SACRAMENTO (AP) The Sacramento Monarchs women's professional
basketball franchise said Tuesday that interim head coach John
Whisenant will become permanent coach for the next two seasons.
Whisenant took over coaching duties in midseason from former
coach Maura McHugh. The team, which had been slumping, went on to a
12-4 record and competed in the Western Conference finals.
Whisenant was hired in December as an assistant general manager
with the expectation he would replace General Manager Jerry
Reynolds this fall. He will take over those duties as planned, the
team said.
The former New Mexico basketball assistant was a Lobo assistant
for six seasons under Norm Ellenberger in the 1970s and was head
coach of the professional New Mexico Slam in the International
Basketball League from 1999-2001, when it filed for bankruptcy.
The longtime friend of the franchise owner Maloof family was a
real estate investor in Albuquerque before joining the team. He
helped broker the deal when Maloof's father, the late George
Maloof, bought the Houston Rockets of the NBA in 1979. The family
sold the team in 1982.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)