SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – Here in Savannah, we already have the Bananas. We have the Ghost Pirates. And soon, one more team will call the Hostess City home.
The Savannah Steel are set to be the first professional women’s basketball organization in the 912. The Steel is part of the four-team UPSHOT League that spans to Jacksonville, Charlotte, and Greensboro.
The season is slated to start in May of 2026 comprised of post-collegiate athletes who don’t sign with the WNBA.
In addition to the name and logo, the team announced on Tuesday who will be the head coach. That role will be filled by Coretta Brown, a former Gatorade Player of the Year out of Southeast Bulloch, who went on to play at UNC Chapel Hill and was the 11th overall draft pick in the 2003 WNBA Draft.
When it comes to filling out the roster, Brown said she’s looking for her players to make a mark.
“Gritty, resilience, leaders. These young ladies who are coming to the game, I want them — just like you see in the WNBA with the Caitlin Clark jerseys — I want them to look at these young ladies that we’re going to put on this roster and say ‘Man, one day I want to be her’ and feel empowered.”
“We know there’s a lot of coaches who could do x’s and o’s, but we also know that in the spirit of the Upshot League, it’s somebody who really wants to win on the court but win off the court as well and also be keen on developing athletes and helping them elevate to the next level,” said UPSHOT League Commissioner Donna Orender.
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