- Miami Sol
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Miami Sol Conference Eastern Founded 2000 Folded 2002 Arena American Airlines Arena City Miami, Florida Team colors Fiery Red, Yellow, Black, White Championships None Conference titles None Official website wnba.com/{{{team}}} The Miami Sol was a women's basketball team which joined the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 2000. They played their games at American Airlines Arena. The team folded after the 2002 season because of financial problems. They were the former sister team to the Miami Heat.
Contents
Uniforms
Fiery red, with the team name emblazoned in white on the chest and a WNBA ball in place of the hole in the letter "O". The home jerseys featured the same design, only with the colors inverted.
Playoff history
Playoff Appearances: 2001
Conference Championships:
WNBA Championships:
History
In their short history, the Miami Sol put together a talented roster of players. Coached for three seasons by Ron Rothstein, their combination of veteran leadership in Debbie Black, Elena Baranova and Sandy Brondello as well youth in Ruth Riley and Sheri Sam, lead them to the playoffs in 2001, but lost in the first round to the New York Liberty in 3 games. This was the only playoff appearance for the Sol.
After losing to the New York Liberty in the playoffs, the Miami Sol finished the 2002 season with a 15-17 record. This season proved to be the Sol's last. Citing the inability to raise enough funds to continue operation under the WNBA's new restructuring agreement, the organization ceased operations. The team finished with a franchise record of 48 wins and 48 losses.
The other Florida team, the Orlando Miracle, also folded at the end of the 2002 season.
A new team, the Connecticut Sun, joined the league in 2003 with a nickname and logo which were extremely reminiscent of the Miami Sol. However, the new Connecticut Sun franchise was actually the successor to the Orlando Miracle, who managed to find new ownership.
Since the folding of the Miami Sol, former members of the team have found success elsewhere. After being reassigned to the Detroit Shock, Ruth Riley won two WNBA championships in 2003 and 2006. Betty Lennox and Sandy Brondello won a WNBA championship with the Seattle Storm in 2004, with Lennox winning the WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player award.
Trivia
- The team's nickname, Sol, is Spanish and Portuguese for "sun". The name played off the city of Miami's Hispanic population and its parent NBA team, the Heat.
Season-by-season records
Season Team Conference Regular Season Playoff Results W L PCT Miami Sol 2000 2000 East 6th 13 19 .406 2001 2001 East 3rd 20 12 .625 Lost Conference Semifinals (New York, 1–2) 2002 2002 East 6th 15 17 .469 Regular Season 48 48 .500 0 Conference Championships Playoffs 1 2 .333 0 WNBA Championships Selected former players
- Marlies Askamp
- Elena Baranova
- Sandy Brondello
- Katrina Colleton
- Debbie Black
- Milena Flores
- Pollyanna Johns-Kimbrough
- Betty Lennox
- Carolyn Moos
- Vanessa Nygaard
- Kristen Rasmussen
- Ruth Riley
- Sheri Sam
Coaches and others
Head Coaches:
- Ron Rothstein (2000–2002)
External links
Women's National Basketball Association Defunct Teams Eastern Conference Western Conference Charlotte Sting Houston Comets Cleveland Rockers Portland Fire Detroit Shock* Sacramento Monarchs 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. In 2009, the Detroit Shock became the Tulsa Shock.
Women's National Basketball Association (2011) Statistics: Career scoring · Career rebounding · Scoring leaders · Rebounding leaders · Assists leadersOther: All-Decade Team · Arenas · Attendance · Awards · Coaches · Current rosters · Defunct teams · Expansion draft history · Finals broadcasters · LiveAccess · MVP
NBA · NBA TV · Players · Rookie of the Year · Seasons · Top 15 Team · WNBA on ESPNCategories:- Defunct Women's National Basketball Association basketball teams
- Miami Sol
- Sports clubs established in 2000
- Sports clubs disestablished in 2002
- United States basketball team stubs
- Florida stubs
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