| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
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.