SEATTLE, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Oakland A's bench coach Don Wakamatsu will be the Seattle Mariners' next manager, The Seattle Times reported the night before Wednesday's expected announcement.

Wakamatsu, 45, just completed his first season with the Athletics after spending five seasons on the coaching staff of the Texas Rangers.

Wakamatsu will take over from interim Manager Jim Riggleman, who had been the bench coach when John McLaren was fired as manager in June.

Wakamatsu reportedly was selected from a group of seven candidates. The Times reported the others were White Sox third-base coach Joey Cora, Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills, Diamondbacks third-base coach Chip Hale, Class AAA Portland manager Randy Ready, Red Sox third-base coach DeMarlo Hale and Cardinals third-base coach Jose Oquendo -- none of whom had major league managerial experience.

Wakamatsu is a former catcher whose playing career spanned 12 seasons with seven organizations. His only stint in the majors came in 1991, when he played in 18 games with the Chicago White Sox.

Texas defensive aide gets contract extension

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- The University of Texas has given a contract extension to defensive coordinator Will Muschamp that will lead to his eventually being head football coach.

Texas Athletics Director DeLoss Dodds announced the extension Tuesday and indicated the 37-year-old Muschamp will some day succeed 57-year-old Longhorns Coach Mack Brown.

"This is a plan that has been enthusiastically agreed to by Mack Brown, President (William) Powers and the Board of Regents," Dodds said. "Things are going well here, it's working, so it's best to be prepared to build from inside and that's what we're doing."

Muschamp, in his first year with Texas, has the Longhorns ranked first in the Big 12 Conference in rushing and scoring defense. He was defensive coordinator for LSU during its national championship run in 2004.

"This is first and foremost about keeping Will at Texas," Brown said. "He's had several opportunities to interview for head coaching jobs, but we wanted him to stay here. I'm going to continue coaching as I'm enjoying it. I have eight years left on my contract."

Ole Miss starting basketball guard lost for season

OXFORD, Miss., Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Ole Miss announced Tuesday that starting guard Eniel Polynice will miss the remainder of the basketball season after having knee surgery.

Polynice, a junior, averaged 10.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 34 games last year, including 31 starts. He had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee last Tuesday in a follow-up to surgery performed at the end of last season.

Surgeon William Geissler of the University of Mississippi Medical Center said Polynice won't be able to play for four to six months."

The announcement came 11 days after it was learned sophomore guard Trevor Gaskins would be lost for the year after suffering a ligament tear in his left knee.

Jury weighs charges in UNC football players robbery

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C., Nov. 18 (UPI) -- A judge has ordered jury deliberations to start in the trial of a man who allegedly tied up and robbed three drunken North Carolina football players.

The fate of Michael Troy Lewis, 32, of Durham, N.C., was placed Tuesday in the hands of 10 women and two men who heard testimony in a Hillsborough, N.C., courtroom about the incident last December in which police found the inebriated trio tied up in a Chapel Hill, N.C., apartment.

The News and Observer newspaper in Raleigh, N.C., said the athletes' names weren't being publicly released due to allegations of sexual assault.

The newspaper said Lewis told police that the players had invited him and two female companions to their apartment for a sexual encounter. But after being tied up, an unclothed Lewis allegedly helped himself to a laptop computer, video games and other items in the apartment.

Lewis' attorney said in closing arguments Monday that the alleged victims were too intoxicated to give police a consistent story.