Washington Wizards President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has named Bill Berry assistant coach.  Berry joins Mike O?Koren, Phil Hubbard, Tom Young and Wes Unseld Jr. on Eddie Jordan?s staff.  Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Berry has coached and scouted on the professional, collegiate and junior college level for the last 35 seasons, and holds the distinction of winning a championship as an assistant coach in both the professional and collegiate ranks.  Berry was an assistant coach with the Houston Rockets during the 1993-94 and 1994-95 championship seasons and was the top assistant for Michigan State?s NCAA title team in 1979.

?Bill has extensive knowledge of the game of basketball,? said Wizards Head Coach Eddie Jordan. ?He was a part of a coaching staff that won consecutive NBA championships with the Houston Rockets and also won an NCAA championship at Michigan State.  Bill has had the opportunity to work with some outstanding players and coaches during his career.  We are confident that he will be an excellent addition to our coaching staff.?

Berry spent the previous two NBA campaigns as an advance scout for the Wizards.  Prior to joining the Wizards, Berry spent the previous four seasons (1999-2003) as an assistant coach with the Chicago Bulls, for whom he served as defensive coordinator in 2002-03.  Before joining the Bulls staff, Berry spent eight years (1991-99) with the Houston Rockets as an assistant coach under Rudy Tomjanovich.