What Falls Away: Gunter's beloved program becomes scandal-plagued

Whatever reasons Pokey Chatman had for her lack of judgment when she decided to pursue a relationship with one of her players have yet to be made transparent. So I am hard-pressed to change my opinion of Chatman, one of my favorite coaches of one of my favorite programs. Obviously she made a bad decision, one that has likely ended her career, (although I hope with time she will be able to resurface because she has way too much to offer) but it isn't like she did something as awful as it is going to be made out to be. That's why I wish she would talk, come clean, tell her side and end all the wild speculation and bashing. Before her image is painted by the media into that of a sex-starved lesbian who preyed upon her players and used her power to gain a sexual advantage, Pokey needs to speak up and tell us all why. In my heart of hearts I truly believe it is as simple as two grown adult women (yes, college-aged female students are women) were attracted to one another and acted on it. Yes, it was improper for her to get involved in the aspect that she was the coach and that was her player, but in all reality it isn't like she committed a crime.

The way Chatman and the University has handled the whole matter is a PR nightmare. Why would Pokey panic and resign when she wasn't asked to? Why right before the tournament? Why did Skip Bertman go along with this idea of "other career opportunities?" Whoever is in charge of LSU's media relations, they need a refresher course in the basics. Being forthright, contrite and transparent is always better than keeping hush, hiding behind press releases instead of facing the media live, making up other reasons instead of saying what the real reasons are. Were we really to believe Chatman, an LSU staple, was going to leave LSU right before the Tournament without a live press conference? Were we to believe that if one of your most popular coaches was leaving for another job you wouldn't have spoken to her in person? The whole thing was poorly handled, managed and now has left what is really important, an LSU program full of promise, tainted and getting more tainted by the day as the University hides from speaking the truth about their role and their information and Pokey Chatman refusing to come clean with her side of events.

This is what truly bothers me about Pokey's handling of all of this: you are disrespecting the legacy of Sue Gunter, the woman who trusted you to carry on the torch of a program she loved so dearly, and if not for losing her battle with a lung infection, would have still been by your side fighting for you and your reputation. Sue Gunter coached at LSU for 22 years and for 40 years total. She was a pioneer of the sport and suffered through the days of no budgets and total disregard for the women's game. Gunter coached Chatman and loved her and respected her. She became Gunter's trusted assistant and help propel the program to elite status with her unbelievable recruiting skills. Sadly, as LSU got Seimone Augustus to come play for the Lady Tigers and bring national notoriety to Baton Rouge, Gunter's health would begin to fail. Sadly, she would have to step aside due to those health concerns and Chatman was her first and only choice to take over. I always was saddened that Gunter didn't get to coach at the Final Four or get to see a heavily-favored LSU team win the national title in 2005, months before she would pass away. I was saddened that she didn't get to be there in person for her Hall of Fame induction. I don't think she was saddened by it, however, because she loved seeing her trusted Pokey lead the way. It was Pokey she trusted as her point guard in the late 80's and early 90's, it was Pokey she trusted to bring in the recruits, it was Pokey she trusted to take over the program and lead it to new heights when she no longer could and it was Pokey there that day in 2005 accepting Gunter's Hall of Fame honor. One might say that Pokey was the daughter Gunter never had. Now, with every hour and day that passes with Pokey Chatman not coming forward with the truth and being transparent, the LSU program is suffering. It's image is being harmed and the program Gunter toiled on for years and wanted Chatman to take to new heights may be unable to ever be what it could have been.

I hope that Pokey will speak up, take responsibility for her actions, explain her thinking and help LSU move on and move forward with whomever they decide to take over. I hope that Pokey won't let the media and the public fill in the blanks and paint a negative picture of her and of Gunter's beloved Lady Tigers. I would think that Chatman, who received so much from Coach Gunter, would want to honor Sue's memory by helping clear up what has been a harmful blow to the LSU program.

SPECIAL REPORT: A Storm is Brewing

As the Pokey Chatman story gets stranger and more complex by the minute, the implications of a top five women's basketball program having an unexpected coaching vacancy will start a chain of events of tornadic proportions. Something like this has not happened in women's college basketball. Sure, there have been coaching changes, but nothing so severe. This can be compared to the chain of events that caused chaos throughout the men's coaching world when Roy Williams left Kansas for UNC. That, in turn, led to Bill Self heading to Kansas, Bruce Weber to Illinois to replace Self and lots of college programs like Marquette having to ante up coaching salaries to keep their program leaders in place. The LSU job, if they don't keep it in the family with Bob Starkey, could lead to a coaching tidal wave like the women's college world has likely never seen.

Perhaps it all began when Florida A.D. Jeremy Foley fired the first shot creating a new reality in the women's game: Win, win fast, win big or you're out, no matter who you are. Foley gave national championship winning coach Carolyn Peck just five seasons before ridding of her. Foley wants the women's program to contend and he just isn't going to be patient with mediocrity. This will set the standard, especially in the SEC, which has seen the Arkansas program make a similar move with relative unknown head coach Susie Gardner after just four seasons, despite having an overall winning record.

Now, there are three major jobs open in the powerful SEC conference, with the LSU job the highest profile. Regardless of what Chatman's reasons might have been, she is gone, and the names of Kim Mulkey and Kristy Curry are all ready being bantered around because of their obvious coaching successes and because of their ties to Louisiana (Tech). So imagine that Pokey, is, as is rumored, going to Florida to build the Gators into a power and getting a lot of money in the process. How much will LSU pay to get Mulkey or Curry to keep the LSU Lady Tiger program within the top 10 year after year? And then, when one of them leaves for LSU, how much will Baylor or Tech have to pay to bring in a big name? It is going to begin a massive coaching hurricane that could wipe out many coaches looking to make a move to another school, for more money and better opportunities to win the national championship. It is a new level for the women's game. It could lead to major financial increases in salaries for women's coaches, media notoriety for all the changes and higher stakes for coaches who will no longer be allowed to just "get by," but rather have to consistently have their programs ranked and in the NCAA's fighting for at the very least a Final Four. Yes, the women's game is evolving and it all began with the shocking firing of Carolyn Peck and the shocking resignation of Pokey Chatman, both coaches in their primes. A storm is definitely brewing that could change the landscape of women's college basketball for years to come.