He kicks off his basketball sneakers, props up his feet and reclines in an oversized leather chair. It’s 8:30 p.m. on a typical night in early March, and Van Chancellor is in a story-telling mood. With his trademark Southern drawl, he tells tales of coaching basketball greats Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes, or “the Swooper” as he calls her. Wife Betty sits nearby knitting a purple-and-gold scarf, and what else but women’s college basketball is on Chancellors’ widescreen HDTV. It’s a week before March Madness, but Chancellor is strikingly calm before the storm of the NCAA Tournament. The 64-year-old Naismith Hall of Fame coach has nearly every accolade from his 30 years in collegiate and professional coaching, including four WNBA championships and an Olympic gold medal. When he inherited the Lady Tiger squad nearly a year ago, he inherited an apparent gold mine: eight senior players and a program with four consecutive Final Four appearances. He also inherited a program with high expectations and a thirst for an elusive national championship. “All the pressure I feel is from within,” he said. “I just don’t want to be the coach to let these players down.”
A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY Chancellor wasn’t looking to get back in the coaching game. When an ownership change caused Chancellor to leave the WNBA Houston Comets in January 2007, he temporarily found solace in golfing. “But I’m not the kind of guy that can do nothing every day,” he said. In March, Chancellor watched as the Lady Tigers’ program became embroiled in scandal. Coach Pokey Chatman suddenly resigned amid allegations she had inappropriate conduct with former players. And when LSU called Chancellor, he put away the golf clubs. “I came to LSU for only one reason,” he said. “I thought that this team had gone through a lot, and they needed a coach who could make a difference in their lives. ” He acknowledged that some may question his motives. “People are going to think that’s bull. B-U-L-L,” Chancellor said. “They’re going to say I came here for the money and to win a national championship. But I came here to make a difference in the lives of these players.” He said the first order of business was ridding the team of rampant gossip. It started in his own home, as Chancellor said he never discussed the situation with his wife. “I ain’t into gossip,” he said. “I told the team, ‘We will not discuss this in any manner. I’m not interested in whose side you were on. I’m not interested in who you think is at fault in this matter.'” Living in the past, Chancellor said, was not an option if the team wanted success. LOVE AND BASKETBALL A rim welded from iron, wooden goal post and dirt court served as Chancellor’s humble basketball beginnings in rural Mississippi. A self-described “country boy” from the cotton fields, Chancellor ascended rapidly through the high school coaching ranks before spending 19 years as Ole Miss’ head coach. As a youngster, he’d shoot hoops before school – his hands muddy from the morning dew and loose dirt. Chancellor was an accomplished basketball guard for his high school team. One night, his friend borrowed his father’s car and wanted Van to join him on a double-date. “I called four girls,” he said. “None of them would go out with me. I struck out.” He thumbed through the Louisville, Miss., phonebook in desperation. “Nobody in the As, nobody in the Bs, and I get to the Cs, and I said ‘Man, isn’t Betty Cannon on the girls’ basketball team?” Chancellor said. Betty said yes, but only if Van agreed to take her to church for their date. “When we get out there, they were not having church,” he said. “She thought I brought her out there to park with her, and she wouldn’t let me kiss her. That embarrassed me. My buddy told that all over school.” Determined to regain his pride, Chancellor asked Betty out for a second date. “I asked her out again to prove I could kiss her,” he said. “Because she made me walk the line, I had so much respect for her that I wound up marrying her.” A self-proclaimed introvert, Betty says life with Van has been “a lot more fun” than she could have imagined.
VAN THE MAN Fun is something Chancellor has tried to bring to the Lady Tigers. Chancellor embraces the simple pleasures in life. Some of his favorites: a trip to Cracker Barrel, card games among team members, a Louis L’Amour Western novel or shooting hoops with his grandkids. He passes out Tootsie-Roll pops for good free-throwing shooting and takes the team for ice cream. Chancellor has become known for his rather festive coaching attire, sometimes even donning mustard-colored pants. “I do put his clothes together, but I don’t dress him,” Betty Chancellor said. “He picks out those loud colors.” Chancellor knows many imitate, and even mock, his Mississippi country accent and mannerisms. “Some days I’m a little self-conscious about it,” he said. “But it’s OK … it’s just me.” Ask any player about his personality, and a chorus of chuckles occurs. “Some of his stories are just off the wall,” said senior center Sylvia Fowles. “He always tells us to make sure we have fun.” His strategy has loosened up Fowles, who suggested Chancellor use his bonus money – once he wins the national championship – to build an LSU-themed room in his home. “I told him he needs to add on a ‘Big Syl Game Room’ to his house,” she said. Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player, won four WNBA titles for Chancellor with the Houston Comets. Chancellor affectionately calls her “Coop.” “It’s so easy to like him,” Cooper-Dyke said. “He has a balance of intensity and humor. He knows when to push, and he knows when to step back.” Fowles said Chancellor demands perfection and isn’t easy to please in practice. “You don’t want to be around him on a bad day,” she said. “He nags about every single little thing that gets on his nerves.” But 10-year-old grandson Nick Asaro doesn’t recall when “grand-dad” Chancellor ever had a bad day. “He’s loads of fun, and he’s so inspiring,” Asaro said while watching LSU’s first round win against Jackson State. “I want to grow up and be him.” Asaro, donned in a purple jersey and clutching a basketball, says Chancellor will “definitely” win the national championship. How sure is he? “99.9 percent,” Asaro said.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS Sipping an iced tea at his kitchen table, Chancellor can’t seem to keep his eyes off the women’s basketball game on TV. But his attention is quickly regained when questioned about his future at LSU – specifically his 64-year-old age. “What’s that got to do with anything?” he challenged. “When I lose the passion to coach, that’s when I’ll walk away.” Chancellor said he’ll remain at LSU “at least” through his five-year contract. Next season, he’ll lose eight seniors and bring in nine recruits. Chancellor said he’s eager to have his “own players” and implement his system with incoming freshman. But before Chancellor gets his blank canvas, he’s challenged to deliver for his eight seniors plagued by three straight Final Four appearances and three straight losses. “If we get to the Final Four, there will not be a mental barrier this year … guaranteed,” he said. “I’ll solve the problem if we get to the Final Four. That’s my job as a coach.” LSU enters the Sweet Sixteen with a less than stellar record in close game situations. The Lady Tigers have dropped games to Connecticut, Rutgers and Tennessee in the final minutes of play. “I get a little frustrated at times that I can’t get them to just make a play,” he said. “You’re going to have a time when you have to make a decision on your own. Coach can’t make it for you, and it’s going to have to be the right decision. If so, we’re going to win.” Chancellor has no doubt he made the right decision in coming to LSU. “Heck no,” he responds when asked if he ever regretted taking the job. “I’m not defined by wins and losses,” he said. “I just want to be the best coach I can be so I can see these players accomplish things. This is about LSU players, not about Van Chancellor.”
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