To my knowledge Carla Berry never did anything wrong in her six seasons as an LSU women’s basketball assistant coach.
If she had, I’m pretty sure LSU sports information would have bottled it up – but that is another column.
If the allegations of former coach Pokey Chatman’s misconduct with a former player are true, Berry should be spending next month scouring the nation for junior recruits.
Instead, Berry left the women’s basketball team that she helped create as a player and a coach.
What the hell just happened?
In this season alone Berry reported a situation that could damage the program’s reputation on a national level, and she supplemented her actions by helping fellow assistant coach Bob Starkey lead the Tigers to the Final Four.
She shouldn’t be going anywhere.
Berry’s Friday news release announcing her departure reminded me of Chatman’s March 7 release first announcing her resignation.
Let’s compare:
Pokey Chatman – “I have notified the University today that I will step down as head coach of the women’s basketball program in order to allow me to pursue other career opportunities.”Berry news release – “LSU assistant women’s basketball coach Carla Berry announced Friday that she intends to leave the coaching profession to enter private business.”
Chatman – “I appreciate the opportunities afforded me at LSU and the cooperation of the University in allowing me to pursue other career opportunities.”
Berry – “I have enjoyed my years at LSU as a player and a coach, and I have memories I will cherish for a lifetime.”
I guess LSU Sports Information now has a Pulitzer-winning template for coach resignations, but the public relations spin is beside the point.
Berry never went to the media with the Chatman bombshell, and this is her reward?
I believe she is taking the fall for blowing the proverbial coaches’ whistle.
A new coaching staff might not trust her, and I believe the old staff and roster were too close to Pokey for her comfort.
Instead of watching center Sylvia Fowles, guard Erica White and the other seven seniors she helped recruit make a run at a fifth-consecutive Final Four, Berry has chosen to quietly fade away with Chatman’s rapidly tarnishing legacy.
Since the news of Berry’s involvement with Chatman’s exit broke, the Athletic Department has shielded the former Cingular/BellSouth Mobility saleswoman from what would have been an endless line of interrogation.
Berry’s dropped call dialogue with the world is not nearly as frustrating as Chatman’s Houdini impersonation.
I just hope an Athletic Director somewhere is smart enough to give an excellent coach a call back, and I hope Berry will be roaming another sideline in the future.
—–David Hebert is raising the bar on word play. Contact him at dhebert@lsureveille.com