Van Chancellor
From Hoopedia
Van Chancellor (born September 27, 1943 in Louisville, Mississippi, United States) is the current Louisiana State University women's basketball coach. He was named head coach on April 11, 2007, replacing Pokey Chatman. He was enshrined as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2007.
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Early Years
Van Chancellor played two years of basketball at East Central Junior College in Decatur, Mississippi, before transferring to Mississippi State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics & physical education in 1965.
During his senior year at Mississippi State, he served as head coach of the boy’s basketball team at Noxapater High School. Chancellor went on to coach boy’s and girl’s basketball at Horn Lake High School and Harrison Central High School in Mississippi. Chancellor received his master’s degree in physical education from the University of Mississippi in 1973.
University of Mississippi
Chancellor spent 19 seasons (1978-1997) as the head coach of the University of Mississippi Lady Rebels, compiling an overall record of 439-154 (.740). As the Ole Miss head coach, Chancellor guided the Lady Rebels to the NCAA Tournament 14 times, including 11 consecutive appearances from 1982 to 1992.
Chancellor’s teams won at least 20 games 15 times, including a school-record 31 wins in 1978-1979. He also led the Lady Rebels to top 20 final rankings 13 times, with top 10 finishes four times (#5 in 1992, #6 in 1985, #8 in 1987, and #10 in 1984).
Chancellor led Ole Miss to the Elite Eight at the NCAA Tournament four times, while his teams made the Sweet 16 on three other occasions. Chancellor was named the Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year three times, including the 1992 season when the Lady Rebels were 29-3 overall and claimed the SEC regular season title with a perfect 11-0 mark. He was also named the 1992 National Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year by the Women’s Basketball News Service.
Houston Comets
Chancellor served for 10 years as head coach of the Houston Comets from 1997-2006. During that time, Chancellor was named the WNBA Coach of the Year three times (1997, 1998, 1999) and he led the Comets to the league’s first four titles (1997-2000). Under Chancellor, the Comets were the only team in the WNBA to make the playoffs in each of the first seven seasons of the league. His 1998 Houston Comets team holds the record for highest winning percentage in the history of both the NBA and WNBA basketball (27-3, .900).
In 10 years with the Houston Comets, Chancellors’ teams posted a 211-111 record (.655), making him the winningest coach in the history of the WNBA. Chancellor coached the Western Conference All-Star Team three times during his career and was named the coach of the WNBA’s All-Decade Team in June 2006.
During his time as head coach of the Comets, Chancellor also served as a television analyst for women’s college basketball, working for both ESPN and SEC-TV.
USA Basketball
Chancellor has recorded an unblemished 38-0 record in international competition as head coach of the United States National Team. His teams won first place at the 2002 Opals World Challenge, a gold medal at the 2002 FIBA World Championships, and a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
