Chatman: Exit from LSU not voluntary

Pokey Chatman said she didn’t voluntarily resign as coach of the LSU women’s basketball team.

“If (you) think that was voluntary, come on,” Chatman told The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune. “I committed to doing my part to keep the madness at a minimum. I had a commitment to the team.”

Chatman resigned shortly before the NCAA tournament in March amid allegations of improper conduct with one or more former players. In her first interview since then, Chatman she said she was committed to the team and surprised by how her career at LSU ended.

“The bottom line is, I worked 20 years for an institution, and I couldn’t get a 20-minute conversation about what was going on,” she said. “That told me right then and there that I was not wanted there.”

Chatman refused to address the allegations, which an assistant coach had raised to LSU. Chatman and LSU reached a contract settlement of $160,000 in June with a stipulation Chatman would pursue further legal action.

Chatman said she hasn’t been in hiding but rather “moving forward and making progress.” She said she has been consulting with a shoe company and weighing her options, including possible coaching jobs. She also has been spending time with family. On Friday, she was coaching a basketball camp for girls.

“I’ve traveled, I’ve been to the grocery store, I’ve been to Wal-Mart,” she said. “I’ve got to live. Mostly I’ve been at my house in Baton Rouge, at my place on the river. I’ve been riding my bike a little bit, spending some time with my friends and family, and basically just getting ready for these camps.”

Chatman announced her resignation intending to remain as coach through the NCAA tournament. However, LSU said she’s no longer be the coach and longtime assistant Bob Starkey took over temporarily, leading LSU into its fourth-straight Final Four. Van Chancellor has since been named head coach.

Chatman said she watched LSU’s win in the first round of the tournament and its loss to Rutgers in the Final Four _ that game, with family and friends and a lot of uneated boiled crawfish.

“I love crawfish, and I couldn’t eat,” she said. “They were saying, ‘You’re not going to eat this crawfish?’ And I said, ‘Rutgers is not a 3-point shooting team, and they’re hitting everything they’re putting up. Leave me alone. I’m sick.'”

After spending time with 75 young players Friday, Chatman, who is set to host a camp in Baton Rouge this month, was upbeat.

“Will I coach again? I’m coaching today,” she said. “Will I ever coach another college team? You never rule anything out, but that’s not what I’m looking for today.”