The 1997 WNBA season was the inaugural season for the Cleveland Rockers.
Transactions
WNBA allocation draft Player Nationality School/Team/Country Janice Braxton NC State Michelle Edwards Maryland
WNBA elite draft
Round Pick Player Nationality School/Team/Country 1 2 Isabelle Fijalkowski Colorado 2 10 Lynette Woodard Kansas
WNBA draft
Round Pick Player Nationality School/Team/Country 1 4 Eva Němcová Czechoslovakia Bourges (France) 2 13 Merlakia Jones Florida320Tina NicholsonPenn State429Anita MaxwellNew Mexico State
Transactions DateTransaction January 22, 1997 Drafted Janice Braxton and Michelle Edwards in the 1997 WNBA Allocation Draft February 27, 1997 Drafted Isabelle Fijalkowski and Lynette Woodard in the 1997 WNBA Elite Draft April 28, 1997 Drafted Eva Němcová, Merlakia Jones, Tina Nicholson and Anita Maxwell in the 1997 WNBA draftMay 6, 1997Hired Linda Hill-MacDonald as Head Coach
Roster
Schedule
Regular season
| 1 | June 21 | Houston | L 56–76 | Isabelle Fijalkowski (12) | Lynette Woodard (7) | Braxton Edwards Nicholson Němcová (2) | Gund Arena | 0–1 |- | 2 | June 26 | Utah | W 74–63 | Isabelle Fijalkowski (21) | Janice Braxton (14) | Michelle Edwards (8) | Gund Arena | 1–1 |- | 3 | June 28 | Phoenix | L 63–68 | Michelle Edwards (14) | Janice Braxton (12) | Fijalkowski Němcová (5) | Gund Arena | 1–2 |- | 4 | June 29 | @ Charlotte | W 67–44 | Isabelle Fijalkowski (15) | Isabelle Fijalkowski (9) | Braxton Boucek Woodard (3) | Charlotte Coliseum | 1–3
| 5 | July 3 | Los Angeles | L 62–74 | Janice Braxton (15) | Janice Braxton (10) | Boucek Němcová (3) | Gund Arena | 1–4 |- | 6 | July 6 | @ Sacramento | L 67–70 | Merlakia Jones (15) | Isabelle Fijalkowski (9) | Tina Nicholson (5) | ARCO Arena | 1–5 |- | 7 | July 7 | @ Los Angeles | W 81–70 | Braxton Woodard (20) | Lynette Woodard (11) | Lynette Woodard (6) | Great Western Forum | 2–5 |- | 8 | July 10 | Sacramento | W 77–61 | Janice Braxton (19) | Janice Braxton (11) | Isabelle Fijalkowski (4) | Gund Arena | 3–5 |- | 9 | July 12 | @ Charlotte | L 43–72 | Eva Němcová (11) | Braxton Brown (8) | Němcová Woodard (3) | Charlotte Coliseum | 3–6 |- | 10 | July 14 | New York | L 57–68 | Janice Braxton (18) | Isabelle Fijalkowski (5) | Tina Nicholson (9) | Gund Arena | 3–7 |- | 11 | July 15 | @ New York | L 59–76 | Lynette Woodard (12) | Eva Němcová (7) | Fijalkowski Woodard (3) | Madison Square Garden | 3–8 |- | 12 | July 17 | Charlotte | W 65–47 | Němcová Woodard (14) | Isabelle Fijalkowski (11) | Isabelle Fijalkowski (6) | Gund Arena | 4–8 |- | 13 | July 19 | Utah | W 95–68 | Janice Braxton (19) | Lynette Woodard (11) | Nicholson Woodard (6) | Gund Arena | 5–8 |- | 14 | July 23 | @ Los Angeles | W 89–85 | Isabelle Fijalkowski (24) | Janice Braxton (6) | Michelle Edwards (6) | Great Western Forum | 6–8 |- | 15 | July 26 | @ Utah | W 77–66 | Rushia Brown (17) | Isabelle Fijalkowski (10) | Eva Němcová (4) | Delta Center | 7–8 |- | 16 | July 28 | @ Phoenix | W 76–64 | Eva Němcová (22) | Janice Braxton (10) | Edwards Fijalkowski (5) | America West Arena | 8–8 |- | 17 | July 29 | @ Houston | W 73–64 | Eva Němcová (18) | Janice Braxton (7) | Edwards Fijalkowski (5) | The Summit | 9–8 |- | 18 | July 31 | Phoenix | W 79–67 | Eva Němcová (17) | Edwards Woodard (5) | Michelle Edwards (6) | Gund Arena | 10–8
| 19 | August 2 | Sacramento | W 72–51 | Isabelle Fijalkowski (22) | Edwards Fijalkowski (9) | Michelle Edwards (7) | Gund Arena | 11–8 |- | 20 | August 5 | Houston | L 66–76 | Michelle Edwards (17) | Janice Braxton (6) | Michelle Edwards (7) | Gund Arena | 11–9 |- | 21 | August 7 | Los Angeles | L 84–87 (2OT) | Eva Němcová (22) | Isabelle Fijalkowski (10) | Edwards Woodard (5) | Gund Arena | 11–10 |- | 22 | August 11 | @ Utah | W 74–59 | Merlakia Jones (19) | Rushia Brown (11) | Michelle Edwards (6) | Delta Center | 12–10 |- | 23 | August 12 | @ Sacramento | L 76–81 | Eva Němcová (16) | Brown Fijalkowski (9) | Isabelle Fijalkowski (5) | ARCO Arena | 12–11 |- | 24 | August 14 | @ Phoenix | L 55–61 | Merlakia Jones (12) | Brown Němcová (8) | Michelle Edwards (7) | America West Arena | 12–12 |- | 25 | August 17 | Charlotte | W 81–49 | Eva Němcová (21) | Janice Braxton (15) | Braxton Němcová (4) | Gund Arena | 13–12 |- | 26 | August 21 | @ Houston | W 76–75 | Michelle Edwards (15) | Braxton Woodard (5) | Braxton Fijalkowski (3) | The Summit | 14–12 |- | 27 | August 23 | New York | W 72–71 | Janice Braxton (19) | Janice Braxton (8) | Edwards Woodard (5) | Gund Arena | 15–12 |- | 28 | August 24 | @ New York | L 72–79 (OT) | Janice Braxton (15) | Braxton Fijalkowski (4) | Eva Němcová (4) | Madison Square Garden | 15–13
Season standings
Statistics
Regular season Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG Eva Němcová 28 28 33.7 .473 .435 .855 3.9 2.4 1.4 0.3 13.7 Janice Braxton 25 24 32.9 .417 .500 .768 7.6 2.0 1.4 1.1 11.5 Michelle Edwards 20 14 31.1 .447 .240 .523 3.5 4.5 1.8 0.2 10.2 Isabelle Fijalkowski 28 28 28.7 .508 .250 .786 5.6 2.4 0.6 0.6 11.9 Lynette Woodard 28 27 25.4 .401 .000 .672 4.1 2.4 1.6 0.4 7.8 Merlakia Jones 28 1 21.0 .402 .417 .714 2.9 0.9 0.8 0.1 8.2 Rushia Brown 28 3 18.3 .520 N/A .734 4.0 0.7 1.2 0.5 6.3 Tina Nicholson 24 14 11.4 .409 .375 .600 0.4 1.8 0.5 0.0 2.0 Jenny Boucek 10 1 11.2 .467 .000 .571 1.0 0.9 0.6 0.0 1.8 Adrienne Johnson 25 2 7.8 .379 .500 .778 0.9 0.4 0.2 0.0 2.1 Anita Maxwell 9 0 7.0 .320 N/A .375 1.3 0.9 0.4 0.0 2.1 Marcie Alberts 5 0 6.0 .000 .000 N/A 0.2 0.6 0.4 0.0 0.0 ‡Waived/Released during the season †Traded during the season ≠Acquired during the season
Janice Braxton ranked sixth in the WNBA in total rebounds with 189 Janice Braxton tied for fifth in the WNBA in blocks with 28. Michelle Edwards ranked eighth in the WNBA in assists with 89. Isabelle Fijalkowski ranked second in the WNBA in Field Goal Percentage (.508) Isabelle Fijalkowski ranked eighth in the WNBA in Free Throw Pct with .786 Eva Nemcova ranked fourth in the WNBA in Field Goal Percentage (.473) Eva Nemcova ranked fourth in the WNBA in Free Throw Pct with .855 Eva Nemcova ranked tenth in the WNBA in field goals with 138. Eva Nemcova ranked eighth in the WNBA in points with 384 points. Eva Nemcova ranked seventh in the WNBA in minutes per game with 33.7 Eva Nemcova ranked eighth in the WNBA in points per game with 13.7
Awards and honors Janice Braxton, Ranked second in the WNBA (tied), Defensive Rebounds, 151 Isabelle Fijalkowski: Led WNBA, Personal Fouls, 129 Eva Nemcova: Led WNBA, 3-Pt Field Goal Percentage, .435
References
External links Rockers on Basketball Reference