LSU women’s basketball coach Van Chancellor has won several prestigious awards and accolades during his nearly 30 seasons coaching at Ole Miss and the WNBA’s Houston Comets. And this past weekend, Chancellor earned arguably the highest honor any person associated with basketball could receive when he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. Throughout Chancellor’s induction speech, the Louisville, Miss., native had the audience’s attention – telling stories of things he has encountered in his career, while thanking the people he feels are responsible for his success. Although appearing calm on the surface, Chancellor said he was in awe of his surroundings. “Coach Bob Starkey helped me with a speech, and we thought we were feeling pretty good,” Chancellor said. “I had it typed out, and everything was fine, but when I turned and went onto the podium to talk, I saw the likes of Bob Cousy, John Havlicek and so many other great players. I was so nervous I could hardly hold my papers.” Being timid is not something Chancellor has ever been accused of in his years as coach and television analyst, charming audiences with his laid-back personality. “I may not be as good with this microphone as [Chancellor] is,” North Carolina coach and fellow 2007 Hall of Fame inductee Roy Williams said in his speech. “But damn, what a good basketball coach and man [Chancellor] is. I am honored to be inducted with someone I have known for so long and respect as much as I do him.” Chancellor began coaching in 1965 as the coach of the men’s and women’s basketball teams at Horn Lake and Harrison Central high schools while balancing his studies as a senior at Mississippi State. “I started out in high school making $4,800 a year,” he said. “I never dreamed of the Hall of Fame. I never even thought about the Hall of Fame. It’s just such an honor.” Chancellor accepted his first collegiate coaching job in 1978 at Ole Miss, where he guided the Lady Rebels to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and 20-win campaigns in 15 of his 19 seasons in Oxford. He went on to coach the WNBA’s Houston Comets, winning the league’s first four championships, while coaching the Comets to a league-best regular season record of 27-3 in 1998. Chancellor has also appeared as the USA National team’s coach, winning gold medals at the 2002 FIBA World Championships and the 2004 Olympics while compiling a 38-0 international record. “When they play the national anthem after your team has won a gold medal and you are the coach that represents your country, I can’t tell you how much that means to me,” he said. “The championships were great, and the years at Ole Miss were great, but winning for your country is such a great feeling.” Six hundred fifty wins, four NCAA Elite Eight appearances and four WNBA championships later, Chancellor has moved onto his newest challenge – replacing former coach Pokey Chatman at LSU. LSU senior forward Ashley Thomas said playing for a hall-of-fame coach will instill confidence in everyone involved with the program. “[His induction] really is a big thing, especially when it is someone from the women’s game getting into the Naismith Hall of Fame,” she said. With four WNBA titles, an Olympic gold medal and now a Hall of Fame induction under his belt, the one thing Chancellor still does not have is an NCAA championship. “We not only want to win it for him, but for us as well because it’s something neither one of us has accomplished,” Thomas said. “So I can only imagine how he would feel to win a championship on the college level, because I’m sure our team would feel the same way.” Even with all of the accolades Chancellor has received throughout his coaching career, he said he has a hard time picturing himself with the likes of fellow Hall of Famers John Wooden and Phil Jackson. “I honestly sit down sometimes and just think to myself, ‘Is this really happening to me, or is this somebody else?'” Chancellor said. “It is just such an honor.”
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