Growing up in a basketball family it should be no surprise that Pat Summit was a common name in my household. My mom even texted me after her passing with crying face and broken heart emojis. Everyone knows Pat Summit, she's a legend and always will be, but she needs to be remembered for so much more than her 1,098–208 coaching record, which by the way, speaks for itself. And with her recent passing it's time to start talking about what she really should be remembered for.
How she earned respect
From everyone. She grew the game of women's basketball which at the time she started coaching wasn't an NCAA sanctioned sport yet. She made people watch, and it was her team everyone was looking for. She gave little girls hope of college basketball with the dream of playing for her one day.
How she coached
Now, this isn't to say that Pat Summit was one of those lovey dovey lets all have fun coaches. She was a tough coach, probably one of if not the toughest coach with her classic glare. Always in players faces, intense, and so into the game. She did more than coach, she motivated, inspired, and made you match her intensity. I still remember watching Tennessee games and getting to into it just from watching her practically sprint up and down the sidelines.
They way she made it more than a game
You hear it all the time "it's okay, it's just a game." Pat Summit knew that it was so much more. It was about building successful women after they left the program. It was about spreading her success and knowledge through the books she wrote. It was about learning life lessons on the court so that you were a better person after you were a Lady Vol.
The meaning of Head Coach Emeritus
When I first heard this I was like... what the heck? What's the point of that? But Pat taught me what it means. It means that sometimes life doesn't go as planned. Bad things happen to good people but you just gotta roll with it, adjust, and change the game plan. She knew she could no longer coach, but she also knew that she couldn't just leave. So she stuck it out and gave every last bit she had to the game. When life drags you down, don't just foul out, get a steal and when you turn it over, just get that ball back. That it what I will never forget about her.
