It comes as little surprise to anyone following the LSU coaching vacancy that Van Chancellor was hired today by LSU.  The gaping wound left by Pokey Chatman was temporarily bandaged by Bob Starkey who made it no secret he didn't want the head coaching position.  On the same note, Chancellor also made it no secret that he wanted this position as he mentioned it "on air" several times after Chatman's abrupt depature. 

Van Chancellor brings a wealth of basketball knowledge and experience to LSU. He was the head coach at Mississippi ("Ole Miss") for nineteen years (1978-97) leaving with a 439-154 record.  During that time, he led Ole Miss to 14 NCAA tournament appearances.  In 1992, Ole Miss won the SEC regular season going 11-0, finishing at 29-3.  That same team ended up being his best one as they reached the Midwest Regional Final. 

In 1997, he was offered the coaching job for the WNBA Houston Comets and subsequently left Ole Miss.  He led the Comets to four straight championships, including the league's inaugural season.  In 2004, he coached the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal and he holds a 38-0 record in international competition.

As for the existing coaching staff at LSU, it sounds like they will ALL be employed as Chancellor said he intends to keep them.  In fact, he singled out Starkey as interim coach and was an essential part in leading LSU to their fourth consecutive Final Four appearance.  "I wouldn't have taken this job if Bob Starkey wasn't wanting to stay here.  Why would I want to change a Final Four team four years in a row?"

Get all the updated info on the coaching vacancies here.