Long Beach Stingrays


The Long Beach Stingrays was a women's professional basketball team. It existed for only the 1997–98 season, and was a member of the American Basketball League.
The Stingrays played most of their home games at the Walter Pyramid on the campus of California State University, Long Beach; however, one home game was played at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim. Their head coach was Maura McHugh.
The Stingrays' biggest star player was their center, Yolanda Griffith. Other notable Stingrays included Beverly Williams, Michelle M. Marciniak, and the former Olympic athlete Venus Lacy.
In what turned out to be the team's only season, the Stingrays made it all the way to the ABL's championship round. They beat the defending champion Columbus Quest in the first two games but lost the final three games in Columbus, and with that, the series.
Despite their strong first season, the Stingrays were viewed largely with indifference by area fans. They had the league's worst attendance; for most of the season, they attracted crowds in the hundreds. Citing anemic season ticket sales and weak corporate sponsorship, league officials shuttered the Stingrays in August 1998. The rest of the league followed in December.
Griffith, like most of the ABL's star players, eventually joined the competing Women's National Basketball Association Griffith went on to a long career in the WNBA, most notably for the Sacramento Monarchs. As for McHugh, she has coached various professional and college teams.

Team record

Regular season

Post-season

;ABL Playoffs First-Round
DateWinning teamLosing teamScoreNotes
21 February 1998Long Beach StingraysColorado Xplosion96–72
22 February 1998ColoradoLong Beach88–68
25 February 1998Long BeachColorado92–61Long Beach wins series, 2–1

;ABL Semifinals
DateWinning teamLosing teamScoreNotes
27 February 1998Long Beach StingraysPortland Power72–62
1 March 1998Long BeachPortland70–69Long Beach wins series, 2–0

;ABL Championship Series
DateWinning teamLosing teamScoreNotes
8 March 1998Long Beach StingraysColumbus Quest65–62
9 March 1998Long BeachColumbus71–61
11 March 1998ColumbusLong Beach70–61
11 March 1998ColumbusLong Beach68–53
15 March 1998ColumbusLong Beach86–81Columbus wins ABL Championship, 3–2

League honors

Yolanda Griffith