Zachary Rotary Club

VAN CHANCELLOR (10-28-09):

As the head coach of the LSU Lady Tigers, I get a lot of opportunities to speak to a variety of organizations. I am always humbled at the amazing love so many in this community have for LSU and Lady Tiger Basketball. Today I had the opportunity to speak at the Zachary Rotary Club -- a wonderful group of people. I made some new friends but the highlight was spending time with Lady Tiger alumnus April Brown. I've known April from her playing days back in Mississippi high school basketball and I've always been a big fan of hers. Coach Starkey always talks about what a smart players she was at LSU and I believe it when I watch her coach!

 

Filed under  //  Community   Van Chancellor  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Elvis is Alive!

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BOB STARKEY (10-27-09):

The long mystery of Elvis' disappearance has been solved! He's been discovered in Baton Rouge under the cover of a women's basketball coach. Actually it's Coach Chancellor who dressed up for the LSU Athletic Department's Boozar. This traditional event has each of the athletic teams hosting a booth for children of the Baton Rouge community to come and trick or tweet in a safe environment. But it's hard to tell who has more fun -- the youngsters or the student-athletes. Too often it is overlooked how much work LSU Athletics and our coaches and students do to contribute to Baton Rouge overall. Without question, tonight was a huge success. And if I could speak for Coach Chancellor, "Thank you, thank you very much!"

 

Filed under  //  Community   Off the Court   Van Chancellor  
Posted by Bill Martin  

SEC MEDIA DAYS AND A DASH FOR THE PLANE

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ALLISON HIGHTOWER (10-23-09):
So my trip to Birmingham for SEC media day with Coach Chancellor was pretty good (minus the flying). We talked to a lot of media from different states and also people like ESPN, CST, and Fox Sports net just to name a few. Everything went by pretty quick, we left the airport around 7:45 am and got their at 9, then we started media interviews at 10 and finished at noon. We could barley even eat the delicious meal they had for all the people there because we had to make a dash to the airport to get on the plane before the bad weather moved into Baton Rouge. Let me tell you, I was extremely happy when we landed safely just barely before the weather had arrived!!! GEAUX TIGERS!!!

Filed under  //  Media   Player's Post   Van Chancellor  
Posted by Bill Martin  

A Visit from Gray Elementary

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COACH CHANCELLOR (10-23-09):

We had a wonderful day at LSU today. Besides having a good practice this afternoon, I got to spend the morning with some enthusiastic young people from Gray Elementary. This is becoming a yearly tradition where they visit our campus and meet with them in the PMAC to talk to them and take them through a few basketball drills. What a great group of kids! They were full of energy and very polite -- hope to see them again at a Lady Tiger game!

 

 

Filed under  //  Community   Van Chancellor  
Posted by Bill Martin  

Lady Tigers Garner Attention as the SEC Favorite at 2009-10 SEC Media Day

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BILL MARTIN (10/22/09)
It has become a ritual of the fall, 2009-10 SEC Media Day, Tipoff 2010. Head coach Van Chancellor and senior guard Allison Hightower attended SEC Media Day today at the Birmingham Marriott along with the league's 11 other men's and women's teams. We departed Baton Rouge just after 7:30 a.m. on a charter plane to Bessemer, Ala. SEC officials then escorted us to the hotel.

Chancellor and Hightower were joined by men's head coach Trent Johnson and senior Tasmin Mitchell. Media Day is nothing new for Chancellor, who attended it for the third time as a member of the Lady Tiger staff. Chancellor also had experience here when he called SEC games on television and was head coach at Ole Miss. Hightower made a return trip as she attended SEC Media Day last season with then-senior Kristen Morris.

As compared to last year's media day, there was a much different feel in the building for LSU. On Thursday, the Lady Tigers receieved attention all day from regional and national media members because for the first time in the 20-year history of the SEC Media Poll, LSU is the league favorite. Chancellor and Hightower fielded questions about handling the role as the favorite and each alluded to the quality of the league where anyone can win the title.

Part of SEC Media Day involves 10-minute rotations in different rooms with different networks. Hightower and Chancellor each took turns in interview sessions with the SEC Network, ESPN, ESPNU, Fox Sports South and SECsports.com. Earlier this summer, the SEC announced a 15-year blockbuster deal with ESPN and by the looks of today, that contract is paying off. It will mean much more attention to the SEC on each of ESPN's respective entities.

Hightower did a Q & A segment for ESPNU's SEC Weekly show, including her efforts off the court. She discussed her role as leader in the classroom and in LSU's CHAMPS Life Skills program. She also talked about what it was like about being selected as the 2010 SEC Preseason Player of the Year.

Hightower and Chancellor were also interviewed by Dave Baker of the SEC Network and SECsports.com. Dave has been covering SEC basketball and football for several years now and does a great job. Prior to interviews, Chancellor spoke to commissioner Mike Slive and other officials from the conference office.

The last hour of media day takes place in a ballroom where only print media and newspapers can conduct interviews. Reporters from Knoxville to the Birmingham News and other websites spoke to Chancellor and Hightower.

We quickly departed the hotel after 12 p.m. to beat the weather back to Baton Rouge. We made it safely back and it was certainly a very productive day for LSU. With the men's team coming off an SEC title and the women's team picked to win the 2010 title, media attention is at an all-time high for LSU.

For the complete press release on SEC Tipoff 2010:
http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=204819162

Filed under  //  Media   Van Chancellor  
Posted by Bill Martin  

MEDIA DAY -- THE LADY TIGER WAY

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THOUGHTS FROM COACH CHANCELLOR:
“We’re pumped up about the season. We were very young last season. We’re still pretty young. We have 14 players and seven of them are freshmen or sophomores, so that still makes us a young basketball team. But we work hard, and we’ve had one of the best fall (workouts) I’ve ever been around. We have a team that has a great attitude. They’re working towards their goals and aspirations, and when you have a team that’s fun to coach it’s a joy just to be around them.

“We are returning a great player in Allison Hightower, a player that’s gotten so much better since last spring. We met with each player we had and asked them to improve. We would write down certain things and say to them, ‘Here’s what you need to do,’ and one of those things was, ‘Allison, you’ve got to become a better three-point shooter.’ She has had an outstanding fall. She’s been the hardest worker in the weight room, in conditioning, and in basketball. When your best player is your hardest worker, that gives you a shot to win.

“I think that LaSondra Barrett will have a great year. At this point in time, I think our strength will be that if you take out Hightower, I think there’s about eight or nine more players that are pretty even. If you asked me where you think we’re going to go this year, here’s my own personal opinion: In the league, we’re one of four or five teams at the top. There’s Tennessee, us, Georgia, Mississippi State, and I look for South Carolina to be the most improved team in the league. With that in mind, I think we will be in that mix. I don’t know where we would be, but it will depend upon finding a third scorer. I think we’ll be another great defensive team. We’ve been in the top five or six in the nation forever and we’ve been No. 1 in the SEC for five years in a row (defensively). We don’t give up a lot of points here at LSU. But if we’re going to compete and be at the top of the league, in my mind we need to find a third scorer, someone who can take the pressure off of Barrett and Hightower from last year.

Filed under  //  Media   Van Chancellor  
Posted by Bill Martin  

BENGAL BELLES AND LADY TIGERS TEAM UP TO FIGHT BREAST CANCER

COACH CHANCELLOR (10-9-09):
Today I had a wonderful opportunity to speak to the Bengal Belles. They are an amazing and powerful group of women that have had a tremendous impact on LSU and the Baton Rouge community. Bob (Starkey) was telling me all the amazing work they've done throughout the years and he came up with the idea of getting them involved in our Pink Zone Game which this year will be played on February 18 against Vanderbilt. Each year we play a game to promote Breast Cancer Awareness. It's a wonderful event! If you've been you've noticed our players wear pink uniforms and our staff coaches in pink tennis shoes. There's also a lot of other neat things involved. Last year, Coach Starkey and his wife Sherie (a breast cancer survivor) donated a $1 for every student that attended to the Kay Yow Foundation. We are so excited about having the Bengal Belles on board with this because first they are amazing successful in all the projects that associate with and second, this is a cause that they can relate to and rally around. I love it when a TEAM comes together for a common cause.

 

Filed under  //  Community   Marketing & Promotions   Van Chancellor  
Posted by Bill Martin  

FIRST TEAM MEETING

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VAN CHANCELLOR (8-24-09):
There's nothing like the start of the school year. All these years of coaching and still get that exciting feeling when we meet with our team for the first time.

We kept it short and sweet today and just went over a few guidelines. For me, it's always simple. Conduct yourself in The Lady Tiger Way! Make sure you are on time...treat all people with respect...no matter what it is you are doing, do it as well as you possibly can all the time. What has made my job so easy is that The Lady Tiger Way has been established a long time ago -- by my friend, the late Sue Gunter.

We also passed out our team notebooks that are such an important part of our program. We utilize them a great deal and they make a difference in our team. We spoke of academics and set a few goals there as well.

I loved the attitude of our team at the meeting -- I think they are as excited as I am and that's a great sign!

Filed under  //  Off the Court   Van Chancellor  
Posted by Bill Martin