Chandler High School 1999 Lady Wolves Basketball Team

Led by Coach Mike Desper and Assistant Coach Meg Gianesello, the 1999 Lady Wolves basketball team were truly champions. With a season of 32-3, the team was a Central Region Champion, and won the Jack in the Box Tournament in San Diego and the Highland Thanksgiving Tournament. The team finished fifth in the 16-team (Nike) Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions, and completed their season ranked 14^th in the nation by USA Today. Their starting line-up included 6’8” Lindsay Taylor, 6’4” Jessica Combs, 6’ Caroline Fiegen, 5’8” Syretta Coleman, and 5’2” Kami Coombs. Other team members included Joyce Apkaw, who made a record breaking 37 three pointers in the season; Senior LeAnn Anderson; Juniors Erin Yiakos and Misty Herndon; Sophomore Melissa Buntrock, and Freshmen Tiffany Tate and Shannon McKitterick. In the 1999 State Championship game, the Lady Wolves beat their arch-rival Mountain Pointe (led by future WNBA player Nicole Powell) with a score of 54-37. Four of the Lady Wolves eventually played college basketball, and Lindsay Taylor (Hall of Fame Class 2009), joined the WNBA in 2004, and continues to play professionally overseas. This team and season were particularly special as it was Coach Desper’s last season before he retired and eventually passed away from cancer. The Arizona Republic recognized the 1999 Lady Wolves as the “Team of the Century.”

The 1999 Chandler High Ladies Basketball Team was inducted to the Chandler Sports Hall of Fame on February 8, 2014.