BATON ROUGE -- Hall of Famer Sue Gunter, who served as a women's college basketball coach for 40 years winning over 700 games along the way, stepped down as LSU's coach on Tuesday.

"I have been absolutely blessed with wonderful people to work with me," Gunter said in a press conference. "We have all gone through a lot over a long period of time, but this is one of those things that at some point was bound to happen."

Gunter will be replaced by former LSU all-America and current Lady Tiger associate coach Pokey Chatman, who played for Gunter for four years and then served on her staff for the last 13 seasons.

"I just want to say thank you to coach Gunter," Chatman said. "The biggest thing is the preparation. I don't think I would have been able to step in this past January 4 and finish up at the Final Four in New Orleans if she hadn't prepared me for this. I want to say thank you, and I'll continue to try and make you and this program proud."

Gunter, who guided the Lady Tigers to 442 wins over a 22-season span, cited health reasons for her resignation. The Walnut Grove, Miss., native led LSU to 14 NCAA Tournaments, one Final Four and four Elite Eight appearances. Gunter also guided the Lady Tigers to Southeastern Conference Tournament titles in 1991 and 2003.

During her career, Gunter, who was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000, accumulated the third most victories in women's basketball with 708, coached the third most games with 1,016 and collected 22 20-plus win seasons.

"I can not think of a better way to go out as far as what this team did this year and the things that they accomplished," Gunter added.

LSU posted a 27-8 record in 2003-04, finished second in the SEC for the second consecutive season and advanced to the program's first Final Four.

Chatman, an Ama, La., native becomes the fourth head coach of the program after serving as associate coach for Gunter for the past five seasons and assist coach for seven seasons prior to that. Chatman was named acting head coach during this past season and guided the Lady Tigers to the Final Four in New Orleans.

Chatman played four seasons for Gunter and the Lady Tigers and by the time she graduated, held the career assist record and still remains fifth on the career scoring list. She was a three-time All-SEC selection and capped her career by winning the MVP of the 1991 SEC Tournament and earning Kodak All-America honors.

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Coaches quotes on Sue Gunter's retirement

John Brady, LSU men's basketball coach...

"Sue Gunter has established herself as one of the best basketball coaches to have ever coached the game. In addition to her tremendous success as a coach, she has done it with class, dignity and always with a genuine concern for her players. She has represented LSU in a first class way during her career and brought many positives to the University both on and off the floor. I wish her the best in retirement and pray for her to be able to enjoy what she deserves by how much she has given."

Andy Landers, women's basketball coach, Georgia...

"Sue is a legend. It's hard to say good-bye, particularly when the legend is a personal friend. Women's basketball is losing one of its pioneers. I only wish Sue the best."

Leon Barmore, Hall of Famer, former women's basketball coach, Louisiana Tech...

"During my entire coaching career covering the 1970s, '80 and '90s, there were three people who really stood out to me ... Pat Summitt, Jody Conradt and Sue Gunter. Those are the three coaches who I really believe gave us the game that we know and enjoy today. Women's basketball, the game of basketball, is losing a legend today. Sue was one of the most gracious people in the game and always treated Louisiana Tech and myself with respect. I have a lot of respect for her and what she has accomplished in her career. She is one of the three giants in this business. I wish her the best, especially with her health."

Jim Foster, women's basketball coach, Ohio State...

"Not only did women's basketball lose one of its best coaches today, it also lost one of its finest people."

Mickie DeMoss, women's basketball coach, Kentucky...

"Sue has made an unbelievable impact on the game of women?s basketball. Her devotion to the game extends far beyond her tenure at LSU. She has made significant contributions on the national and international level. Her influence on the lives of her players has proven to be invaluable. Pokey Chatman is certainly a testament to that. She will be greatly missed.?

Joe Ciampi, former women's basketball coach, Auburn...

"Congratulations on all your success and on doing it the right way all these years. Now that we are both away from the court, maybe now I can get some Ws from you on the golf course. I wish you the best in your retirement.?

Rick Moody, women's basketball coach, Alabama...

"It is a sad day to see an individual who has been such an ambassador for the game of basketball hanging it up. Sue has been a great friend of mine and I'm truly going to miss competing against her every year. I always enjoyed our head-to-head battles and consider it an honor to have faced a hall-of-famer like her. Sue was always a class act and will be definitely missed."

Van Chancellor, head coach WNBA Houston Comets, SEC-TV analyst, former Ole Miss coach ...

"Sue is one of the giants of our game. I do not know of anyone who has contributed more to women's basketball than Sue Gunter. She is an extraordinary coach, and a double extraordinary person. Thanks for the memories."