New York Buzz
Sport | Team tennis |
---|---|
Founded | 1995 |
League | World TeamTennis |
Conference | Eastern (2000 to 2010) |
Team history | New York OTBzz 1995–1998 Schenectady County Electrics 1999–2000 New York Buzz 2001–2010 New York Sportimes 2011–2013 San Diego Aviators 2014–present |
Based in | Guilderland, New York |
Stadium | SEFCU Arena (Capacity: 2,100) |
Colors | Black, royal blue, yellow, alizarin crimson |
Owner | Nitty Singh |
President | Nitty Singh |
Head coach | Jay Udwadia |
Championships | 2008 |
Conference titles | 3 Eastern Conference Championships 2002, 2007, 2008 |
Playoff berths | 6 – 1995, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2007, 2008 |
Website | www |
The New York Buzz was a professional tennis team competing in World TeamTennis (WTT). The team was originally based in Schenectady, New York from 1995 to 2007, before moving to Albany, New York in 2008, and Guilderland, New York in 2009. The team was founded as the New York OTBzz in 1995, before changing its name to the Schenectady County Electrics in 1999, and finally adopting the name New York Buzz in 2001. In 2008, the team won its third Eastern Conference Championship and went on to defeat the Kansas City Explorers to capture its first and only King Trophy in its fourth appearance in the WTT Final.
On February 14, 2011, WTT announced that the New York Buzz and
Team history of the New York Buzz up to the 2011 merger with the New York Sportimes
Early years as New York OTBzz
The New York OTBzz were founded by Nitty Singh as a WTT expansion franchise in 1995. The team was named pursuant to a
Schultz-McCarthy was named WTT Female Rookie of the Year.For their first 13 seasons (1995–2007), the OTBzz played most of their home matches outdoors at Central Park Tennis Stadium in
In 1996, Dave Randall was the only one of the OTBzz's four regular players from the successful 1995 team to return, and New York dropped off to a record of 5 wins and 7 losses, fifth in WTT, and missed the playoffs. The OTBzz finished 1997, with 5 wins and 9 losses, sixth in WTT, and again missed the playoffs.[10]
First appearance in WTT Final
In 1998, spurred on by the performances of male rookie of the year
Name change to Schenectady County Electrics
Following the 1998 season, Capital District Off-Track Betting Corp. withdrew from its sponsorship agreement with the OTBzz, and the team changed its name to the Schenectady County Electrics for the 1999 season. The name of the team's location was changed from New York to Schenectady County in exchange for a subsidy approved by the Schenectady County legislature.[11][12]
The Electrics drafted the legendary Martina Navratilova as their marquee player prior to the 1999 season. Navratilova committed to play two matches.[13] After losing their first two matches of the 1999 season, the Electrics bounced back in the next two matches to even their record. Jana Novotná, then ranked number 4 in the world, was scheduled to play for the Electrics in their fifth match. However, she had to pull out with a left ankle injury and never ended up appearing in a match for the Electrics.[14] Despite the presence of Navratilova, the Electrics finished with 5 wins and 7 losses, fourth in WTT and lost to the Sacramento Capitals in the semifinals.
The Electrics protected Navratilova for the 2000 season, and she was the only holdover player from the previous year. In the marquee player draft, the Electrics selected Mary Pierce, then ranked number 4 in the world, and Pierce committed to play at least three matches. In the roster draft, the Electrics selected Rita Grande, then the number 1 Italian player, Nannie DeVilliers, former WTT male rookie of the year Michael Hill and Brent Haygarth. The Electrics traded their own former male rookie of the year, Geoff Grant, to the Delaware Smash for cash consideration.[15] The Electrics finished the season with 8 wins and 6 losses, second place in the Eastern Conference.
Name change to New York Buzz
Following the 2000 season, the Electrics were renamed the New York Buzz. The Buzz continued to retain the rights to Martina Navratilova, but for the second consecutive season, she was the only returning player. The new players selected by the Buzz in the roster draft were
Eastern Conference Championship
Prior to the 2002 season, improvements were made to Central Park Tennis Stadium, and the venue was renamed Central Park MVP Stadium. The Buzz selected former world number 1 Lindsay Davenport (ranked number 9 at the time) as their marquee player replacing Navratilova.[17] Mahesh Bhupathi and Nannie DeVilliers returned to the team. Justin Bower and Liezel Huber were added to the roster, and the Buzz had its best season to date winning the Eastern Conference championship with 11 wins and 3 losses, the best record in WTT. Bhupati was named WTT Male Most Valuable Player. Buzz coach Eric Kutner was named WTT Coach of the Year. Because she advanced deep into a WTA tournament, Davenport was not available for the WTT Final.[18] In the second trip to the WTT Final for the Buzz franchise, they met the same opponent as in 1998, the Sacramento Capitals who defeated the Buzz, 21–13, for their fifth title in six years. Bhupathi was not available for the final, because he was playing in an ATP Tour doubles match that had been rained out the previous day.[19]
Buzz falls on hard times
Martina Navratilova returned to the Buzz for the 2004 season after a four-year absence when she was selected in the marquee player draft. Justin Bower was the only returning player from the previous season. Marissa Irvin, Bryanne Stewart and Shaun Rudman made up the rest of the team.[21] The Buzz struggled again in 2004, posting only 5 wins against 9 losses and finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference.
In 2005, Jim Courier was selected by the Buzz as its marquee player. Bryanne Stewart was the only player returning from the previous season. Evie Dominikovic, Brian Vahaly and Jaymon Crabb were newcomers.[22] For the second straight year, the Buzz finished with 5 wins and 9 losses. They were fifth in the Eastern Conference.
For the 2006 season, Central Park MVP Stadium was renamed CDPHP Tennis Complex pursuant to a sponsorship agreement with Capital District Physicians Health Plan.[23] The Buzz decided not to draft a marquee player for the 2006 season, and none of their players from 2005 returned to the team. The players the Buzz selected in the roster draft were Viktoriya Kutuzova, Gastón Etlis, Scott Lipsky and Julie Ditty. Jolene Watanable continued coaching the team.[24] Despite the completely new roster, the results were the same as the Buzz finished with 5 wins and 9 losses for the third consecutive season, last place in the Eastern Conference by virtue of the Boston Lobsters winning the standings tiebreaker.
Another Eastern Conference Championship
The Buzz completely remade its roster again in 2007. For the second straight year, the team elected to pass on making a selection in the marquee player draft. Julie Ditty was traded to the Boston Lobsters. The Buzz selected 2005 WTT Rookie of the Year
After four straight losing seasons, the Buzz finally turned its fortunes finishing with 8 wins and 6 losses tied for first place with the Philadelphia Freedoms in the highly competitive Eastern Conference. Only 2 match wins separated first place from last place in the conference. The Buzz won a standings tiebreaker over the Freedoms making it the top seed in the conference.The Buzz squared off against the Freedoms in the Eastern Conference Championship Match. The Buzz fell behind 10–6 after two sets losing mixed doubles and women's doubles. In the third set, de Voest and Fisher topped Frédéric Niemeyer and Daniel Nestor in men's doubles, 5–2, to cut the Freedoms' lead to 12–11 at halftime. Olga Savchuk won a tiebreaker against Arn to take women's singles, 5–4, and give the Freedoms a 17–15 lead heading to the final set. De Voest stepped up big taking the men's singles from Niemeyer, 5–2, to squeeze out a 20–19 victory and give the Buzz their second Eastern Conference Championship.[26]
The following day, the Buzz played in its third WTT Final, and for the third time, it met the Sacramento Capitals. The Capitals won the first four sets, three of them in tiebreakers, to take a 20–15 lead to the final set. De Voest and Fisher beat Mark Knowles and Sam Warburg in men's doubles, 5–3 to take that final set and send the match to overtime with the Capitals leading 23–20. Knowles and Warburg won the first game of overtime to give the Capitals the title, 24–20. Despite the Buzz's loss, de Voest was named WTT Championship Most Valuable Player.[27]
Move to Albany and first King Trophy
For the 2008 season, the defending Eastern Conference Champion Buzz moved to the larger Washington Avenue Armory Sports and Convention Center in Albany, New York. Buzz ownership said that it moved to the air-conditioned indoor arena which seats about 4,000 people for tennis, because it has secure parking to serve the team's growing fan base and to "give the team much more visibility and awareness and help increase the level of hospitality the Buzz wish to provide."[28]
For the third straight season, the Buzz passed on selecting a player in the marquee player draft. Gabriela Navrátilová was the only player returning from the previous season's conference champions.
A change in the WTT playoff format for 2008, meant that the conference championship was determined by regular-season results. The Buzz posted a record of 10 wins and 4 losses which was identical to the record of the New York Sportimes. The two teams split the two matches they played during the regular season, but the Buzz won more games in those two matches giving them the tiebreaker edge and their second consecutive Eastern Conference Championship.[31] Yaroslava Shvedova was named WTT female rookie of the year.
As the number 2 overall seed in the WTT playoffs, the Buzz was matched against the number 3 seeded Sportimes. In the first ever postseason matchup between the two New York clubs, the Buzz dominated the match winning the first four sets. Nathan Healey and Yaroslava Shvedova opened the match with a 5–3 set win against John McEnroe and Hana Šromová in mixed doubles. Shvedova followed with a 5–2 women's singles win over Ashley Harkleroad. Healy took care of Jesse Witten, 5–2, in men's singles. Gabriela Navrátilová and Shvedova needed a tiebreaker to beat Harkleroad and Šromová, 5–4, and give the Buzz a 20–11 lead heading to the final set. McEnroe and Witten won a tiebreaker over Patrick Briaud and Healy in the men's doubles to force overtime with the Buzz leading 24–16. Briaud and Healy won the second game of overtime to give the Buzz a 25–17 victory and send it to its fourth WTT Final.[32]
In the WTT Final, the Buzz faced the Kansas City Explorers who were coming off a regular season record of 13 wins and 1 loss and thrashed the defending champion Sacramento Capitals 21–10 in the semifinals.[33] Nathan Healey got the Buzz off to a good start with a win in the first set of men's singles over Dušan Vemić, 5–3. Yaroslava Shvedova followed with a 5–3 set win over Květa Peschke in women's singles to give the Buzz a 10–6 lead. The Explorers fought back with a 5–3 set win by Rennae Stubbs and Vemić in mixed doubles over Shvedova and Healey. Stubbs and Peschke then registered a 5–3 set win over Shvedova and Gabriela Navrátilová in women's doubles to tie the match, 16–16. In the final set, Healey and Patrick Briaud topped James Auckland and Vemić in men's doubles, 5–2, to secure the first King Trophy in Buzz history. Despite playing for the losing team, Stubbs was named WTT Championship Most Valuable Player.[34]
Another move
After just one season at the Washington Avenue Armory, the Buzz moved again to SEFCU Arena in Guilderland, New York on the campus of the University at Albany.[35] Longtime Buzz owner Nitty Singh cited problems with the air conditioning, parking and location of the armory as reasons for moving. She said, "We want something that is easily accessible. We don’t want to worry about the neighborhood. Last year, a lot of local people, especially [from] Schenectady, were a little leery about going down to the Armory.”[36]
In 2009, the Buzz continued its practice of passing on drafting a marquee player. Despite being the defending WTT champions, the Buzz did not protect any of their players from the previous year's team. Instead, it drafted four new players in the roster draft and put together the youngest team in WTT history. In the order selected, the players drafted by the Buzz and their ages at the time were
Martina Hingis plays full-time for the Buzz
The Buzz selected former world number 1
Merger with Sportimes
On February 14, 2011, WTT announced that the New York Buzz and New York Sportimes had merged with the resulting combined team to be called the New York Sportimes. The team would play five of its seven home matches each season in New York City and the other two at SEFCU Arena in Guilderland, former home of the Buzz. Nitty Singh, founder and longtime owner and general manager of the Buzz said that she wanted to refocus her efforts on two big events rather than operation of a year-round franchise. “We’re taking the fan and sponsor experience to a higher level with two fantastic nights of World TeamTennis action,” said Singh. “It’s a Grand Slam tennis experience. We will have big names coming to Albany each night, and our most loyal fans will follow the team back and forth from New York City. It will be a great new era for World TeamTennis in the Capital Region.”[1]
Season-by-season records
The following table shows regular season records, playoff results and titles won by the New York Buzz franchise prior to its merger with the New York Sportimes in 2011.
Year | Team Name | W | L | PCT | Playoff result | Titles won |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | New York OTBzz | 10 | 6 | .625 | Lost in WTT Semifinals | |
1996 | New York OTBzz | 5 | 7 | .417 | Missed playoffs | |
1997 | New York OTBzz | 5 | 7 | .357 | Missed playoffs | |
1998 | New York OTBzz | 11 | 3 | .786 | Won WTT Semifinal Match Lost in WTT Final |
Best regular-season record in WTT |
1999 | Schenectady County Electrics | 5 | 7 | .417 | Lost in WTT Semifinals | |
2000 | Schenectady County Electrics | 8 | 6 | .571 | Missed playoffs | |
2001 | New York Buzz | 9 | 5 | .643 | Missed playoffs | |
2002 | New York Buzz | 11 | 3 | .786 | Lost in WTT Final | Eastern Conference Champions Best regular-season record in WTT |
2003 | New York Buzz | 4 | 10 | .286 | Missed playoffs | |
2004 | New York Buzz | 5 | 9 | .357 | Missed playoffs | |
2005 | New York Buzz | 5 | 9 | .357 | Missed playoffs | |
2006 | New York Buzz | 5 | 9 | .357 | Missed playoffs | |
2007 | New York Buzz | 8 | 6 | .571 | Won Eastern Conference Championship Match Lost in WTT Final |
Eastern Conference Champions |
2008 | New York Buzz | 10 | 4 | .714 | Won WTT Semifinal Match Won WTT Final Match |
WTT Champions Eastern Conference Champions |
2009 | New York Buzz | 4 | 10 | .286 | Missed playoffs | |
2010 | New York Buzz | 2 | 12 | .143 | Missed playoffs | |
Totals | 107 | 113 | .486 | WTT Finals: 1 win, 3 losses, .250 All Playoff Matches: 4 wins, 5 losses, .444 |
WTT Champions - 1 (2008) Eastern Conference Champions - 3 (2002, 2007, 2008) Best regular-season record in WTT - 2 (1998, 2002) |
Home courts
The following table shows home courts used by the New York Buzz franchise prior to its merger with the New York Sportimes in 2011.
Venue | Location | Duration | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Start | End | |||
CDPHP Tennis Complex[Note 1] | Schenectady, New York | 1995 | 2007 | Primary home venue |
Sportime Schenectady | Rotterdam, New York | 1995 | 2007 | Alternate venue in case of rain |
Tri-City Racquet Club | Latham, New York | 2005 | 2005 | Alternate venue used because of a power failure at Central Park MVP Stadium |
Washington Avenue Armory Sports and Convention Center | Albany, New York | 2008 | 2008 | Primary home venue |
SEFCU Arena | Guilderland, New York | 2009 | 2010 | Primary home venue |
Glens Falls Civic Center |
Glens Falls, New York | 2010 | 2010 | One marquee match played at the venue |
Notes:
- ^ The stadium was called Central Park Tennis Stadium from 1995 to 2001. It was called Central Park MVP Stadium from 2002 to 2005. It was renamed CDPHP Tennis Complex before the 2006 season.
Individual honors
The following table shows individual honors bestowed upon players and coaches of the New York Buzz franchise prior to its merger with the New York Sportimes in 2011.
Year | Player/Coach | Award |
---|---|---|
1995 | Brenda Schultz-McCarthy | Female Rookie of the Year |
1998 | Nana Miyagi |
Female Rookie of the Year |
1998 | Geoff Grant | Male Rookie of the Year |
1998 | Inderjit Singh | Coach of the Year |
2002 | Mahesh Bhupathi | Male Most Valuable Player |
2002 | Eric Kutner | Coach of the Year |
2007 | Rik de Voest | Championship Most Valuable Player |
2008 | Yaroslava Shvedova | Female Rookie of the Year |
Hall of Fame players
The following players who are enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame played for the New York Buzz franchise prior to its merger with the New York Sportimes in 2011:
- Martina Navratilova 1999–2000, 2004
- Lindsay Davenport 2002
- Boris Becker 2003
- Jim Courier 2005
- Martina Hingis 2010
See also
References
- ^ a b "New York Sportimes to Play Two Matches in Albany This Summer as World TeamTennis' New York Teams Consolidate". World TeamTennis. February 14, 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "Claude Okin Announces Sale of New York Sportimes to San Diego Group". Our Sports Central. January 16, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
- ^ "Mylan World TeamTennis Team Headed to San Diego". World TeamTennis. January 16, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
- ^ Gray, Buzz (July 22, 1995). "OTBzz Eye Revenge against Twist Today". Times Union. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ Gray, Buzz (July 13, 1995). "OTBzz: A Good Bet". Times Union. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ Gray, Buzz (July 20, 1995). "WTT Alters Image of Tour Pros". Times Union. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ a b Gray, Buzz (September 14, 1995). "Singh Buzzing about the Future of World TeamTennis". Times Union. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ Spencer, Reid (August 13, 1995). "Stars Eliminate OTBzz". Times Union. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ a b Stashenko, Joel (August 2, 2005). "Schenectady Will Require Commitment from WTT Franchise". Albany Business Review. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ a b Gray, Buzz (July 8, 1998). "Tennis Buzz Begins as OTBzz Open Season". Times Union. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ "Knowing the Score". Albany Business Review. January 11, 1999. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ Gray, Buzz (July 9, 1999). "Electrics Seek Jolt on Home Court". Times Union. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ Gray, Buzz (April 1, 1999). "Electrics Land Ace Navratilova". Times Union. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ Gray, Buzz (July 13, 1999). "Navratilova to Join Electrics Tennis Team". Times Union. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ Gray, Buzz (April 12, 2000). "New Lights around Fixed Star". Times Union. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "Buzz Selects WTT Roster". Times Union. April 12, 2001. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ Singelais, Mark (July 3, 2002). "Buzzing over Her Return". Times Union. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ Gray, Buzz (August 24, 2002). "Buzz Goes for Crown". Times Union. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ Roberts, Selena (August 26, 2002). "Sacramento Wins Title". The New York Times. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
- ^ "WTT Announces 2003 Rosters & Schedules". United States Tennis Association. April 4, 2003. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "World TeamTennis Announces 2004 Marquee/Draft Picks". Our Sports Central. April 7, 2004. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "Steffi Graf's WTT Debut Highlights 2005 WTT Pro League Draft". United States Tennis Association. March 29, 2005. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "New Name for Schenectady Tennis Complex". Albany Business Review. June 26, 2006. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ "WTT 2006 Pro League Draft Results". Mens Tennis Forums. March 28, 2006. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "World TeamTennis Finalizes Rosters at WTT Player Draft". World TeamTennis. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "World Team Tennis (July 5-29, 2007)". Mens Tennis Forums. August 6, 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "Sacramento Capitals Capture WTT Championship with 24-20 Win over New York Buzz". Tennis Industry. August 1, 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "Buzz Pro Tennis Team Will Call Washington Avenue Armory Home". Albany Business Review. May 8, 2008. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ "World TeamTennis Finalizes Rosters at WTT Player Draft". World TeamTennis. April 1, 2008. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ Robertson, Dale (August 7, 2008). "Briaud goes out a winner". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "#2 NY Buzz vs. #3 NY Sportimes - Semifinal Preview". World TeamTennis. July 26, 2008. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "New York Buzz Advances to WTT Final with 25-17 Win over New York Sportimes". World TeamTennis. July 26, 2008. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "Kansas City Explorers Advance to 2008 WTT Final". World TeamTennis. July 25, 2008. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "New York Buzz Claim First World TeamTennis Championship". USA Today. July 27, 2008. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ "NY Buzz to Call UAlbany Home". Albany Business Review. February 3, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ Schott, Ken (February 4, 2009). "SEFCU Arena a Better Fit as New Home for NY Buzz". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ "Junior Team Highlights Roster Draft". World TeamTennis. March 31, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "2010 Draft Grid". World TeamTennis. March 16, 2010. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ Singelais, Mark (July 4, 2010). "New Look for Buzz". Times Union. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "Results for Friday, 7/9". World TeamTennis. July 9, 2010. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "Results for Thursday, 7/22". World TeamTennis. July 22, 2010. Retrieved July 25, 2014.