The 1997 WNBA season was the inaugural season for the Cleveland Rockers.
| 1997 Cleveland Rockers season | |
|---|---|
| Coach | Linda Hill-MacDonald |
| Arena | Gund Arena |
| Attendance | 7,971 per game |
| Results | |
| Record | 15–13 (.536) |
| Place | 4th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Team Leaders | |
| Points | Eva Nemcova (13.7) |
| Rebounds | Janice Braxton (7.6) |
| Assists | Michelle Edwards (4.5) |
Offseason edit
Initial Player Allocation edit
| Pick | Player | Nationality | WNBA Team | College/HS/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Janice Lawrence Braxton (C) |  United States
|
Cleveland Rockers | Louisiana Tech |
| 4 | Michelle Edwards (G) | United States
|
Cleveland Rockers | Iowa |
WNBA draft edit
| Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College/HS/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Eva Nemcova | Guard |  Czech Republic
|
Czech Republic |
Regular season edit
Season standings edit
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Comets x | 18 | 10 | .643 | 6–6 | – |
| New York Liberty x | 17 | 11 | .607 | 8–4 | 1.0 |
| Charlotte Sting x | 15 | 13 | .536 | 5–7 | 3.0 |
| Cleveland Rockers o | 15 | 13 | .536 | 5–7 | 3.0 |
Season schedule edit
| Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 21 | Houston | 56-76 | Loss | 0-1 |
| June 26 | Utah | 74-63 | Win | 1-1 |
| June 28 | Phoenix | 63-68 | Loss | 1-2 |
| June 29 | @ Charlotte | 44-67 | Loss | 1-3 |
| July 3 | Los Angeles | 62-74 | Loss | 1-4 |
| July 6 | @ Sacramento | 67-70 | Loss | 1-5 |
| July 7 | @ Los Angeles | 81-70 | Win | 2-5 |
| July 10 | Sacramento | 77-61 | Win | 3-5 |
| July 12 | @ Charlotte | 43-72 | Loss | 3-6 |
| July 14 | New York | 57-68 | Loss | 3-7 |
| July 15 | @ New York | 59-76 | Loss | 3-8 |
| July 17 | Charlotte | 65-47 | Win | 4-8 |
| July 19 | Utah | 95-68 | Win | 5-8 |
| July 23 | @ Los Angeles | 89-85 | Win | 6-8 |
| July 26 | @ Utah | 77-66 | Win | 7-8 |
| July 28 | @ Phoenix | 76-64 | Win | 8-8 |
| July 29 | @ Houston | 73-64 | Win | 9-8 |
| July 31 | Phoenix | 79-67 | Win | 10-8 |
| August 2 | Sacramento | 72-51 | Win | 11-8 |
| August 5 | Houston | 66-76 | Loss | 11-9 |
| August 7 | Los Angeles | 84-87 (2OT) | Loss | 11-10 |
| August 11 | @ Utah | 74-59 | Win | 12-10 |
| August 12 | @ Sacramento | 76-81 | Loss | 12-11 |
| August 14 | @ Phoenix | 55-61 | Loss | 12-12 |
| August 17 | Charlotte | 81-49 | Win | 13-12 |
| August 21 | @ Houston | 76-75 | Win | 14-12 |
| August 23 | New York | 72-71 | Win | 15-12 |
| August 24 | @ New York | 72-79 (OT) | Loss | 15-13 |
Player stats edit
- Janice Braxton ranked sixth in the WNBA in total rebounds with 189
- Janice Braxton tied for fifth in the WNBA in blocks with 28.
- Michelle Edwards ranked eighth in the WNBA in assists with 89.
- Isabelle Fijalkowski ranked second in the WNBA in Field Goal Percentage (.508)
- Isabelle Fijalkowski ranked eighth in the WNBA in Free Throw Pct with .786
- Eva Nemcova ranked fourth in the WNBA in Field Goal Percentage (.473)
- Eva Nemcova ranked fourth in the WNBA in Free Throw Pct with .855
- Eva Nemcova ranked tenth in the WNBA in field goals with 138.
- Eva Nemcova ranked eighth in the WNBA in points with 384 points.
- Eva Nemcova ranked seventh in the WNBA in minutes per game with 33.7
- Eva Nemcova ranked eighth in the WNBA in points per game with 13.7
Awards and honors edit
- Janice Braxton, Ranked second in the WNBA (tied), Defensive Rebounds, 151
- Isabelle Fijalkowski: Led WNBA, Personal Fouls, 129
- Eva Nemcova: Led WNBA, 3-Pt Field Goal Percentage, .435
References edit
- ^ "WNBA.com: All-Time WNBA Draft List". Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2008.
- ^ "WNBA Draft History".
- ^ a b "1997 WNBA Season Summary".