Houston Comets facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Houston Comets
Conference	Western
Leagues	WNBA
Founded	1997
Dissolved	2008
History	Houston Comets 1997–2008
Arena	Compaq Center (1997–2003) Toyota Center (2004–2007) Reliant Arena (2008)
Location	Houston, Texas
Team colors	Fireball Red, Stardust Silver, White, Galaxy Blue
Championships	4 (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
Conference titles	4 (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)

The Houston Comets were a professional basketball team for women, based in Houston, Texas. They were one of the first eight teams in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) when the league started in 1997. The Comets made history by winning the first four WNBA championships ever!

They are one of only two teams in the WNBA that have never lost in the WNBA Finals. The other team is the Seattle Storm. The Comets were known as the first "dynasty" of the WNBA, meaning they were super successful for a long time. They are tied with the Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm for winning the most championships in WNBA history. Sadly, the team stopped playing in 2008 because new owners couldn't be found.

The Comets were famous for having amazing women's basketball players. Some of their stars included Cynthia Cooper, who was the WNBA's first Most Valuable Player (MVP). Other great players were Sheryl Swoopes, Kim Perrot (who passed away in 1999), Michelle Snow, and Tina Thompson.

Team History: The Comets' Journey

Building a Basketball Dynasty (1997–2000)

The Houston Comets were a founding team in the WNBA. In 1997, they won the very first WNBA championship. They beat the New York Liberty in the final game.

The next year, the league grew, and the Comets moved to the Western Conference. In 1998, they had an amazing season, winning 27 games and losing only 3. This is still a WNBA record for the best winning percentage! They won the championship again, defeating the Phoenix Mercury. This was the first time the WNBA Finals were a series of three games.

In 1999, the Comets were led by their "Big Three" players: Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson. They won their third championship in a row, again beating the New York Liberty. This win was special because it happened after their teammate, Kim Perrot, passed away from cancer.

In 2000, with Sheryl Swoopes as the league MVP and Cynthia Cooper as the Finals MVP, the Comets won their fourth straight title. They beat the New York Liberty once more. This made them one of the greatest WNBA teams ever. The year 2000 was the last time the Comets won a championship or played in the WNBA Finals.

Years of Change and Rebuilding (2001–2006)

After Cynthia Cooper retired in 2001, the Comets still made it to the playoffs. However, they lost to the Los Angeles Sparks, who went on to win the championship that year. In 2002, Sheryl Swoopes was injured for most of the year. Even so, the Comets made the playoffs but lost to the Utah Starzz.

In 2003, they reached the playoffs for the seventh year in a row. They lost in the first round to the Sacramento Monarchs. In 2004, the Comets missed the playoffs for the first time in their history. But they bounced back in 2005, making it to the playoffs again. They even beat the defending champions, the Seattle Storm, in the first round. However, they lost to the Sacramento Monarchs in the conference finals. The Monarchs then became the WNBA champions that year.

Houston made the playoffs one last time in 2006. They lost to the Sacramento Monarchs again. After the 2006 season, big changes happened for the Comets. The team owner, Leslie Alexander, announced he was selling the team. Also, their longtime head coach, Van Chancellor, resigned.

New Owners and a New Home (2007)

On January 31, 2007, a businessman named Hilton Koch bought the team. A couple of weeks later, Karleen Thompson, who was an assistant coach, became the Comets' new head coach and general manager.

In the 2007 season, the Comets missed the playoffs for the second time. They had a tough start, losing their first 10 games.

In December 2007, the team owner announced that the Comets would move to Reliant Arena for the 2008 season. They had been playing at the Toyota Center. This move caused them to lose fans. The Toyota Center could hold 13,000 fans, but Reliant Arena only held 7,200. In their final year, 2008, the Comets averaged only 6,000 fans per game.

The End of an Era (2008)

In 2008, Hilton Koch decided to sell the team. No one bought it. So, the WNBA took over the Comets and officially closed the team in December 2008. They said the team's operations would be "suspended" for 2009. Some people hoped this meant the team could come back if an investor appeared. The Comets players were then sent to other teams in a special draft.

The WNBA president, Donna Orender, said that the Comets closing didn't mean the WNBA was in trouble. But former player Cynthia Cooper-Dyke said it was "disturbing news." She felt the Comets were a very important part of the WNBA.

The Comets played their very last home game on September 15, 2008. It was held at Strahan Coliseum at Texas State because of Hurricane Ike. They won that game against the Sacramento Monarchs. The Comets finished their final season with an equal number of wins and losses (17-17). They missed the playoffs for the third time in their history.

Season-by-Season Records

Team Owners

• Leslie Alexander (1997–2006)
• Hilton Koch (2007–2008)
• WNBA (2008)

Players and Coaches

Final Roster (2008)

Houston Comets roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From G 1 Ajavon, Matee 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Rutgers G/F 00 Byears, Latasha 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 206 lb (93 kg) DePaul G 20 Dixon, Tamecka 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 148 lb (67 kg) Kansas G 15 Hodges, Roneeka 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Florida State G/F 17 Holmes, Sequoia 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 155 lb (70 kg) UNLV G 41 Johnson, Shannon 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) 152 lb (69 kg) South Carolina F 21 Lyttle, Sancho 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Houston G 4 Mabika, Mwadi 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Democratic Republic of the Congo G/F 99 Maïga-Ba, Hamchétou 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Old Dominion C 2 Snow, Michelle 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 158 lb (72 kg) Tennessee F 7 Thompson, Tina 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 178 lb (81 kg) Southern California G 5 White, Erica 5 ft 3 in (1.6 m) 135 lb (61 kg) LSU F 8 Williams, Mistie 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 184 lb (83 kg) Duke	Head coach Karleen Thompson (Southern California) Assistant coaches Ryan Weisenberg (California Poly.) Laurie Byrd (Eastern Michigan) Athletic trainer Courtney Watson Strength and conditioning coach Virgil Campbell Legend (C) Team captain (FA) Free agent (IN) Inactive (S) Suspended Injured

Retired Numbers

The Comets honored two players by retiring their jersey numbers. This means no other player on the team could wear that number again.

Famous Former Comets Players

Many talented players wore the Comets jersey over the years. Here are some of them:

• Tiffani Johnson
• Matee Ajavon
• Janeth Arcain
• Octavia Blue
• Latasha Byears
• Dominique Canty
• Cynthia Cooper, who later became a coach for the Texas Southern Women's Basketball Team
• Tamecka Dixon
• Ukari Figgs
• Nekeshia Henderson
• Sonja Henning
• Tammy Jackson
• Shannon Johnson
• Amanda Lassiter
• Edwige Lawson
• Tynesha Lewis
• Rebecca Lobo
• Sancho Lyttle
• Mwadi Mabika
• Hamchétou Maïga
• Kim Perrot
• Jennifer Rizzotti, who later coached the George Washington Colonials Women's Basketball Team
• Michelle Snow
• Dawn Staley, who later coached the South Carolina Gamecocks Women's Basketball Team
• Sheryl Swoopes, who later became an assistant coach for the Texas Tech Women's Basketball Team
• Lindsay Taylor
• Tina Thompson, who later coached the Virginia Cavaliers Women's Basketball Team
• Amaya Valdemoro
• Coquese Washington, who later became an assistant coach for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Women's Basketball Team
• Kara Wolters
• Monica Lamb-Powell

Comets in the FIBA Hall of Fame

The FIBA Hall of Fame honors great basketball players from around the world. One Comets player was inducted:

Coaches and General Managers

• Head Coaches:
  • Van Chancellor (1997–2007)
  • Karleen Thompson (2007–2008)
• General Managers:
  • Carroll Dawson (1997-2007)
  • Karleen Thompson (2007–08)

See also

In Spanish: Houston Comets para niños