Resilient LSU women back for more

TAMPA, Fla. -- Last year, the Louisiana State women’s basketball team was making its fourth consecutive appearance in the Final Four. No one had expected it, however.

On the eve of the NCAA tournament, LSU’s popular coach, Pokey Chatman, abruptly resigned amid allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a former player. In that Final Four, the Lady Tigers had to face Rutgers without her, and lost.

No such turmoil this time.

Tonight, LSU takes on conference rival Tennessee for the right to play for the national title. But the repair work began last April when the team lured Van Chancellor out of retirement, a coach whose resume includes four WNBA titles with the Houston Comets and an Olympic gold medal in 2004.

And in a bit of a twist, he also had a successful tenure at Mississippi from 1978 to ‘97, reaching the Elite Eight four times, but never the Final Four.

“This has been like a kid at Christmas time,” Chancellor said Saturday. “The WNBA experiences were great, but they were different. . . . Right now, it can’t get any better than this.”

LSU players, especially the seniors, can put last year’s upheaval in perspective. It was not the first time they had to battle adversity together.

First, it was Hall of Fame Coach Sue Gunter, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2004 and died a year later. In the fall of 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans, displacing thousands of residents who fled to Baton Rouge, taking shelter in the university’s basketball arena. Hurricane Rita then took aim on the Louisiana coast a month later, destroying the hometowns of several team members.

Then the team lost Chatman, who had replaced Gunter. Another assistant, Bob Starkey, took over and got a determined LSU team, led by Sylvia Fowles, back to the Final Four.

“It’s a lot of different things, but that’s how life is,” said guard Erica White, one of five senior starters for the Tigers. “You’re going to go through things and you just have to be able to adapt.”

Chancellor, who speaks with a Southern drawl as thick as the Florida humidity, brought his style and philosophy to Baton Rouge, one that helped his teams to a 38-0 record in international competition. He can be strict on game day, but also knows how to loosen up his team. He joined them aboard a yacht Friday night and wasn’t afraid to display some of his less-than-polished dancing skills.

“Everything I’ve done is to try and make our team relax and have fun,” he said. “I want them to come here and enjoy it and get all this pressure off their back. That’s my job as their coach.”

In February, Chancellor guided the team to a 78-62 victory over then-top-ranked Tennessee, helping LSU win the Southeastern Conference title. The Lady Tigers were 8-4 against teams ranked in the top 25 and won 30 games for the fourth consecutive season.

He’s especially skillful when it comes to wringing the most from his players.

“When he first took the job, he kept telling me I’m going to be the best shooter in the SEC, the country, the world, and it made me feel good,” said senior guard Quianna Chaney, who is shooting 38.9% from three-point range this season. “And so I started acting like the best shooter. That’s how I end up getting the confidence. Give me the ball, I’m going to shoot it.”

Fowles, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, said she can already sense this Final Four will be different.

“It has been great having Coach Chancellor on our side, letting us see the big picture,” Fowles said. “In previous years, we always had something to play for or against. This year, we’ve just been free.”

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dan.arritt@latimes.com

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NCAA women’s Final Four

Beginning today at St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla.:

Stanford (34-3) vs. Connecticut (36-1), 4 p.m. PDT, ESPN -- Stanford has not advanced to the Final Four since 1997, the last time any team west of Texas qualified for this round. The Cardinal is led by shooting guard Candice Wiggins and center Jayne Appel, both all-Pacific 10 Conference first-team selections. Wiggins is averaging 20.2 points and 4.6 rebounds while Appel is averaging 15 points and 8.9 rebounds. In the tournament, Appel is averaging 21.5 points and 9.8 rebounds, shooting 63.6% from the field. The Huskies are led by freshman forward Maya Moore, the Big East Conference player of the year and only the second freshman named to the Associated Press All-America team.

Louisiana State (31-5) vs. Tennessee (34-2), 6:30 p.m. PDT, ESPN -- There will be no shortage of talent in this semifinal, as Candace Parker of Tennessee and Sylvia Fowles of LSU are expected to be the top two picks in the WNBA draft Wednesday. Alexis Hornbuckle, a senior guard for the Volunteers, is also projected to be a top-five pick. Senior guard Shannon Bobbitt can also score in bunches. Fowles, a 6-6 senior center, is averaging 17.2 points and 10 rebounds. Despite losing two of its starting guards to knee injuries this season, LSU still has plenty of talent at the position in seniors Erica White and Quianna Chaney.

-- Dan Arritt