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| Tuesday, May 16 Unseld to focus on Wizards | |||||
ESPN.com news services WASHINGTON -- The WNBA's Washington Mystics have named Melissa McFerrin general manager and extended the contract of coach Nancy Darsch for an additional season. Wes Unseld, general manager for more than two years of Washington's NBA and WNBA teams, announced Tuesday that he will step down as Mystics general manager. "As the Mystics and the WNBA continue to grow it is necessary to give more specific attention and use specialized resources," Unseld said. The Washington Wizards are making major changes under Michael Jordan, the new president of basketball operations. Unseld is now working under Jordan, who is searching for a new coach and wanting to increase the front-office staff. McFerrin served as a Mystics assistant during the 1999 season and has also coached under Darsch with the New York Liberty and for seven years at Ohio State, where she also was the school's recruiting coordinator. McFerrin has done much work for the team's last two drafts. Unseld has also evaluated talent, interrupting his Wizards duties late in the NBA season. "I am excited to take on the challenges this position presents," McFerrin said. "We are looking forward to an exciting, successful season this summer. I look forward to working with Wes during this transition period and I will continue in his footsteps striving to make the Mystics a winning organization." "Melissa assumes her new role with energy and excitement," Unseld said, "and has an excellent knowledge of women's basketball. I will spend the remainder of the summer assisting her in the transition of ... responsibilities." The Mystics finished 12-20 last year, a nine-win improvement from their inaugural 1998 campaign. They exercised a team option to extend Darsch's contract an additional season. "We are very pleased in the progress Nancy made with the team last season and we feel confident in her ability to bring continued success to the Mystics," Unseld said. Stephanie Rivers was hired to replace McFerrin as an assistant coach. Rivers was an assistant for the ABL's Chicago Condors in 1998 and as head coach led the Chicago Twisters to the 1995 WBA Championship. Replacing McFerrin as assistant coach of the Mystics will be Stephanie Rivera, a former assistant with the Chicago Condors of the American Basketball League. | ALSO SEE Fresh front-office Air: Jordan restructures Wizards managament |