Orlando Miracle

This article is about the now defunct Orlando basketball team. For the current incarnation of the team, see Connecticut Sun.

Orlando Miracle
Conference	Eastern
Founded	1999
Folded	2002 Moved to CT
History	Orlando Miracle (1999–2002) Connecticut Sun (2003–present)
Arena	TD Waterhouse Centre
City	Orlando, Florida
Team colors	Blue, White, Gray
Championships	None
Conference titles	None
Mascot	Star the Pegasus
Official website	wnba.com/{{{team}}}

The Orlando Miracle was a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Orlando, Florida. They began play in the 1999 WNBA season. The Miracle relocated, in 2003,to Uncasville, Connecticut where the team became the Connecticut Sun. The Miracle was a sister team to the NBA's Orlando Magic.

Franchise History

The city of Orlando was granted an expansion franchise in 1999, and the Orlando Miracle took the floor for the 1999 season.

The Miracle posted respectable records in their four years of existence (1999–2002). The Miracle made the playoffs once, in 2000, and lost in the first round against the Cleveland Rockers. In 2001, the Miracle took a step backwards, but they hosted a very successful 2001 WNBA All-Star Game. In 2002, the Miracle posted a 16-16 (.500) record, tying for the final playoff spot with the Indiana Fever. But, the Miracle had lost the tie-breaker, so they barely missed the playoffs. Little did anyone know that the 2002 season would prove to be the Miracle's last in Orlando.

Miracle alternative logo.

Relocation to Connecticut

After the 2002 WNBA season, the NBA sold off all of the WNBA franchises to the operators of the teams. Magic owner Rich DeVos was not interested in keeping the Miracle, and no local ownership group emerged. In January 2003, the Connecticut-based Mohegan Native American Tribe bought the team.

The new owners moved the team to Uncasville, Connecticut and changed the nickname to the Sun (in reference to the tribe's Mohegan Sun casino.) The Connecticut Sun's new nickname and logo were reminiscent of another Florida-based WNBA franchise, the Miami Sol, which folded at the same time as the Miracle.

Uniforms

• 1999–2002: For home games, white with blue on the sides and shoulders and white Miracle logo text on the chest. For away games, blue with white on the sides and white Miracle logo text on the chest. The Miracle logo is on the shorts.

Season-by-season records

Players

Final Roster

Orlando Miracle rosterF		50	USA !	Cunningham, Davalyn	72 !6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	187 lb (85 kg)		Rutgers
6.0 !C	28	BRA !	dos Santos, Cintia	77 !6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	187 lb (85 kg)		Brazil
2.5 !G/F	32	USA !	Douglas, Katie	72 !6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	165 lb (75 kg)		Purdue
5.5 !F/C	7	USA !	Hicks, Jessie	76 !6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	188 lb (85 kg)		Maryland
1.5 !G	31	USA !	Johnson, Adrienne	70 !5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	154 lb (70 kg)		Ohio State
1.5 !G	14	USA !	Johnson, Shannon	67 !5 ft 7 in (1.7 m)	152 lb (69 kg)		South Carolina
6.0 !C	00	MOZ !	Machanguana, Clarisse	77 !6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)		Old Dominion
2.5 !G/F	12	USA !	McCain, Tiffany	70 !5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	167 lb (76 kg)		Kentucky
4.0 !F	10	USA !	McGhee, Carla	73 !6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	179 lb (81 kg)		Tennessee
5.5 !F/C	11	USA !	McWilliams, Taj (C)	74 !6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	184 lb (83 kg)		St. Edward's College
4.0 !F	3	USA !	Palmer-Daniel, Wendy	74 !6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	165 lb (75 kg)		Virginia
2.5 !G/F	42	USA !	Sales, Nykesha (C)	72 !6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)		Connecticut
4.0 !F	21	USA !	Wyckoff, Brooke	73 !6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	183 lb (83 kg)		Florida State

Head coach

• Dee Brown (Jacksonville University)

Assistant coaches

• Vonn Read (Clark Atlanta)
• Valerie Still (Kentucky)

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Legend

• (C) Team captain
• (FA) Free agent
• (IN) Inactive
• (S) Suspended
• Injured

Former Players

Main article: Orlando Miracle all-time roster

• Cintia dos Santos 2000-2002
• Katie Douglas 2001-2002, now a member of the Indiana Fever
• Jessie Hicks 2000-2002
• Adrienne Johnson 1999-2002
• Shannon Johnson 1999-2002
• Carla McGhee 1999-2002, now a Director of Player Personnel for the WNBA front office
• Taj McWilliams-Franklin 1999-2002, now a member of the Minnesota Lynx
• Elaine Powell 1999-2002
• Nykesha Sales 1999-2002
• Brooke Wyckoff 2001-2002

Coaches

Head Coaches

Orlando Miracle head coaches
Name Start End Seasons Regular season Playoffs W L PCT G W L PCT G Carolyn Peck July 6, 1998 April 3, 2002 4 44 52 .458 96 1 2 .333 3 Dee Brown April 5, 2002 End of 2002 1 16 16 .500 32 0 0 .000 0

Assistant Coaches

• Rick Stukes (1999–2000)
• Charlene Thomas-Swinson (1999–2001)
• Michael Peck (2001)
• Vonn Read (2002)
• Valerie Still (2002)

All-Time Notes

Draft Picks

Current WNBA players are in italics.

• 1999 Expansion Draft: Andrea Congreaves (2), Kisha Ford (4), Yolanda Moore (6), Adrienne Johnson (8)
• 1999 WNBA Draft: Tari Phillips (8), Sheri Sam (20), Taj McWilliams-Franklin (32), Carla McGhee (44), Elaine Powell (50)
• 2000 WNBA Draft: Cintia dos Santos (4), Jannon Roland (20), Shawnetta Stewart (36), Romona Hanzova (52)
• 2001 WNBA Draft: Katie Douglas (10), Brooke Wyckoff (26), Jaclyn Johnson (42), Anne Thorius (58)
• 2002 WNBA Draft: Davalyn Cunningham (23), Saundra Jackson (39), Tomeka Brown (55)

Trades

• April 18, 2002: The Miracle acquire Clarisse Machanguana from the Charlotte Sting for the Miracle's first-round pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft.
• July 8, 2002: The Miracle acquire Wendy Palmer from the Detroit Shock for Elaine Powell.

All-Stars

• 1999: Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Shannon Johnson, Nykesha Sales
• 2000: Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Shannon Johnson, Nykesha Sales
• 2001: Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Nykesha Sales
• 2002: Shannon Johnson, Nykesha Sales

^[1]

Regular Season Attendance

• A sellout for a basketball game at TD Waterhouse Center is 17,248.

Regular Season All-Time Attendance
Year Average: Home Average: Away High Low Sellouts Total for Year WNBA Game Average 1999 9,801 (6th) 10,889 15,442 7,028 0 156,818 10,207 2000 7,363 (11th) 8,885 9,464 5,731 0 117,810 9,074 2001 7,430 (11th) 8,560 11,903 5,363 0 118,874 9,105 2002 7,115 (13th) 9,433 13,111 4,323 0 113,837 9,228

References

1. ^ 2008 Connecticut Sun Media Guide