Local basketball coaches remember Pat Summitt

Coaching almost 40 years, Summitt brought life to women’s college basketball, leading Tennessee to eight national championships and 1,098 wins, winning 84 percent of her games. The impact she left behind was massive. “Pat agreed to do it and we were able to fill this place at 22,000 and I still think today, we probably picked up 2 or 3,000 season ticket holders just from that one game”. “It’s really hard to put into words what she meant, except she was life changing”. Later, her Hall of Fame career would tell the story of the historic progress toward equality in American athletics that she helped advance. “Growing up, I watched the Lady Vols”.

Turner says Summitt will be missed, but her legacy will never be forgotten.

It’s no secret playing for Summitt was intense.

The woman who lifted the sport to national prominence staring down players and officials with her icy glare will be remembered for far more than the impressive numbers she piled up over 38 seasons, including eight national titles.

“There’s no question, really one of the great coaches of any sport”, Duke men’s head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

Nevertheless, she enjoyed such an intimate relationship with her players that they called her “Pat”. And in turn, her players felt a duty to not let her down. “For me, it was like, ‘Man, I want to play for this woman'”. “It’s her personality, the presence, what she demanded of herself”.

“The fire, and the competition, she made your team play to the best of their ability, which teams don’t do very often, but hers would do every night”, McMillan explained. Summitt was a consultant for former Broncos star Peyton Manning, who was a quarterback for Tennessee at the time, when decided whether to turn pro or stay in college. Pat’s competitive spirit, attention to detail with her trademark defense, and her ability to motivate each player to play their role and trust their teammate was her formula for championships. I’ve been a fan of hers and the way she so passionately and profoundly led our game. “I think that she passed that along to her teams”.

A lot of people were touched by Summitt, the legendary Tennessee head coach. Summitt always wanted to give women equal opportunity, Warlick said, and as a female coach Summitt always exemplified the hard balance between being tough but showing love. She lost all three.