There is a professional basketball team playing winning basketball in this city right now, and most of you have no idea it exists. Let me fix that.
They are the Charlotte Crown. Women's pro basketball, an inaugural franchise in the brand-new UpShot League, and as of this weekend, a team almost nobody in this city is talking about. The Crown went into Greensboro twice in three days and came out with two wins: 86-81 on Friday night, 91-79 on Sunday afternoon. That is three straight wins, a road sweep, and a team sitting second in the league and over .500 in a season that only started in May.
Folks, this is exactly the kind of story this town keeps missing.
Friday's game was a grinder. The Crown and the Groove traded punches through a first half that Greensboro led by a single point. Then the third quarter happened. Charlotte outscored the Groove 25-12 in that frame alone, tilted the whole floor, and built the cushion they would need when Greensboro came roaring back in the fourth. The Groove pulled all the way even. The Crown answered with clutch shooting from behind the arc and at the free throw line and survived to the buzzer. AD Durr was the story, lights out from the field, 22 points to lead everyone on the floor. Four other Crown players reached double figures behind him, including Kiki Jefferson, who poured in 13 off the bench in under ten minutes.
Sunday, they made it look easier. Charlotte led 24-21 after one, 50-47 at the half, and pulled away in the second half for the 91-79 win. Five players in double figures this time. Deja Kelly led the way with 17. Schaquilla Nunn posted a double-double, 15 points and 10 rebounds, and walked off with Royal of the Game honors. Reigan Richardson chipped in 13 points and seven assists. Balanced, deep, and getting better by the week.
The UpShot League is brand new, four teams to start (the Crown, the Jacksonville Waves, the Savannah Steel, and the Greensboro Groove), pitched as a development pipeline toward the WNBA. It is run by Zawyer Sports, the same group behind the Checkers and the Gastonia Ghost Peppers, so these are people who know how to run a franchise in this market. The Crown are coached by Trisha Stafford-Odom, who played in the WNBA herself. They opened the season on May 21. And right now they are winning.
Women's pro basketball is back in the Queen City, and that is not a small thing. There is a whole generation of hoops fans here who have been waiting for a reason to fill a gym on a summer night.
The Crown are giving them one. Three in a row and counting. You have been told. Now go pay attention before the rest of the city figures out what it has been missing.