LSU's Final Four streak now rests in the hands of a man who knows about winning WNBA championships and Olympic gold medals.

Next season, Van Chancellor will get as good a chance as he's ever had to win his first national title as a college coach.

Chancellor was hired as the women's basketball coach at LSU on Wednesday, succeeding Pokey Chatman.

He intends to keep at least some of the coaching staff left behind when Chatman abruptly resigned last month just before the NCAA Tournament. Chancellor singled out for mention assistant Bob Starkey, who took over the team and guided the squad to its fourth consecutive Final Four appearance.