Van Chancellor

Van Chancellorand the Houston Comets hit the ground running in 1997. Under Chancellor’s leadership, the Comets won the first four WNBA championships and were the only team to make the playoffs in each of the first seven seasons of the new league. In addition, the 1998 Comets hold the record for the highest winning percentage in the history of NBA and WNBA basketball (27-3, .900). Serving as head coach of the Comets for ten years, Chancellor led the Comets to a 211-111 overall record. He was named WNBA Coach of the Year three times. Prior to coming to the pro ranks, Chancellor, a native of Louisville, Mississippi, won 439 games at Ole Miss and guided the Lady Rebels to the NCAA Tournament 14 times, including 11 consecutive appearances from 1982 to 1992. Chancellor’s Ole Miss teams won at least 20 games fifteen times, including a school-record 31 wins in 1978-79. He returned to the college ranks in 2007 and promptly led LSU to the 2008 Final Four, a first for Chancellor. Similarly successful on the international stage, Chancellor coached the undefeated United States gold medal team at the 2004 Olympic Games.