Orlando Miracle

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

The Orlando Miracle were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Orlando, Florida. It 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.

Orlando Miracle
Conference	Eastern
Leagues	WNBA
Founded	1999
History	Orlando Miracle 1999–2002 Connecticut Sun 2003–present
Arena	TD Waterhouse Centre
Location	Orlando, Florida
Team colors	Electric Blue, White, QuickSilver, Magic Black
Home Away

History

The city of Orlando was granted an expansion franchise in 1998, and the Orlando Miracle took the floor for the 1999 WNBA 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 the 2001 WNBA All-Star Game. In 2002, the Miracle posted a 16-16 record, but missed the playoffs after losing the tiebreaker for the final playoff spot to the Indiana Fever.

The 2002 season would also 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.)^[1] 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

Season	Team	Conference		Regular season			Playoff Results
				W	L	PCT
Orlando Miracle
1999	1999	East	4th	15	17	.469
2000	2000	East	3rd	16	16	.500	Lost Conference Semifinals (Cleveland, 1–2)
2001	2001	East	5th	13	19	.406
2002	2002	East	5th	16	16	.500
Regular season				60	68	.469	0 Conference Championships
Playoffs				1	2	.333	0 WNBA Championships

Players

Final roster

2002 Orlando Miracle roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Height Weight From F 50 Cunningham, Davalyn 6' 0" (1.83m) 187 lb (85kg) Rutgers C 28 dos Santos, Cintia 6' 5" (1.96m) 187 lb (85kg) Brazil G/F 32 Douglas, Katie 6' 0" (1.83m) 165 lb (75kg) Purdue F/C 22 Hicks, Jessie 6' 4" (1.93m) 188 lb (85kg) Maryland G 31 Johnson, Adrienne 5' 10" (1.78m) 154 lb (70kg) Ohio State G 14 Johnson, Shannon 5' 7" (1.7m) 152 lb (69kg) South Carolina C 00 Machanguana, Clarisse 6' 5" (1.96m) 180 lb (82kg) Old Dominion G/F 12 McCain, Tiffany 5' 10" (1.78m) 167 lb (76kg) Kentucky F 10 McGhee, Carla 6' 1" (1.85m) 179 lb (81kg) Tennessee F/C 11 McWilliams, Taj (C) 6' 2" (1.88m) 184 lb (83kg) St. Edward's College F 3 Palmer-Daniel, Wendy 6' 2" (1.88m) 165 lb (75kg) Virginia G/F 42 Sales, Nykesha (C) 6' 0" (1.83m) 175 lb (79kg) Connecticut F 21 Wyckoff, Brooke 6' 1" (1.85m) 183 lb (83kg) Florida State	Head coach Dee Brown (Jacksonville) Assistant coaches Vonn Read (Clark Atlanta) Valerie Still (Kentucky) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Former players

Main article: Orlando Miracle all-time roster

• Cintia dos Santos 2000–2002
• Katie Douglas 2001–2002
• Jessie Hicks 2000–2002
• Adrienne Johnson 1999–2002
• Shannon Johnson 1999–2002
• Carla McGhee 1999–2002
• Taj McWilliams-Franklin 1999–2002
• Elaine Powell 1999–2002
• Nykesha Sales 1999–2002
• Brooke Wyckoff 2001–2002
• Monica "Monee" Sheppard

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

General managers

• Carolyn Peck (1999-2002)
• Dee Brown (2002)

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

^[2]

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