WASHINGTON, September 23, 2008 -- Washington Mystics Chief Operating Officer Greg Bibb announced that Linda Hargrove has been relieved of her duties as General Manager of the team. Hargrove was named General Manager prior to the 2005 season.

“We are extremely grateful to Linda for all of her hard work and her dedication to the Mystics organization during the past four years,” Bibb stated. “No one has been more committed to bettering our organization than Linda. At this point, however, we felt it was best to make a change and move in a different direction in regards to our general manager position. Our basketball team has struggled to make progress and move forward and we feel a change at the top of the basketball side of the business was necessary to begin the process of improving our team. We wish Linda the best of luck in her future endeavors. I’m confident she will find success in whatever she decides to do.”

The Mystics finished the 2008 season 10-24, fifth in the Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

Hargrove served as a scout for the Mystics in 2003 and was an assistant coach with the team during the 2004 season.

Mystics President and Managing Partner, Sheila C. Johnson added “Linda Hargrove is going to be sorely missed within our operation. She understood that it was time for a change in order for this franchise to grow. We parted on extremely great terms and she will always be a friend to the Mystics family.”