LSU women’s basketball coach Pokey Chatman stood firm in her case after practice Tuesday that she was not the instigator surrounding Monday night’s LSU-Baylor post-game scene.
After the end of the game, Chatman and Baylor coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson met at half court to shake hands. Chatman forcibly pulled her hand from Mulkey-Robertson, who was trying to converse with Chatman.
Mulkey-Robertson told reporters in her post-game press conference that Chatman passed a comment before the game and said she was just trying to talk to Chatman after the game about her comments.
“Why don’t you ask her,” Mulkey-Robertson said to reporters. “And make sure her administration is in here when she repeats it too.”
Chatman said she is hopeful that her reputation will speak for itself.
“The bottom line was our basketball team showed up in a game against a team that we survived and barely beat last November,” Chatman said. “A team that came back and dismantled us on a [national] stage [in the Final Four]. If I’m not gonna be unprofessional then or any other time, I won’t be unprofessional now.”
University Athletics Director Skip Bertman said he spoke with Chatman on Tuesday, and after hearing the story from Chatman, was very displeased with Mulkey-Robertson’s post-game behavior.
“Pokey was a consummate professional,” Bertman said. “The other coach was the unprofessional one by bringing up stuff in the press conference. I’ve never seen anything like that in 40 years of coaching.”
Bertman said the circumstances surrounding the game may have sparked Mulkey-Robertson’s actions.
“I think the magnitude and method of which Baylor lost may have contributed,” Bertman said.
Julie Bennett, Baylor associate athletic media relations coordinator, said it is unlikely that Mulkey-Robertson will address the situation.
“She’s going to be interviewed Thursday,” Bennett said. “She doesn’t like to talk a day or two before the game at Oklahoma State.”
Chatman would not repeat her comments to Mulkey-Robertson but adamantly denied that she said anything to upset Mulkey-Robertson.
“I wish I could say more about it,” Chatman said. “I didn’t just start coaching yesterday, and I’ve always been surrounded by classy people that I’ve learned a lot from. And there’s not anything that’s going to make me deter from that.”
 
Contact Kyle Whitfield at [email protected]