Van Chancellor elected to Basketball Hall of Fame

Congratulations, Coach Chancellor!

Van Chancellor's chest swelled with pride when the national anthem played for his undefeated United States women's team at the Athens Olympics, and there was an overwhelming sense of achievement when the Comets won each of their four WNBA titles.

But what Chancellor experienced Monday was on-top-of-the-world joy when he received word he's among a seven-member class of 2007 elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

"It's been the most unbelievable day that I've experienced in a long, long time," Chancellor said before a dinner for the honorees prior to Monday's NCAA men's championship game. "I've had so many memories and so many chances to reflect on all of the people and all of the experiences that have gotten me to this point.

"To think that you're going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, a place where all of your basketball heroes are enshrined, is overwhelming. I mean, guys like Oscar Robertson and now me? My gosh, what can I say?"

A native of Louisville, Miss., Chancellor joined Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson, North Carolina coach Roy Williams, the late Mendy Rudolph, an NBA referee from 1953-78, international coaches Pedro Ferrandiz and Mirko Novosel and the 1966 Texas Western team in the 2007 class.

Chancellor, 63, was the head women's coach at Mississippi from 1978 to 1997 posting a record of 439-154 before moving to Houston as the first coach of the Comets. He guided the Comets to the first four championships in WNBA history and had a mark of 211-111 in 10 seasons before resigning in January.

He also has a 38-0 record in international competition.

Winning four straight championships in any sport, at any time, is amazingly difficult. Chancellor has an enviable record of success beyond his WNBA accomplishments. He's a credit to the Hall. Congrats, Coach Chancellor, on a well-deserved honor.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on April 04, 2007 to Other sports