Tennesee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt, who is one victory away from her 1,000th win at UT, will be on the ESPN College GameDay set Saturday at 11 a.m. at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Summitt will be on the air with former Indiana and Texas Tech coach Bob Knight, who with 902 victories has the most wins among Division I men’s coaches.
The hour-long GameDay show, which will be set up at center court of Thompson-Boling, is open to the public free of charge. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m.
Knight will also be on hand Monday for his first women's basketball broadcast when Summitt tries to get the milestone win against No. 2 Oklahoma at Oklahoma City.
“Anyone who wins 1,000 times at anything is special,” said Knight in an Associated Press story.
Knight will be joined by Brent Musburger and Nancy Lieberman on ESPN’s broadcast.
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Comments » 29
ravensearay writes:
You deserve every accolade that you get, Pat........ We, the Vol Nation, will never be able to adequately explain to you what you have meant to the entire University. Congatulations seems so weak for all you have done and meant to the Sports world. You are truly a gifted and peerless Coach, Mentor, and Friend. Thank you for every thing you are and will continue to be...
ncvol writes:
This is great...sure wish I could make it to K-town for that. Bob Knight and Pat Summitt...Good stuff...Go Vols!
bcbobcat82 writes:
How many of you are planning to attend Gameday Saturday morning?? I am going!!!! I hope I am the ONLY guy their screaming my head off!! Just kidding....Come on VOLS fans lets show the world what kind of fans we are!!! Come out and have FUN!!!
sayhitomaggie writes:
Ugh! Now I really wish I could go to the taping of Gameday even more!!!
Stupid prior church engagements...*sigh*
fronix5000 writes:
I hope Bobby doesn't pick up a chair and throw it...Classic Bobby Knight.
ALL_VOL75 writes:
well said!
GreerVol22 writes:
Pat "Chuck Norris" Summit is the only person alive that could make B Knight say please and thank you and he honestly mean it.
IndianOutlaw writes:
Mike Thanks so much for your kind comments, now go kiss Geno's, what ever body part you choose. Good Day
lilvolcoach writes:
You forget about La. Tech, Georgia, Stanford, Old Dominion, and many others who themselves were pretty good. Even though you think Geno is the best, there were many who had come way before him. The women's game has been around for awhile, probably before you were born. The competition has always been good, just never really been shown on T.V. until the last 10 years or so.
CHS52VOL writes:
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KCHS63 writes:
You people should just stay focused on your own team?"
Folks, pay a quiet visit to The Boneyard, UConn's forum. 33 to 50 percent of threads on any given day will be dedicated to Tennessee, Rutgers, and all us other wannabees. You know, everyone wants to be UConn, except that it's, well, in Connecticut and the other problem: we'd rather be national champions.
rccheek#205272 writes:
Hey, Witch Doctor, how about putting a HEX on Mike from Conn.?
Fix it so he can't type.
TnWalker writes:
Love it, UTFan!
Orange swarm!!
redneckerson writes:
Oh Mikey, you're gonna be in trouble now - can't denigrate women's bball, you know.
lindatotenn writes:
And you are a first rate jerk. If he does throw a chair he needs to throw it at you. Just showing your very very low IQ.
Oh and just how many teams have YOU coached.??? Just how many games have YOU won?????
There has never been a better men's coach than Coach Knight nor will there EVER be. Expect Coach Pearl.
Now go ahead and make another stupid remark.
steelers6rings writes:
It's pretty sad when a MEN's basketball game in Knoxville versus an arch rival such as Florida is TOTALLY OVERSHADOWED on ESPN Gameday by a Woman's Basketball Coach !!! Maybe Bruce Pearl should wear a skirt coaching Saturday since Pat always wears the PANTS in the UT family !!!!!!!!!
TnWalker writes:
Sorry Linda, but I humbly beg to differ. John Wooden won the National Championship 10 of his last 12 seasons and retired on top.
Not to mention he has more class than any living human being I am aware of.
There's Coach Wooden and then there's everyone else.
bmaples writes:
Well, Mike, you say some true things ... but also show that reciting true facts does not always mean you have grasped the truth.
If we all are honest, I think we would agree that Pat Summitt's 1k mark would have been much harder to achieve in the men's game, for the reasons you mention. And yes, the women's game gets nowhere the attention or fan base of the men's, by and large. And yes, I would probably list John Wooden as the greatest pure coach of all time (plus a hell of a human being).
All that being said ... there is still a deeper truth about Pat Summitt and the 1K milestone than your recital of facts reflects. I'm not sure I can capture it as much as I can sense it, but I'll try:
By her 30 years of consistent hard work and single-minded focus, she has elevated the sport of women's basketball. Her program and its success have challenged, motivated, and inspired other coaches and other schools to reach higher. Frankly, without Pat Summitt and her success, I truly believe there would be no Geno, because the sport would not have attracted other good coaches -- they would be coaching men.
Just as her commitment to women's basketball lifted up that sport, in the same way her commitment to her players has lifted them up. She has managed, over 30 years, to build a family based on high levels of respect, hard work, caring, and dedication. She has been "the better angel" for her players, and has pushed them to be more than they ever thought they could be. And she has done all of this with no hint of scandal and a 100% graduation rate.
Do I think Bobby Knight is a better coach? Give him her players, and her his, and it might be an interesting comparison. Do I think Pat Summitt's life and accomplishments outshine his? Yes, without a doubt. I think her career is "deeper" than his -- in its reach, in its humility, in its breadth, and in its basic class and grace.
Ultimately though, Mike, I think we are all missing the point. Comparisons are both endless and sometimes odious. This achievement stands on its own, and deserves to be admired and honored for what it is: an amazing achievement by an amazing woman. And on that, I think we can all agree.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Great post, bmaples! I am proud to be a Lady Vol fan alongside the likes of you! Maybe when Mike grows up, he can acquire some of your perspective. After all, miracles sometimes DO happen!
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Well, you know what they say about blind squirrels and acorns! Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. The full story about how many of UCLA's players in the Wooden era were paid has never been fully told, but it is an open secret in some basketball circles. You are still wrong to disrespect Pat the way you obviously do.
ULTIMATEVOLUNTEER writes:
Put that Geno goober on the set with the rest of the coaches... if they can find a booster seat.
blitzshoot writes:
get a life idiot.
blitzshoot writes:
you get a blue ribbon for thatone sir. he's busy wiping the cheetos off his stained sweat shirt.
tenn32rebel writes:
Typical UCAN'T troll mentality: nothing in basketball existed until UCAN'T developed full-grown from a pile of dog feces!!!
Go back to your sewer sinkhole AND STAY THERE!!!
GO BABY LADY VOLS---OUR FUTURE CHAMPIONS!!!
bmaples writes:
Mike -- only one more comment from me on this story. I said most of what I wanted to say up above, and with the ice storm we're living through here in The Ville, I've got more important things to deal with than discussing basketball. (For me, that says something.)
You were comparing Summitt to Knight, and I responded to that. In reference to Geno -- I certainly respect his accomplishments. Winning one NC might be a fluke; winning more than that usually means you know something about recruiting, coaching, game management, motivation, or even 2, 3, or all 4 of those things. Geno deserves approbation for the program he has built and the job he has done, and I, for one, am willing to congratulate him (and you) on the solid program he has built at UConn.
I don't have to tear down others to appreciate Pat Summitt. I happen to believe that her total body of work is beyond comparison to all but a very few others -- Wooden perhaps being one of those. That body of work, and the life that accompanies it, is what I will be celebrating when she hits 1K. I invite you, and all fans of sport and its possibility for positive impact on life, to do the same.
Bruce in Louisville
mad_poly_uct writes:
I've thoroughly enjoyed, and appreciate this and your previous post on this subject. Well thought out, well written(wish I could write as eloquently)and I happen to agree. Nice job, and thanks. Survive that ice storm ok, I hope?
98reax writes:
You know what? Maybe this genot, IS a brilliant coach. After all, who else could spend all his time and effort on another team's message board spewing unintelligible rancor using a screen name, Mike-From-Cornnwhatever? I'll venture to say there is no other college basketball coach in the country who would be caught in an opponent's personal space, much less dis them in some illiterate mode of communication. No wonder he has a darn good team, he comes in here and fishes for our bball knowledge. Clever. He gets my vote for MVtrollcoachoftheyear Award.
98reax writes:
bmaples, thank you for your input. It is refreshing to read something of substance. The comments from folks like Mike make it so difficult to give credit to the coach of the Connecticut women who are perennial favorites in the game. I gladly give them props for what they have accomplished.
I doubt that many Lady Vols fans would hang out in the message boards of opponents to incessantly disrespect and monopolize the site. If they do, I'm reluctant to recognize them as Tennessee LV fans. It's like going into someone's home to visit and verbally bash everything are about. I realize GVX and other such sites are open to all, but what about ethics, no? Should we be so tolerant of these trolls?
As far as UConn making it possible for Pat to be successful, I offer this thought. I agree that a game of marbles would be boring with only one marble and only one shooter. There would be no winner; no loser. Many great Women's basketball programs have contributed to the grandeur of Pat's accomplishment of 1000 career wins. Keep in mind, 400 of those wins were against top-ranked teams. Tennessee is always at the top of the RPI rating.
Pat is always first to acknowledge and give credit to the great players, teams and coaches she has had the privilege to be associated with. She always pays tribute to her mentors and the University of Tennessee.
If Mike-From-Whatever were ever brave enough to call in to Pat's post game show and offer up any of his surly comments to the one he refers to as 'queen pat' I believe Coach Summit would smile and cordially inform him that, "Many like you have disrespected me and all that I believe in; many like you have been and remain distant specs in my rear-view mirror. "She might even say, "Mikey, you don't take a plow horse to the Kentucky Derby. The horses I've taken have a darn good record."
The good out-weighs the ugly when one loves what they do as she has so eloquently stated on numerous acassions, and is willing to consider the best interest of the program over her own agenda. That is most probably the answer to the stale query of the 'contiguous TN/UConn dissociation. The best interest of the Tennessee Lady Vols Basketball program IS the essence of Pat Summit's most deserved accolades.
ladivolfan writes:
Pat Rocks!
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