THE TIME TENNESSEE Lady Vols and women’s basketball fans have dreaded for months has finally arrived.
Pat Summitt is stepping aside as Tennessee’s head coach after 38 seasons, the last an emotionally draining farewell tour for the woman who won more games than anyone else in NCAA college basketball history.
“I’ve loved being the head coach at Tennessee for 38 years, but I recognise the time has come to move into the future and to step into a new role,” the 59-year-old Hall of Famer said in a statement issued Wednesday by the school.
Summitt will discuss the move, including the promotion of longtime assistant Holly Warlick as her replacement, at a Thursday news conference on the court named in her honour the night she won her 1,000th game.
Making the decision had been only a matter of time since Summitt revealed on August 23 that she had been diagnosed with early onset dementia.
It’s why players from opposing teams joined fans from coast to coast donning t-shirts saying “We back Pat” and greeted Summitt with cheers at every game.
But Summitt’s every move was studied to see how she felt, down to how many officials she yelled at or her icy glares at a player. After losing to the eventual national champions, Baylor, in a regional final, Warlick’s tears during the postgame news conference gave a glimpse of how exhausting the season had been and the possibility it was Summitt’s last game.
Mickie DeMoss, who served as Summitt’s assistant for 21 years before leaving for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever earlier this month, said she’s happy for Summitt.
“Her health and well-being are most important to me,” DeMoss said. “She now can focus on doing things for Pat. She has given 38 years to UT and to women’s basketball. Now, she can do what’s best for herself, every day. I’m happy for my friend, and happy that she can begin a new chapter in her life.”
Summitt will report to athletic director Dave Hart in her new role, while assisting the program she guided to eight national titles since taking over in 1974.
“She is an icon who does not view herself in that light, and her legacy is well-defined and everlasting,” Hart said. “I look forward to continuing to work with her in her new role. She is an inspiration to everyone.”
Her responsibilities will include helping with recruiting, watching practise, joining staff meetings, helping coaches analyse practise and games, and advising the Southeastern Conference on women’s basketball issues and mentoring players. Summitt also will be working as a spokeswoman in the fight against Alzheimer’s.
“If anyone asks, you can find me observing practise or in my office,” Summitt said.
“Coaching is the great passion of my life, and the job to me has always been an opportunity to work with our student-athletes and help them discover what they want. I will continue to make them my passion. I love our players and my fellow coaches, and that’s not going to change.”
