When veteran women’s basketball coach Van Chancellor was inducted into the East Central Community College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998, he made the following remarks about his successful career: “I believe this about coaching: make sure the bus is loaded with good players on it and you can be a good coach.” He added: “I’m really lucky to reap the benefits of a lot of hard work by so many people.”

Chancellor has obviously attracted numerous busloads of talent throughout his 30-plus years of coaching on the hardwood, as evidenced by the 500-plus victories and championships achieved on the high school, college, professional and international levels.

In recognition of his success, Chancellor and representatives of the state’s other two-year colleges will be inducted into the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame during a ceremony scheduled Tuesday, April 27, 2010, at the Jackson Hilton. Activities begin with a reception at 6:15 p.m. and will be followed by a 7 p.m. program.

A Louisville native, Chancellor has been described as a coach who does more than just “coach” talented players to win titles, as explained by one of his former WNBA Houston Comet players following yet another league championship: “Coach Chancellor teaches team….and he also teaches love.”

He is currently in his third year leading the Louisiana State University Lady Tigers, who advanced to the second round of the 2010 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament en route to a 21-10 record.

Chancellor began his tenure at LSU in 2007-08 and quickly found success as the Lady Tigers were SEC regular season champions and advanced to the NCAA Final Four before finishing at 31-6. For his efforts, Chancellor was named Southeastern Coach of the Year by both the coaches and media and was one of four finalists for the Naismith National Coach of the Year award.

His 2008-09 squad finished 19-11 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Prior to his return to the college ranks, Chancellor led the Houston Comets of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997-2007. During his tenure, the Comets won the league’s first four titles and were the only team to make the playoffs in each of the first seven seasons of the league.

In recognition of his success, Chancellor was named WNBA Coach of the Year for 1997, 1998 and 1999. The 1998 Comets still hold the record for the highest winning percentage in the history of NBA and WNBA basketball with a 27-3 mark (.900). Chancellor was also named Coach of the WNBA’s All-Decade Team in June 2006. His overall record was 211-111 for the 10 seasons, which makes him the winningest coach in WNBA history.

Chancellor is probably most associated with his success at the University of Mississippi, where he led the Lady Rebels from 1978-97, amassing a 439-154 record during his 19-year tenure. His teams advanced to 14 NCAA Tournaments, including four Elite Eights and three Sweet 16s. His 1991-92 squad won the SEC regular season championship with a perfect 11-0 mark and advanced to the Elite Eight prior to finishing with a 29-3 record. On three occasions, Chancellor was named SEC Coach of the Year at Ole Miss.

Chancellor also found success on the international level, posting an overall 38-0 record as head coach of the United States National Team in 2004 and 2002. He led the 2004 squad to an Olympic gold medal.

He began his coaching career while a senior at Mississippi State University, serving as head coach of the boys’ basketball team at Noxapater High School.

He served two years at Noxapater before taking over as head coach of the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams at Horn Lake High School, where he compiled an impressive 307-103 overall record. His boys’ teams went 164-51 and the girls’ record was 173-52.

Chancellor continued his success at Harrison Central High School, where his teams amassed a five-year record of 277 wins and 62 losses. His led the boys’ teams to a 121-38 record and the girls posted a 156-24 mark and captured consecutive State 4-A and State Overall basketball championships in 1976 and 1977.

He left Harrison Central in 1978 to take over the Ole Miss Lady Rebel program.

Chancellor was a former basketball standout at Louisville High School, where he averaged 24 points per game his senior season. He continued his athletic career at then East Central Junior College in Decatur, where he played two years for Coach Denver Brackeen, who was posthumously inducted into the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

Additional honors Chancellor has received include the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, 2007; American Association of Community and Junior Colleges Outstanding Alumni Award, 2005; USA Basketball Coach of the Year, 2002; Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, 2001; Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, 1998; and National Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year by the Women’s Basketball News Service, 1992.

Chancellor is married to the former Betty Cannon. They have a son, John, and a daughter, Renee, and four grandchildren, Nicholas, Jacob, Joseph and Zachary.