three, (Cythnia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson), the Comets survived a highlight film last second, court-to-court, game winning shot by the Liberty's Teresa Weatherspoon in Game 2 of the finals to beat the Liberty in three games and win their third straight title, this one after the death of teammate Kim Perrot, who died of cancer. In 2000, the Comets went all the way to the Finals again, and beat the Liberty in two games to win their fourth title in a row. 2000 was the Comets' last championship and last WNBA Finals appearance in franchise history.
[edit] The Years of Change and Rebuilding (2001-06)

After Cooper retired in 2001, Houston clinched the playoffs with a 19-13 record, but lost in the first round in a sweep to the 2001 eventual champion Los Angeles Sparks. In 2002, when Swoopes was injured most of the year with a torn ACL, the Comets were able to qualify for the playoffs with a 24-8 record, but lost to the Utah Starzz in 3 games. In 2003, they qualified to the playoffs for the 7th straight year, but losing first round to the Sacramento Monarchs in 3 games. They missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history with a record of 13-21 in 2004, but returned to the playoffs with a 19-15 record, finishing 3rd. In the first round, the Comets knocked out the 2004 defending champion Seattle Storm in 3 games, but lost in the conference finals to the Sacramento Monarchs in a sweep, which Sacramento later became WNBA Champions in 2005. Houston would return to the playoffs with an 18-16 record, but lost to the 2005 defending champion Sacramento Monarchs in another sweep. 2006 was the last playoff appearance for the Houston Comets. After the Comets' season ended in 2006, the Comets underwent major front-office changes during the off-season. In October 2006, team owner Leslie Alexander (who also owns the NBA's Houston Rockets team) announced he was selling the Comets, and longtime Head Coach Van Chancellor resigned in January 2007.
[edit] New Ownership and a New Home (2007)

On January 31, 2007, the WNBA Board of Governors approved the sale of the team to Hilton Koch, a Houston-based mattress and furniture businessman. Two weeks later, Comets assistant coach Karleen Thompson was named to become the team's new Head Coach and General Manager for the 2007 season.
For the 2007 season, they would miss the playoffs for the second time in franchise history after starting the season 0-10, resulting in a 13-21 record.
On December 12, 2007, team owner Hilton Koch announced that the Comets would be moving from the Toyota Center to Reliant Arena for the 2008 WNBA season.^[1] This resulted in a loss of fans. The Compaq Center drew 13,000 fans, but the Reliant Arena could only house 7,200. In 2008, the Comets' final year, they only drew an average 6,000 fans per game and sold out four games.^[2]
[edit] End of the Era (2008)

In 2008, Koch put the team up for sale, asking $10 million USD. No investors stepped up. The WNBA took over management of the Comets and disbanded the team in December 2008.^[3] They stated that they would only be suspending operations in 2009, which some people saw as a sign that the franchise could be revived if an investor came in. Comets players were sent off to other teams in a dispersal draft.^[4]
League president Donna Orender said that the collapse of the Comets was not a sign that the WNBA was in trouble. Former player Cynthia Cooper-Dyke said that the loss of the Comets was "disturbing news" and that the Comets were integral to the WNBA.^[2]
The Comets played their final home game on September 15, 2008 at the Strahan Coliseum on the campus of Texas State due to Hurricane Ike. They defeated the Sacramento Monarchs 90-81. They finished the season 17-17 and missed the playoffs for the third time in their history.^[2]
[edit] Season-by-season records

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Win–Loss %

Season	W	L	%	Playoffs	Results
Houston Comets
1997	18	10	.643	Won WNBA Semifinals Won WNBA Finals	Houston 70, Charlotte 54 Houston 65, New York 51
1998	27	3	.900	Won WNBA Semifinals Won WNBA Finals	Houston 2, Charlotte 0 Houston 2, Phoenix 1
1999	26	6	.813	Won Conference Finals Won WNBA Finals	Houston 2, Los Angeles 1 Houston 2, New York 1
2000	27	5	.844	Won First Round Won Conference Finals Won WNBA Finals	Houston 2, Sacramento 0 Houston 2, Los Angeles 0 Houston 2, New York 0
2001	19	13	.594	Lost First Round	Los Angeles 2, Houston 0
2002	24	8	.750	Lost First Round	Utah 2, Houston 1
2003	20	14	.588	Lost First Round	Sacramento 2, Houston 1
2004	13	21	.382
2005	19	15	.559	Won First Round Lost Conference Finals	Houston 2, Seattle 1 Sacramento 2, Houston 0
2006	18	16	.529	Lost First Round	Sacramento 2, Houston 0
2007	13	21	.382
2008	17	17	.500
Totals	241	149	.618
Playoffs	20	14	.588	4 WNBA Championships

[edit] Team owners

• Leslie Alexander (1997-2006)
• Hilton Koch (2007-2008)
• WNBA (2008)

[edit] Players of note

[edit] Final roster

Houston Comets roster v • d • e
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. From 1.5 G 1 USA  Ajavon, Matee 70 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Rutgers 2.5 G/F 00 USA  Byears, Latasha 71 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 206 lb (93 kg) DePaul 1.5 G 20 USA  Dixon, Tamecka 69 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 148 lb (67 kg) Kansas 1.5 G 15 USA  Hodges, Roneeka 71 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Florida State 2.5 G/F 17 USA  Holmes, Sequoia 73 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 155 lb (70 kg) UNLV 1.5 G 41 USA  Johnson, Shannon 67 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) 152 lb (69 kg) South Carolina 3.5 F 21 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Lyttle, Sancho 76 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Houston 1.5 G 4 Democratic Republic of the Congo  Mabika, Mwadi 71 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Democratic Republic of the Congo 2.5 G/F 99 Mali  Maïga-Ba, Hamchétou 73 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Old Dominion 5.0 C 2 USA  Snow, Michelle 77 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 158 lb (72 kg) Tennessee 3.5 F 7 USA  Thompson, Tina 74 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 178 lb (81 kg) Southern California 1.5 G 5 USA  White, Erica 63 5 ft 3 in (1.6 m) 135 lb (61 kg) LSU 3.5 F 8 USA  Williams, Mistie 75 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 184 lb (83 kg) Duke	Head coach Karleen Thompson (Southern California) Assistant coach(es) Ryan Weisenberg (Cal Poly) Laurie Byrd (Eastern Michigan) Strength and conditioning coach(es) Virgil Campbell Athletic trainer(s) Courtney Watson Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (IN) Inactive (S) Suspended Injured Roster Last transaction: 2008-09-22

[edit] Retired numbers

• 10. Kim Perrot
• 14. Cynthia Cooper

[edit] Former Comets

• Matee Ajavon, now a member of the Washington Mystics
• Janeth Arcain, played nine seasons with the Comets (1997-2005) and overseas before retiring. A key player during the Comets WNBA dynasty from 1997-2000, her breakout season was 2001, when she got the WNBA Most Improved Player Award & First Team All-WNBA honors.
• Octavia Blue
• Latasha Byears
• Dominique Canty, now a member of the Chicago Sky
• Cynthia Cooper, now the Head Coach at Prairie View A&M University
• Tamecka Dixon
• Ukari Figgs
• Sonja Henning
• Tammy Jackson
• Shannon Johnson
• Amanda Lassiter
• Edwige Lawson, now a member of the San Antonio Silver Stars
• Tynesha Lewis
• Sancho Lyttle, now a member of the Atlanta Dream
• Mwadi Mabika
• Hamchétou Maïga-Ba
• Kim Perrot
• Jennifer Rizzotti, now the head coach at Hartford University
• Michelle Snow
• Dawn Staley, now the head coach at the University of South Carolina
• Sheryl Swoopes, now a member of the Seattle Storm
• Lindsay Taylor
• Tina Thompson, now a member of the Los Angeles Sparks
• Amaya Valdemoro
• Coquese Washington, now the head coach at Penn State University
• Kara Wolters
• Monica Lamb-Powell, now the president of the Monica Lamb Wellness Foundation

[edit] Coaches and others

Head Coaches:

• Van Chancellor (1997-2006)
• Karleen Thompson (2007-2008)

[edit] References

1. ^ Comets moving to Reliant from Houston Chronicle
2. ^ ^{a b c} Dial, Jenny. The Houston Chronicle. "WNBA TO SHUT DOWN COMETS :DISPERSAL DRAFT PLANNED FOR NEXT WEEK. " Seattle Post - Intelligencer [Seattle, Wash.] 2 Dec. 2008,E.2.
3. ^ Altavilla, John. "LEAGUE LOOKS AHEAD AFTER COMETS' DEMISE :WNBA. " Hartford Courant [Hartford, Conn.] 5 Dec. 2008,B.3. Hartford Courant.
4. ^ Tim Lemke, THE WASHINGTON TIMES. "Comets just flamed out :Economic troubles cause WNBA team to close shop. " Washington Times [Washington, D.C.] 3 Dec. 2008,C.2

[edit] External links

Houston portal

• Houston Comets Official Website

[hide] v • d • e Women's National Basketball Association Defunct Teams
Eastern Conference	Western Conference
Charlotte Sting	Houston Comets
Cleveland Rockers	Portland Fire
Miami Sol	Utah Starzz*
Orlando Miracle*
In 2003, the Orlando Miracle and the Utah Starzz became the Connecticut Sun and the San Antonio Silver Stars, respectively.

[hide] v • d • e Women's National Basketball Association (2009)
Eastern Conference		Western Conference
Atlanta Dream	Indiana Fever	Los Angeles Sparks	Sacramento Monarchs
Chicago Sky	New York Liberty	Minnesota Lynx	San Antonio Silver Stars
Connecticut Sun	Washington Mystics	Phoenix Mercury	Seattle Storm
Detroit Shock
Annual events: Draft · All-Star Game · Playoffs · Finals
Other: All-decade team · Arenas · Awards · Career rebounding · Career scoring · Coaches · Current rosters · Defunct teams · Expansion draft history Finals broadcasters · LiveAccess · MVP · NBA · NBA TV · Players · Rookie of the Year · Seasons · WNBA on ESPN

[show] v • d • e Houston Comets Formerly the Houston Comets • Founded in 1997 • Based in Houston, Texas Arenas Toyota Center • Reliant Arena Head Coaches Chancellor • Thompson Seasons 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008

[show] v • d • e Houston Comets 1997 WNBA Champions 4 Arcain | 5 Woosley | 7 Thompson | 9 Guyton | 10 Perrot | 14 Cooper (Finals MVP) | 20 Harris | 22 Swoopes | 23 Jackson | 33 Moore | Coach Chancellor

[show] v • d • e Houston Comets 1998 WNBA Champions 5 Woosley | 7 Thompson | 9 Arcain | 10 Perrot | 13 Valdemoro | 14 Cooper (Finals MVP) | 22 Swoopes | 23 Jackson | 33 Moore | 40 Lamb | 00 Roberts | Coach Chancellor

[show] v • d • e Houston Comets 1999 WNBA Champions 7 Thompson | 9 Arcain | 13 Valdemoro | 14 Cooper (Finals MVP) | 15 Tzekova | 21 Rizzotti | 22 Swoopes | 23 Jackson | 24 Nikolich | 34 Henning | 52 Wolters | Coach Chancellor

[show]

v • d • e

Houston Comets 2000 WNBA Champions