Black Athletes in the Spotlight: HBCU Sports & Local Highlights
- Coretta Brown took a leave; assistant coach Toccara Ross served as interim amid a 14-game losing streak.
- Heavy roster turnover left only three original players: Lauren Taylor, Zee Spearman and Lasha Petree by season's end.
- Season featured first franchise win over Greensboro Groove and strong fan engagement after Lauren Taylor's game-winning shot.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — As the Savannah Steel completed their inaugural season with a memorable win over the Jacksonville Waves, WSAV takes a look at the team’s first year on the floor.
As the final buzzer sounded on Sunday, a journey which started 20 months ago when Savannah was chosen as one of four founding members of the Upshot League, concluded its first season.
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Then 11 months ago, the Hostess City learned more details for its inaugural franchise.
The team would be called the Savannah Steel; its colors: Magenta, black and white; the logo: a hot pink shield; and the first head coach: Coretta Brown.
On May 15, Savannah opened the season with a four-point road loss to Greensboro Groove, but on May 22 the Steel earned their first win in franchise history, 85-67, over Groove at Enmarket Arena.
“The excitement of the players finally feeling that Savannah is a basketball city,” Brown said after the team’s first win. “[The fans] have been patiently waiting for them since September. I think they felt that tonight and it showed in their play.”
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Savannah faced its first off-the-court test on July 9, when the organization announced head coach Coretta Brown was taking a leave of absence due to a personal family matter. The team was 7-10 at the time of her departure.
The team scored a huge hit the next night when they revealed a new mascot: Belle, a female dog.
Assistant coach Toccara Ross took over as interim coach for the rest of the season, but the Steel never found their groove, losing 14 straight at one point.
“Our players don’t need to be speaking on what [Coach Brown] is doing because they don’t know,” Ross said on July 12, three days after the absence was announced. “At the end of the day, we want to continue to pour into Coach Brown and how she’s navigating her family situation.”
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Savannah faced additional challenges with roster management. Only three players from the initial roster, Lauren Taylor, Zee Spearman and Lasha Petree, were with the team when the season ended.
“Players get called up, players don’t get called up,” Ross also said on July 12. “A little moving around going into August and things like that. So, there’s going to be a little bit of up-and-down with the roster.”
Year one ended on a high note, as Taylor closed out the season with a game-winning shot against the league’s top team, the Waves.
After the game, fans stuck around after the game for at least 30 minutes to meet with players, take pictures and collect autographs.
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Overall, the team finished 9-25 and 2-15 under Ross.
WSAV asked her after the final contest if she had any discussions with the organization about bringing her back.
“The postseason conversation will get to happen,” Ross said after the final outing of the season. “I’m really excited for the opportunity to coach these girls today.”
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