The legendary coach of Tennessee's Lady Volunteers may have coached her last game. Most are aware that Summitt was diagnosed a while back with early onset Alzheimer's/dementia. No doubt Summitt will be afforded the best modern medicine has to offer, but the sad truth is her condition won't get better -- over time it will get worse.
Without getting into all the incredible stats she and her teams have racked up in her long and illustrious career, this author is of the opinion that she accomplished something that was not only remarkable, but will be remembered as historic.
Namely, she put ladies college hoops on the sports radar screen in a big way. It's a big deal these days, and rightfully so. The ladies have been playing college basketball for a very long time, but not until the last couple decades or so were they much noticed by the mainstream sports media. Back in the "old days", the ladies would play their games in basically empty gyms, and there certainly wasn't any TV coverage.
Nowadays, cable stations are televising games, and a major network will likely jump in when they get down to their Final Four. Have they caught up to their male counterparts yet in that regard? Of course not, but they're getting there, year by year, fan by fan, inch by agonizing inch, and bravo to them.
It wouldn't have happened without Pat Summitt. One needs not look too far back in history to remember when ladies' college hoops was dominated by teams like Old Dominion and Lousiana Tech. For that matter, many schools didn't even take the sport seriously. Then along came Summitt who began building her dynasty in Knoxville. Did she win some of her early titles when the competition wasn't nearly as ferocious as it is today? Probably so, but that's the point.
Other schools started sitting up and taking notice of Summitt's success. They got more serious about their programs, including coaching staffs, recruiting, facilities, publicity, etc. They wanted a piece of the action too.
In the end, Summitt may have been a victim of her own success. Look around. Schools like UConn, Notre Dame, Stanford, and Baylor have emerged as powerhouses. Texas A&M won the national championship last year. Where did THEY come from? Tennessee, while still amongst the elite programs, no longer dominates like they once did. The competition is growing every year. And that's a good thing for the sport, Volunteer fans notwithstanding.
Unlike men's college hoops, where it's not unusual for a top seed to get knocked off in the regionals, the ladies haven't quite progressed to that point. Last year, not a single #1 seed men's team made it to the Final Four, and this year only one. Conversely, it wouldn't be much of a surprise to see all four of the ladies' #1 seeds make it this year. To date, their sport hasn't evolved to where the men's sport is. There are no Davidsons or Butlers in the world of ladies' college hoops. Yet.
But someday it will happen, and Coach Summitt will be the reason.
This is not to presume Pat Summitt's coaching career is over, but signs certainly point that way. Of late, Holly Warlick, evidently Coach Summitt's hand-picked successor, has been coaching the team, while Summitt sits passively by on the bench, saying nothing. Draw your own conclusions.
No matter how it turns out -- Pat Summitt is an American icon, and hats off to her for everything she's accomplished. Bravo.
On a personal note -- Sorry Deb. Brittney Griner and the Baylor Lady Bears were just too much. 38-0 speaks for itself, and they're routing everybody. I'd be surprised if they don't win the title. Don't stay away too long. Been keeping your stool warm. LOL
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