Long Beach Stingrays
The Long Beach Stingrays was a women's professional basketball team. It existed for only the 1997-98 season, and was a member of the American Basketball League.
 | |
| Founded | 1997 |
|---|---|
| League | American Basketball League |
| Team history | 1997-1998 (One season) |
| Based in | Long Beach, California |
| Arena | Walter Pyramid, California State University, Long Beach |
| Head coach | Maura McHugh |
| Championships | none |
The Stingrays played most of their home games at the Walter Pyramid on the campus of California State University, Long Beach; however, one home game was played at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim (now the Honda Center). Their head coach was Maura McHugh.
The Stingrays' biggest star player was their center, Yolanda Griffith. Other notable Stingrays included Beverly Williams, Michelle Marciniak, and the former Olympian Venus Lacy.
In what turned out to be the team's only season, the Stingrays made it all the way to the ABL's championship round. They beat the defending champion Columbus Quest in the first two games, both in Long Beach, but lost the final three games in Columbus, and with that, the series.
Despite their strong first season, the Stingrays were viewed largely with indifference by area fans. They had the league's worst attendance; for most of the season, they attracted crowds in the hundreds. Citing anemic season ticket sales and weak corporate sponsorship, league officials shuttered the Stingrays in August 1998. The rest of the league followed in December.
Griffith, like most of the ABL's star players, eventually joined the competing Women's National Basketball Association. Griffith went on to a long career in the WNBA, most notably for the Sacramento Monarchs. As for McHugh, she has coached various professional and college teams.
Team record
Regular season
| Season | W | L | Win % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-1998 | 26 | 18 | .591 | 2nd Place, Western Conference |
Post-season
| Date | Winning team | Losing team | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABL First Round Playoffs | |||
| 21Feb98 | Long Beach Stingrays 96 | Colorado Xplosion 72 | |
| 22Feb98 | Colorado 88 | Long Beach 68 | |
| 25Feb98 | Long Beach 92 | Colorado 61 | Long Beach wins series, 2 games to 1 |
| ABL Semifinals | |||
| 27Feb98 | Long Beach Stingrays 72 | Portland Power 62 | |
| 1Mar98 | Long Beach 70 | Portland 69 | Long Beach wins series, 2 games to 0 |
| ABL Championship Series | |||
| 8Mar98 | Long Beach Stingrays 65 | Columbus Quest 62 | |
| 9Mar98 | Long Beach 71 | Columbus 61 | |
| 11Mar98 | Columbus 70 | Long Beach 61 | |
| 11Mar98 | Columbus 68 | Long Beach 53 | |
| 15Mar98 | Columbus 86 | Long Beach 81 | Columbus wins ABL Championship, 3 games to 2 |
League honors
- ABL Defensive Player of the Year, 1997–98
- All-ABL First Team, 1997–98
References
- "Articles about Long Beach Stingrays Basketball Team". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. May 6, 1998. Archived from the original on 2015-12-02. Retrieved 26 December 2015. Article headline, author, date, and lead paragraph, in reverse chronological order, each linked to page of the article.