Pokey Chatman
Encyclopedia
Dana "Pokey" Chatman is the current general manager and head coach of the Chicago Sky
of the WNBA. She is the former head coach of the LSU Lady Tigers basketball
team and the Spartak Moscow's women's basketball team. After taking over from coach Sue Gunter
in 2004, Chatman led the Lady Tigers to three consecutive NCAA
Final Fours in 2004 (as acting head coach for the ailing Gunter
), 2005, and 2006.
Notably, Chatman resigned from her post at LSU on March 7, 2007 amid allegations of inappropriate relationships with former players that were alleged to have begun when Chatman was coaching the players. The resignation and ensuing controversy appeared to have little effect on her team's preparation for the NCAA Tournament; as the Tigers made it to the 2007 Final Four.
n point guard
played for Gunter
from 1987 to 1991, starting all but one game and setting the all-time steals (346) and assists (570) records at LSU
. Her assist record was broken in the 2003–2004 season by Temeka Johnson
. Chatman played in the NCAA Tournament
four times and posted a record of 82-38 as a player. She was a three-time All-SEC
selection and led the Lady Tigers to their first ever SEC Tournament title in 1991
, where she was the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).
in the semifinals. The 2005–2006 season was no different, as the Lady Tigers finished with a 31–4 record, captured its second consecutive SEC regular season title (13–1), and reached their third straight Final Four, this time losing to Duke
. Chatman’s 47–3 record is the second best record through 50 games in women’s basketball history. Only Hall of Fame coach Leon Barmore
, the former Louisiana Tech head coach, had a better record (48–2).
Chatman Won numerous awards, including the Black Coaches Association
’s Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2005; the 2005 USBWA National Coach of the Year, the 2005 Russell/WBCA
National Coach of the Year; the 2005 Naismith National Coach of the Year; the 2005 Victor Award Female Coach of the Year; the 2005 SEC Coach of the Year; and the 2005 Louisiana Coach of the Year.
In 2005, Chatman served as the assistant coach for the USA Women’s World University Games Team
, which won the gold medal
. Chatman also won a medal as a player on the 1990 USA Select Team
.
Chatman was inducted into the LSU Hall of Fame
in 1998.
Chatman resigned as the head women's basketball coach at LSU on March 7, 2007 after the university became aware of an alleged inappropriate sexual relationship between Chatman and a former player. Former LSU assistant coach Carla Berry, a college teammate of Chatman's, reported the alleged relationship to the university in February. Assistant coach Bob Starkey
was named interim coach and led the team during the 2007 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament
, in which the Tigers made their fourth consecutive Final Four.
Chatman claimed that after LSU learned about the alleged relationship, it conducted a cursory investigation before giving her an ultimatum--resign within two hours or be fired. She initially demanded to be paid the remaining $900,000 on her contract. Ultimately, LSU and Chatman settled out of court for $160,000.
record and the 2010 Euroleague Championship.
and head coach of the Chicago Sky of the WNBA.
Chicago Sky
The Chicago Sky is a professional basketball team based in Rosemont, Illinois, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2006 WNBA season began. The team is owned by Michael J. Alter and Margaret Stender...
of the WNBA. She is the former head coach of the LSU Lady Tigers basketball
LSU Lady Tigers basketball
The LSU Lady Tigers basketball team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I women's college basketball. The team is currently coached by former UCLA head coach Nikki Caldwell, who accepted the job on April 2, 2011. Past coaches include Barbara Swanner, Jinks Coleman,...
team and the Spartak Moscow's women's basketball team. After taking over from coach Sue Gunter
Sue Gunter
Sue Gunter was a women's college basketball coach. She is best known as the head coach of the LSU Lady Tigers basketball team....
in 2004, Chatman led the Lady Tigers to three consecutive NCAA
NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Women's Division I Championship is an annual college basketball tournament for women. Held each April, the Women's Championship was inaugurated in the 1981–82 season...
Final Fours in 2004 (as acting head coach for the ailing Gunter
Sue Gunter
Sue Gunter was a women's college basketball coach. She is best known as the head coach of the LSU Lady Tigers basketball team....
), 2005, and 2006.
Notably, Chatman resigned from her post at LSU on March 7, 2007 amid allegations of inappropriate relationships with former players that were alleged to have begun when Chatman was coaching the players. The resignation and ensuing controversy appeared to have little effect on her team's preparation for the NCAA Tournament; as the Tigers made it to the 2007 Final Four.
LSU playing career
The 1991 Kodak All-AmericaAll-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
played for Gunter
Sue Gunter
Sue Gunter was a women's college basketball coach. She is best known as the head coach of the LSU Lady Tigers basketball team....
from 1987 to 1991, starting all but one game and setting the all-time steals (346) and assists (570) records at LSU
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
. Her assist record was broken in the 2003–2004 season by Temeka Johnson
Temeka Johnson
Temeka Rochelle Johnson is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. Her primary position is point guard.-College years:...
. Chatman played in the NCAA Tournament
NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Women's Division I Championship is an annual college basketball tournament for women. Held each April, the Women's Championship was inaugurated in the 1981–82 season...
four times and posted a record of 82-38 as a player. She was a three-time All-SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
selection and led the Lady Tigers to their first ever SEC Tournament title in 1991
1991 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament
The 1991 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament took place from March 1 to March 4, 1991 in Albany, Georgia.LSU won the tournament by beating Tennessee in the championship game.-Tournament:Asterisk denotes game ended in overtime.- All-Tournament Team :...
, where she was the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).
LSU coaching career
Chatman served as a student assistant with the Lady Tigers for one season (1991–1992), before being named assistant coach prior to the 1992–1993 season. During her 13th season as a Lady Tiger coach (five as associate coach) when Gunter took a medical leave of absence due to respiratory problems in the middle of the 2003–2004 season. Chatman was named interim coach and led the TIgers to a 15–5 record and the first Final Four in school history. However, LSU credits the entire season to Gunter. When Gunter announced her retirement on April 27, 2004, Chatman was named only the fourth head coach in school history.Head coach
In Chatman’s first season as head coach, she led the Lady Tigers to a 33–3 record, an undefeated SEC regular season title (14–0), and the program’s second consecutive Final Four, falling to eventual national champion BaylorBaylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
in the semifinals. The 2005–2006 season was no different, as the Lady Tigers finished with a 31–4 record, captured its second consecutive SEC regular season title (13–1), and reached their third straight Final Four, this time losing to Duke
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
. Chatman’s 47–3 record is the second best record through 50 games in women’s basketball history. Only Hall of Fame coach Leon Barmore
Leon Barmore
Leon Barmore is a college women's basketball coach. He coached at Louisiana Tech University from 1982 to 2002, serving the first three years as co-head coach with Sonja Hogg, who had begun the program in 1974 at the invitation of university president F. Jay Taylor...
, the former Louisiana Tech head coach, had a better record (48–2).
Chatman Won numerous awards, including the Black Coaches Association
Black Coaches Association
The Black Coaches & Administrators is a non-profit organization whose primary purpose is "to foster the growth and development of ethnic minorities at all levels of sports both nationally and internationally". It currently is focused on athletics in North America, including professional leagues,...
’s Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2005; the 2005 USBWA National Coach of the Year, the 2005 Russell/WBCA
Women's Basketball Coaches Association
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is an association of coaches of women's basketball teams at all levels.The organization was formed in 1981, with the goal of addressing the needs of women's basketball coaches.The mission of the WBCA is:...
National Coach of the Year; the 2005 Naismith National Coach of the Year; the 2005 Victor Award Female Coach of the Year; the 2005 SEC Coach of the Year; and the 2005 Louisiana Coach of the Year.
In 2005, Chatman served as the assistant coach for the USA Women’s World University Games Team
Universiade
The Universiade is an International multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation . The name is a combination of the words "University" and "olympiad"...
, which won the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
. Chatman also won a medal as a player on the 1990 USA Select Team
USA Basketball
USA Basketball is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympic Committee...
.
Chatman was inducted into the LSU Hall of Fame
LSU Hall of Fame
The Louisiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame recognizes members of the athletics program that have made a lasting impact on the university. To be eligible for the LSU Hall of Fame in the Athlete category, an individual must have earned a college degree and gained national distinction...
in 1998.
Resignation as LSU Head Coach
Chatman resigned as the head women's basketball coach at LSU on March 7, 2007 after the university became aware of an alleged inappropriate sexual relationship between Chatman and a former player. Former LSU assistant coach Carla Berry, a college teammate of Chatman's, reported the alleged relationship to the university in February. Assistant coach Bob Starkey
Bob Starkey
Bob Starkey was an assistant coach for the LSU Lady Tigers basketball team. He served as interim head coach during the 2007 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament after Pokey Chatman resigned on March 7, 2007 and then stepped down immediately on March 8, 2007...
was named interim coach and led the team during the 2007 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament
2007 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2007 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament began on March 17, 2007 and concluded on April 3 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Final Four consisted of Tennessee, LSU, Rutgers, and North Carolina, with Tennessee defeating Rutgers 59-46 for their seventh National Title...
, in which the Tigers made their fourth consecutive Final Four.
Chatman claimed that after LSU learned about the alleged relationship, it conducted a cursory investigation before giving her an ultimatum--resign within two hours or be fired. She initially demanded to be paid the remaining $900,000 on her contract. Ultimately, LSU and Chatman settled out of court for $160,000.
Spartak
In August 2007 she signed as assistant coach of the Moscow's Spartak, winner of the 2007 Euroleague's Final against the Ros Casares from Valencia (Spain). In 2010, as the head coach of Spartak, Chatman led the team to a 16-0 EuroleagueEuroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
record and the 2010 Euroleague Championship.
Chicago Sky
On October 29, 2010, Chatman was named the general managerGeneral manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
and head coach of the Chicago Sky of the WNBA.
Collegiate Head Coaching Record
| Season | Team | Record | NCAA Tournament |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–2004 | LSU | 15-5 (acting head coach) | Final Four 2004 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament The 2004 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament began on March 20, 2004 and concluded on April 6, 2004 when Connecticut won a third consecutive national championship, becoming only the second school in history to accomplish such a feat. The Final Four was held at the New Orleans Arena in... |
| 2004–2005 | LSU | 33-3 | Final Four 2005 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament -East Regional:-Midwest Regional:-Mideast Regional:-West Regional:-East Regional:-Midwest Regional:-Final Four:West-Tempe; Mideast-Chattanooga; East-Philadelphia; Midwest-Kansas City.-Record by conference:... |
| 2005–2006 | LSU | 31-4 | Final Four 2006 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament -Albuquerque:-Bridgeport:-San Antonio:-Cleveland Regional:-Albuquerque Regional:-Bridgeport Regional:-San Antonio Regional:-Final Four – TD Banknorth Garden :... |
| 2006–2007 | LSU | 26-7 | Resigned before NCAA Tournament |
| |
90-14 (105-19 including 2004) | ||