Utah Starzz

Utah Starzz
Utah Starzz
Conference	Western
Leagues	WNBA
Founded	1997
History	Utah Starzz; (1997–2002); San Antonio Silver Stars; (2003–2013); San Antonio Stars; (2014–2017); Las Vegas Aces; (2018–present)
Arena	Delta Center
Location	Salt Lake City, Utah
Team colors	Green, Purple, Light Blue, Copper, Black, White;
General manager	Jay Francis
Head coach	Candi Harvey
Ownership	Larry H. Miller
Home	Away

The Utah Starzz were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Salt Lake City. They began play in the 1997 WNBA season as one of the league's eight original teams.

History

One of the eight original WNBA teams, the Starzz were partially named after the old ABA team Utah Stars. They were the sister team to the NBA's Utah Jazz.^[1]

In 2002, after five seasons, Utah Jazz ownership lost interest in keeping the Starzz, leaving the team at risk of folding. No local buyers could be found, so the Starzz announced their intention to move out of Salt Lake City.^[2] On December 5, 2002, the team was purchased by Spurs Sports & Entertainment, and it was announced that they would move immediately to San Antonio and change their nickname to the Silver Stars. The team relocated and became the San Antonio Silver Stars in 2003.^[3]

Uniforms

1997–2002: For home games, white with blue on the sides and shoulders and white Starzz logo text on the chest. For away games, blue with purple on the sides and white Starzz logo text on the chest. The Starzz logo is on the shorts.

Season-by-season records

Season	Team	Conference		Regular season			Playoff Results
Season	Team	Conference		W	L	PCT	Playoff Results
Utah Starzz
1997	1997	West	4th	7	21	.250
1998	1998	West	5th	8	22	.267
1999	1999	West	6th	15	17	.469
2000	2000	West	5th	18	14	.563
2001	2001	West	3rd	19	13	.594	Lost Conference Semifinals (Sacramento, 0–2)
2002	2002	West	3rd	20	12	.625	Won Conference Semifinals (Houston, 2–1) Lost Conference Finals (Los Angeles, 0–2)
Regular season				87	99	.468	0 Conference Championships
Playoffs				2	5	.286	0 WNBA Championships

Players

Final roster

2002 Utah Starzz roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	No.	Name	Height	Weight	From
G	43	Aguilar, Elisa	5' 8" (1.73m)	156 lb (71kg)	George Washington
G	8	Azzi, Jennifer	5' 8" (1.73m)	144 lb (65kg)	Stanford
G	20	Caufield, LaNeishea	5' 9" (1.75m)	165 lb (75kg)	Oklahoma
F	34	Crockrom, Danielle	6' 1" (1.85m)	158 lb (72kg)	Baylor
C	12	Dydek, Margo	7' 2" (2.18m)	223 lb (101kg)	Poland
G	3	Ferdinand, Marie	5' 9" (1.75m)	153 lb (69kg)	LSU
F/C	50	Gardner, Andrea	6' 3" (1.91m)	190 lb (86kg)	Howard
G	15	Goodson, Adrienne	6' 0" (1.83m)	160 lb (73kg)	Old Dominion
C	54	Herrig, Amy	6' 4" (1.93m)	189 lb (86kg)	Iowa
F	23	Johnson, LaTonya	6' 1" (1.85m)	149 lb (68kg)	Memphis
G	21	Randall, Semeka	5' 8" (1.73m)	170 lb (77kg)	Tennessee
F	24	Williams, Natalie	6' 2" (1.88m)	210 lb (95kg)	UCLA

Head coach: Candi Harvey (Ouachita Baptist)
Assistant coaches: Tammi Reiss (Eastern Michigan); Bobbi Morse (Virginia)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
Injured

Notable players

FIBA Hall of Fame

Utah Starzz Hall of Famers
Players
No.	Name	Position	Tenure	Inducted
12	Margo Dydek	C	1998–2002	2019

Coaches

Head coaches

Denise Taylor (1997–1998)
Frank Layden (1998–1999)
Fred Williams (1999–2001)
Candi Harvey (2001–2002)

General managers

Tim Howells (1997–1999)

All-time notes

Draft picks

1997 Elite Draft: Dena Head (1), Wendy Palmer (9)
1997 WNBA Draft: Tammi Reiss (5), Jessie Hicks (12), Raegan Scott (21), Kim Williams (28)
1998 WNBA Draft: Margo Dydek (1), Olympia Scott (11), LaTonya Johnson (21), Tricia Bader (31)
1999 WNBA Draft: Natalie Williams (3), Debbie Black (15), Adrienne Goodson (27), Dalma Ivanyi (39)
2000 WNBA Draft: Naomi Mulitauaopele (12), Stacy Frese (35), Kristen Rasmussen (51)
2001 WNBA Draft: Marie Ferdinand (8), Michaela Pavlickova (24), Shea Ralph (40), Cara Consuegra (56)
2002 WNBA Draft: Danielle Crockrom (11), Andrea Gardner (27), Edmarie Lumbsley (43), Jaclyn Winfield (59)

All-stars

1999: Natalie Williams
2000: Natalie Williams
2001: Natalie Williams
2002: Marie Ferdinand, Adrienne Goodson

References

^ Call, Jeff (June 1, 1997). "Starzz to Jazz fans: We got next". Deseret News. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
^ Marriott, Jonah (December 21, 2023). "The Utah Starzz: Salt Lake's Forgotten WNBA Franchise". The Daily Utah Chronicle. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
^ Elfman, Lois (September 19, 2019). "WNBA Playoffs into the semi-finals". New York Amsterdam News. Retrieved February 25, 2020.

External links

Official Site (October 2002) (Archived)

[next-1] Call, Jeff (June 1, 1997). "Starzz to Jazz fans: We got next". Deseret News. Retrieved February 25, 2020.

[2] Marriott, Jonah (December 21, 2023). "The Utah Starzz: Salt Lake's Forgotten WNBA Franchise". The Daily Utah Chronicle. Retrieved June 27, 2025.

[playoffs-3] Elfman, Lois (September 19, 2019). "WNBA Playoffs into the semi-finals". New York Amsterdam News. Retrieved February 25, 2020.

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