Miami Sol

Miami Sol
Miami Sol logo
Conference	Eastern
Founded	2000
Folded	2002
Arena	American Airlines Arena
City	Miami, Florida
Team colors	Fiery Red, Yellow, Black, White
Championships	None
Conference titles	None
Official website	history/teams_familytree.html.wnba.com
Home Away

The Miami Sol was a professional women's basketball team that was based in Miami, Florida and entered the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 2000. They played their games at American Airlines Arena as the sister team to the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team folded after the 2002 season because of financial problems.

Uniforms

Fiery red, with the team name emblazoned in white on the chest and a WNBA ball in place of the hole in the letter "O". The home jerseys featured the same design, only with the colors inverted.

Playoff history

Playoff Appearances: 2001

History

In their short history, the Miami Sol was coached for three seasons by Ron Rothstein. Players such as Debbie Black, Elena Baranova, Sandy Brondello, Ruth Riley, and Sheri Sam led them to the playoffs in 2001, but lost in the first round to the New York Liberty in three games, the only playoff appearance in franchise history. After losing to the New York Liberty in the playoffs, the Miami Sol finished the 2002 season with a 15-17 record. That season proved to be the Sol's last. Citing the inability to raise enough funds to continue operation under the WNBA's new restructuring agreement, the organization ceased operations. The team finished with a franchise record of 48 wins and 48 losses. The other Florida team, the Orlando Miracle, ceased operations after the 2002 season and was relocated to Connecticut as the Connecticut Sun, adopting a nickname and logo very similar to the Miami Sol.

Since the folding of the Miami Sol, former members of the team have found success elsewhere. After being reassigned to the Detroit Shock, Ruth Riley won two WNBA championships in 2003 and 2006. Betty Lennox and Sandy Brondello won a WNBA championship with the Seattle Storm in 2004, with Lennox winning the WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player award.

Trivia

• The team's nickname, Sol, is Spanish and Portuguese for "sun". The name played off the Miami area's large Hispanic population and its "brother" NBA team, the Miami Heat.

Notable players

• Marlies Askamp
• Elena Baranova
• Sandy Brondello
• Katrina Colleton
• Debbie Black
• Milena Flores
• Pollyanna Johns-Kimbrough
• Betty Lennox
• Carolyn Moos
• Vanessa Nygaard
• Kristen Rasmussen
• Ruth Riley
• Sheri Sam
• Iziane Castro Marques

Coaches and others

Head Coaches:

• Ron Rothstein (2000–2002)

External links

• WNBA website
• Miami Sol on FunWhileItLasted.net