Savannah’s first professional women’s basketball team officially has a name and a head coach.The Savannah Steel were announced Tuesday as the newest franchise in the Upshot League, which launched in January.The Steel will begin play in May 2026 at Enmarket Arena under the ownership of Zawyer Sports and Entertainment.Former WNBA commissioner Donna Orender leads the league, which is positioning itself as a new chapter for women’s professional basketball.At the helm for Savannah’s inaugural season will be Coretta Brown, a Southeast Georgia native and Southeast Bulloch High School alum, marking a true homecoming.Brown’s basketball résumé stretches from small-town Georgia to the global stage. She was Georgia’s 1999 Gatorade Player of the Year, starred at the University of North Carolina, where she set the Tar Heels’ career three-point record, and became a first-round pick in the 2003 WNBA Draft.Her playing career included stops with the Indiana Fever, Chicago Sky, and overseas before she transitioned into coaching.Over the past two decades, Brown has built her reputation in Division I basketball, known for player development and building programs.Now, as the Savannah Steel’s first head coach, she brings both championship-level experience and a vision for a community-driven culture, aiming to inspire a new generation of athletes in her home state.
SAVANNAH, Ga. —
Savannah’s first professional women’s basketball team officially has a name and a head coach.
The Savannah Steel were announced Tuesday as the newest franchise in the Upshot League, which launched in January.
The Steel will begin play in May 2026 at Enmarket Arena under the ownership of Zawyer Sports and Entertainment.
Former WNBA commissioner Donna Orender leads the league, which is positioning itself as a new chapter for women’s professional basketball.
At the helm for Savannah’s inaugural season will be Coretta Brown, a Southeast Georgia native and Southeast Bulloch High School alum, marking a true homecoming.
Brown’s basketball résumé stretches from small-town Georgia to the global stage. She was Georgia’s 1999 Gatorade Player of the Year, starred at the University of North Carolina, where she set the Tar Heels’ career three-point record, and became a first-round pick in the 2003 WNBA Draft.
Her playing career included stops with the Indiana Fever, Chicago Sky, and overseas before she transitioned into coaching.
Over the past two decades, Brown has built her reputation in Division I basketball, known for player development and building programs.
Now, as the Savannah Steel’s first head coach, she brings both championship-level experience and a vision for a community-driven culture, aiming to inspire a new generation of athletes in her home state.