Pokey Chatman facts for kids
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Chatman in 2019
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| Seattle Storm | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Assistant coach | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | June 18, 1969 Ama, Louisiana, U.S. |
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| High school | Hahnville (Boutte, Louisiana) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | LSU (1987–1991) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1992–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | WNBA | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–2004 | LSU (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | LSU | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | WBC Sparta&K | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2016 | Chicago Sky | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2019 | Indiana Fever | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022-present | Seattle Storm (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Dana "Pokey" Chatman (born June 18, 1969) is an American basketball coach. She is currently an assistant coach for the Seattle Storm in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Chatman has been the head coach for several teams. These include the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky in the WNBA. She also coached the LSU Lady Tigers college team and the Spartak Moscow team in Russia.
For 20 years, Chatman was a major part of the LSU basketball program. She was a player from 1987 to 1991 and later became a coach. As head coach, she led the Lady Tigers to three NCAA Final Fours in a row from 2004 to 2006.
Contents
Early Life and High School
Dana Chatman was born in Ama, Louisiana, on June 18, 1969. In high school, she was a star point guard, a player who directs the team's offense.
She was a five-time AAU All-American, which means she was recognized as one of the best young players in the country. Chatman is also known for scoring the very first 3-point shot in a girls' high school game in Louisiana.
Playing Career at LSU
From 1987 to 1991, Chatman played for the LSU Lady Tigers under the famous coach Sue Gunter. She was a starting player in almost every game of her college career.
Chatman set school records for the most steals (346) and assists (570). An assist is when a player passes the ball to a teammate who then scores. Her assist record stood for over 10 years.
During her time as a player, LSU went to the NCAA tournament four times. In 1991, she led the Lady Tigers to their first-ever SEC Tournament championship and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP).
LSU Player Statistics
This table shows Chatman's performance during her four years playing for LSU.
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | FT% | RPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-88 | LSU | 29 | 290 | 38.2% | 81.8% | 3.3 | 10.0 |
| 1988-89 | LSU | 30 | 485 | 43.7% | 83.9% | 3.6 | 16.2 |
| 1989-90 | LSU | 30 | 475 | 41.5% | 84.5% | 3.6 | 15.8 |
| 1990-91 | LSU | 31 | 576 | 43.7% | 80.7% | 4.3 | 18.6 |
| TOTALS | 120 | 1826 | 42.1% | 82.7% | 3.7 | 15.2 |
Coaching Career
LSU Coaching Success
After her playing career, Chatman stayed at LSU to become a coach. She was an assistant coach for many years. In the 2003–2004 season, head coach Sue Gunter had to stop coaching due to illness. Chatman took over as the interim (temporary) coach.
She led the team to the Final Four, the semi-final round of the NCAA tournament. It was the first time the school had ever made it that far. After the season, Gunter retired, and Chatman was named the new head coach.
As head coach, Chatman's teams were very successful. She led the Lady Tigers to two more Final Fours in 2005 and 2006. Her amazing record earned her many awards, including National Coach of the Year in 2005.
Chatman resigned as head coach at LSU on March 7, 2007. Assistant coach Bob Starkey took over for the rest of the season, leading the team to another Final Four.
Coaching in Russia
In August 2007, Chatman became an assistant coach for Spartak Moscow Region, a professional team in Russia. The team was already one of the best in Europe.
With Chatman's help, the team continued to win. In 2010, she became the head coach and led Spartak to a perfect 16–0 record in the Euroleague, winning the championship.
WNBA Coaching Career
Chicago Sky
In 2010, Chatman returned to the United States to become the head coach and general manager of the Chicago Sky in the WNBA. She coached the team for six seasons. In 2014, she led the Sky to the WNBA Finals for the first time in the team's history.
Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm
In 2016, Chatman became the head coach of the Indiana Fever. She coached the team for three seasons.
In 2022, Chatman joined the Seattle Storm as an assistant coach, a role she holds today.
USA Basketball Involvement
Chatman has also been involved with USA Basketball, which manages the country's national teams.
As a player in 1988, she was on the USA team that won a gold medal at the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship in Brazil.
As a coach in 2005, she was an assistant for the USA team at the World University Games in Turkey. The team went undefeated, winning all seven of their games to earn the gold medal.
