NASHVILLE - Pat Summitt was still 50 seconds away from her 900th victory when forward Sidney Spencer approached her on the Tennessee bench Thursday night at Memorial Gymnasium.

"Coach, I just want to shake your hand," Spencer told her.

Spencer quickly realized she had caught her coach off guard. Never mind that the Lady Vols had the game in hand, or that Tennessee fans were already chanting 9-0-0, Summitt was still engrossed in coaching.

That should surprise no one.

You don't win 900 games by looking ahead or behind, by reveling in past victories or envisioning future challenges, like the one awaiting the Lady Vols on Monday night against undefeated Duke.

You win them by coaching one possession at a time.

If the media and fans hadn't made such a big deal of the 80-68 victory over Vanderbilt, Summitt might have left the gym stewing over her team's lack of defense. Instead, she left with a police escort and a basketball under her arm.

Souvenirs haven't always been that easy to come by.

Summitt won her 100th game in 1979 at North Carolina State. She didn't get the game ball, though.

Longtime UT publicist Debby Jennings said she tried to get the basketball, but North Carolina State wouldn't cooperate.

"The equipment manager said they only had 10 basketballs and they couldn't spare one," Jennings said.

Women's basketball has come a long way since then. The coach knows that better than her players.

In pregame warm-ups, UT freshman Candace Parker said she thought about all that must have gone in to winning 900 games. "All the shoot-arounds, all the bus rides, all the road trips," Parker said.

Summitt remembers the van rides better than the bus rides. She didn't just ride. She drove.

She had a two-van program back then. The players rode in one van; the luggage, in the other. For the players' sake, Summitt usually drove the van with the luggage.

She now drives the preeminent program in women's basketball. Her team is 18-0 and ranked No. 1 in the country. The dazzling record and high ranking have become as routine for the program as milestone victories have for the coach.

The 900th victory was trumpeted in advance by the media and anticipated with delight by the fans, but it rarely was mentioned by the coaching staff or players as they prepared for Vanderbilt.

"A trainer mentioned the 900th victory today, and it was like a light came on," UT assistant coach Dean Lockwood said. "We had almost forgotten about it.

"Pat never mentions things like that. She's too humble."

When asked about centennial victories, Summitt mentioned three: the 100th victory when Jennings tried but failed to bring home the basketball, the 600th at Vermont when then-Governor Howard Dean presented her with a cake, and the 700th at Wisconsin, when opposing fans celebrated as though she were one of their own.

If Summitt couldn't win her 900th game at Thompson-Boling Arena, Memorial Gymnasium was the next best place. Half the crowd of 13,127 was dressed in Tennessee orange, and most of those fans were slow to leave.

Some took pictures as Summitt did her postgame radio show at courtside. Others were still waiting outside when Summitt and a handful of city policemen exited the back door of the gym.

One woman who wasn't dressed in orange held a little girl's hand as she pointed toward Summitt and said, "She's done more than anybody for women's basketball."

As much as she's done and as much as she's won, the finish line is nowhere in sight. Summitt is only 53. Imagine if she coaches as long as Penn State football coach Joe Paterno. She could win 1,500 games.

Billie Moore, Summitt's longtime friend and former Olympics coach, was asked after the game how long she thought Summitt might coach.

"As long as she has a passion for coaching, as long as she's winning," Moore said. "I don't see either one changing soon."

She then smiled, probably thinking about opposing coaches, and added, "I'm sure a lot of people would love for her to retire."

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.