BREAKING NEWS: LSU Assistant Carla Berry turned in Chatman

A longtime friend and colleague of Pokey Chatman's reportedly blew the whistle on the alleged inappropriate relationship she was having with a former player, ESPN.com is reporting. Carla Berry, an LSU assistant since 1999 and a former player of Coach Gunter's during Chatman's playing days as well, allegedly reported the incident to non-Athletic Department officials, who confirmed it did not involve any current players on the team. Reports are showing that Chatman might have been seeking counsel from Berry, who then blew the whistle. Only time will tell what the real story is in this case. Hopefully LSU's media relations office will have learned how to handle crisis communications by taking a crash course over the weekend because it has been nothing but a mess of monumental proportions. Now, Coach Starkey and the players, instead of dealing with it last week will be bombarded during the NCAA's.

What was Carla Berry's motivations for turning in Chatman? Did she want the head coaching job? Since Bob Starkey is not seeking the head coaching position, it is my guess the entire staff will be purged as a new, high profile coach comes in to rebuild the program's damaged reputation.

Tournament Storyline Volume 1

With just one day before Selection Monday, the conference tournaments are over, and it shouldn't be too surprising to figure out who is in, who is out and who are the one seeds. Here are some interesting storylines and notes of interest to consider for this year's tournament:
*Oklahoma's push through the Big 12 Tournament and the emergence of their frosh Jenna Plumley as a legitimate star as brought the Sooners up to a likely two seed and playing extraordinarly well. They may be able to be this year's Maryland or last year's Ohio State...
*The one's are certain: Duke, North Carolina, Tennessee, UConn...
*The pressure is once again on Duke and Coach G to seal the deal and win the national title. The loss to NC State was just one loss, but it showed vulnerability that hasn't been shown by the Blue Devils yet this season. For Coach G to blow this opportunity would be devasting and unexcusable...
*Mid-majors ready to make some noise in this year's tournament include Bowling Green, Wisconsin-GB, Middle Tennessee and Xavier...
*Out of the one seeds, probably the most vulnerable for an upset before the final four would be UConn, although there is something about Tennessee that seems very beatable...
*Watch for the committee to put together some made for television potential pairings in the tournament by putting a #8 Cal squad in the same bracket as #1 Duke. Joanne Boyle, Cal's coach, used to be an assistant for Coach G at Duke. Also watch for a potential #5 BGSU vs. #4 Ohio State in a battle of Ohio schools or a #5 Middle Tennessee potentially getting to the sweet 16 to battle #1 Tennessee. You might see a #7 Iowa State paired with #2 Maryland since Brenda Frese used to assist Bill Fennelly at ISU...

BREAKING NEWS: Starkey will not seek to become permanent head coach

Long-time LSU assistant coach and now acting head coach, Bob Starkey, made it clear to the media that he has no intention or desire to become at the head coach at LSU or at any program. Starkey made the statement that a program like LSU needs someone with head coaching experience. This almost guarantees that LSU will look to start over and bring in a big-name coach to help rebuild the program's image that will likely suffer damage the next few years as the tawdry details of popular LSU figurehead Pokey Chatman continue to come out. The first question will be how will this LSU team, capable of making a long run in the tourney, responds to losing their head coach and facing media scrutiny. Will it be an early exit or an inspired run to great heights? The next question is will Pokey speak to the media and come clean about everything following the NCAA Tournament? Hopefully Chatman, who has certainly had her poor judgment lead to an incredible downfall usually reserved for politicians, will speak up and try to explain her actions, though likely she will ever be able to restore her damaged reputation. Another question is what will the fallout be within the program. Every player on the roster returns for next season, along with a top recruiting class, but will that change with transfers due to the coaching changes and dark cloud that will settle over the program? Will Starkey and the others on the staff remain, including Carla Berry, a former teammate of Chatman at LSU and Christie Sides?

Then, of course, will come the speculation and rumors leading to the hiring of a new coach and an entirely new face to lead LSU women's basketball for the first time in three decades. Hopefully it will be someone who can sustain the program, while honoring Sue Gunter's legacy. Names surfacing all ready are Kim Mulkey, a Lousiana native, and Kristy Curry. My guess is neither will take the job. For Mulkey she says she has no intention of leaving Baylor, for Curry it would look bad to leave Tech after only one season. Others who may come into play could be Dawn Staley, who has to be one of the top candidates for every job, Kurt Budke, who formerly led LaTech before going to Oklahoma State and beginning their resurgence, and Tom Cullen, Louisville's head coach.

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.

BlogOpinion: Baylor's Mulkey a true no class act

"We have a national championship, and they don't" Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah...

Sound like something that could be heard on an elementary school yard during recess? To me it does. Yet, this childish and immature statement filled with conceit and "sour grapes" were the words spoken by the obviously full-of-herself Kim Mulkey following her loss (again) to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Semi-Finals Thursday night. It was Baylor's sixth consecutive loss to the Sooners since Courtney Paris arrived in Norman. When asked if the Sooners have a "hex" over Baylor, Mulkey scoffed and said, "I don't know they have a hex on us...we have a national championship and they don't."

Of course this isn't the first time the great Mulkster, coming off of her national title season, has seemingly taken her arrogance public. Last season she created a very public feud with the now former LSU coach Pokey Chatman because Pokey got a recruit that Mulkey wanted and also, very likely, because she couldn't deal with the fact that her team had just gotten thumped by nearly 30 points to LSU.

Listen, Kimmy, we know you have a national championship and we don't, but Pat's got six and you don't and Geno's got five and you don't...so there, take that! Is this the kind of argument this woman is going to make for everything?

"Coach Mulkey, are you going to Florida or LSU?"

"I have a national title and they don't"

"Coach Mulkey, what do you think your team's chances are in the NCAA's?"

"Well, since we have a national title and lots of the other teams don't, I think we have a good chance."

"Coach Mulkey, why did you get a divorce?"

"I have a national championship and he doesn't. It just wasn't gonna work, y'all."

Puh-leeze. I wasn't impressed with her classless spectacle she created last season and now with such arrogance as that of a 10-year-old boy losing in kickball that leads to statements claiming that she and her program are better than another because of a trophy and banner they have is the surest sign that Coach Mulkey is what I sensed from her all along: a self-centered, arrogant and holier-than-thou college basketball coach. I take back what I said before, Florida, you can do better than her! Oh wait, she has a national championship and you don't so maybe I am wrong...

The Avenue's Power Seeds

With only the Big 12 Championship left in doubt, which may have little effect on the top 16 teams, here are where I think teams will be placed:
The 1's:
Duke (The overall one seed and favorite to win it all, even following the loss to NC State, which did, however, show chinks in the armour.)
North Carolina (ACC Tourney Champs playing well entering the tournament.)
Tennessee (Loss to LSU in SEC Tourney where Parker scored only four points shows some problems, but their entire body of work is just too good.)
UConn (Yet another top seed who lost in their league tournament, but still a solid one.)
The 2's:
Maryland (The defending champions are the two seed none of the one's want to see in their bracket. Basically, they are the fifth one seed.)
Stanford (Looking solid, healthier and playing like the Final Four contender they were expected to be.)
Vanderbilt (This team won the SEC Tournament and worked there way up to the two line.)
LSU (Certainly with all the drama going on surrounding Pokey Chatman this team will either fall apart or band together. They have the talent and just beat Tennessee.)
The 3's:
Oklahoma (Improved since their midseason slump. Will drop if they lose to Baylor in semis)
Purdue (Big Ten Tourney Champs)
Arizona State (Dangerous team that just could never prove it, especially against Stanford. Still solid)
Texas A&M (Big 12 Co-Champs. A loss to Iowa State tonight would likely drop them to a four.)
The 4's:
Ohio State (Poor Buckeyes are suffering from injuries and because of it, lost the Big Ten Tourney and have dropped fast.)
NC State (A dangerous and inspired team that knocked Duke from the unbeatens. Hottest team right now.)
Rutgers (Second hottest team that knocked UConn from the Big East Championship foothold.)
George Washington (Colonials could have been a solid three, then blew it to Saint Joe's.)

BREAKING NEWS: Pokey had inappropriate relations with players

Nola.com is reporting that it has been confirmed that Pokey Chatman did, in fact, have inappropriate sexual relations with one or more players. It is not known whether it is recent, in the past or on-going. Skip Bertman, LSU Athletic Director, who earlier denied any wrongdoing, did somewhat confirm that something occurred though stopped short of saying what it was. The link is below:

http://www.nola.com

More to come on this shocking revelation that will likely end the coaching career of Chatman, one of the most promising young women's coaches in the game.