Portland Power (basketball)


The Portland Power was a women's professional basketball team in the American Basketball League based in Portland, Oregon. The Power began play in 1996, and disbanded when the ABL folded at the end of 1998. The Power hosted home games at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which had a capacity of 10,934.

1996–97 season

The Power held their pre-season training camp at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Oregon. A scrimmage was held in Monmouth on October 6, 1996, against the Seattle Reign. Portland's first head coach was Greg Bruce, who had previously been the head women's basketball coach at Portland State. The Power's first roster included:
The Power got off to a poor start, going 5–17 under Bruce. Power players reported to ABL management on at least two occasions that Bruce was difficult to work with. The league met with Bruce, who resigned on January 1, 1997, citing personal reasons. He was replaced by former Purdue coach Lin Dunn. Under Dunn, the Power managed to go 9–9 the rest of the first season, and finished last in the Western Conference. Regional cable television network Prime Sports Northwest broadcast four Power games.

1997–98 season

In their second season, the Power showed much improvement. The team acquired Sylvia Crawley from North Carolina's 1994 national championship team and Delisha Milton from Florida among other players, and won the Western Conference. Coach Dunn was named ABL Coach of the Year, and Williams was named the league's MVP. In the playoffs, the team met the conference runner-up, the Long Beach Stingrays, and lost 2 games to 0.
Season ticket costs ranged from $176 to $265. Individual game tickets cost $11, $13 or $15, depending on the section.

1998–99 season

For their third season, the Power acquired Steding's former Stanford teammate, point guard Sonja Henning. Though they got off to a slow start, the Power was leading the Western Conference after completing a five-game win streak when the ABL abruptly folded due to financial difficulties on December 22, 1998.
At the time of their demise, the Power's starting lineup was:
After the franchise folded, many Power players went on to continue their careers in the WNBA.

ABL statistical leaders

1997–98 season:
1998 season :

All-Star players

League honors