A grand ol' time, but not after Summitt

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UT Lady Vol, Alex Fuller, talks about being one of only a dozen women that can claim to have been part of two "century" milestones during Coach Pat Summitt's career. Coach Summitt talks about Fuller as a player and the obstacles she's overcome.

Summitt is approaching her 100th win.

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Another bus ride to another practice session didn't feel like a fast track to Nikki Caldwell.

"I'm just trying to get through one decade, one year,'' UCLA's first-year women's basketball coach said, laughing.

Either measure of time seems like a mere fragment compared to her coaching mentor, Tennessee's Pat Summitt. She's in her 35th season and is one victory shy of career win No. 1,000 heading into the Lady Vols' game against Oklahoma on Monday night in Oklahoma City.

Caldwell, a former Lady Vols player, has a better appreciation for being a head coach. She prepped for the UCLA job with six seasons as an assistant coach at Tennessee and three seasons on Debbie Ryan's staff at Virginia.

"I think the passion end of it, the love for coaching, doesn't change because of the title,'' Caldwell said. "The difference is the responsibility part, there's a huge responsibility factor. You have to put a program in place. That's a huge difference."

As she lays her first foundation, Caldwell's respect for the 1,000 milestone is greater as well. She referred to it as "unthinkable."

Caldwell's colleagues agree.

"You could put my career on top of somebody else's and still not reach Pat's,'' said Old Dominion coach Wendy Larry, who has 563 career victories.

Tennessee men's coach Bruce Pearl said that the milestone seems unfathomable in a campus setting.

"There's no way you can even begin to comprehend 1,000 wins as a college basketball coach,'' Pearl said. "You can understand that for an NBA coach because of how many games they play."

Since the achievement is so mind-boggling, it's virtually impossible for coaches to imagine another coach aspiring to do likewise.

"You won't see it again,'' Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. "You need to start when you're 18."

Caldwell is 36 years old and couldn't imagine assuming her new duties at a much younger age.

"There probably would've been a lot of mistakes made," she said. "The mistakes would've come not from a lack of trying, but not knowing.

"My experience as a player and my experience with Pat and Debbie and being around other great assistant coaches, I'm taking all of that. I'm more comfortable taking this responsibility because of the path I took."

What you don't know could short-circuit your career prematurely. Pearl came to the same conclusion as Frese about Summitt's milestone, referring to it as "unprecedented stuff." But he arrives from a different perspective.

"Will we ever see a college coach win 1,000, the way we hire and fire coaches these days, I don't think you're ever going to see that,'' he said.

Another testament to the rarity of Summitt's achievement is the select company she keeps. Gene Bess of Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Mo., is in his 39th season and continues blazing a trail with 1,074 career victories. Harry Statham of McKendree College, an NAIA school in Lebanon, Ill., is in his 43rd season and stands at 983 victories.

Among other active coaches, Northern State's Don Meyer is at 905 and Herb Magee of Philadelphia University is at 869.

On the women's side, Rutgers' C. Vivian Stringer is next among active coaches with 816 victories.

Summitt's career victory total remains very fluid. Her health will be a key variable in her longevity. Despite revealing earlier this season that she suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, the 56-year-old Summitt shows no signs of slowing down.

"She's still youthful in her spirit,'' Caldwell said. "... I would hope she'd go after 10 (national) titles. I think that would be a great accomplishment."

This season's team - 16-4 and ranked No. 13 nationally - doesn't appear to be a prime championship candidate, not with its inexperience and ongoing injury problems. Forward Vicki Baugh (left knee sprain) tried to practice Saturday but pulled herself, leaving her status for Monday in doubt.

UT barely survived at home against Ole Miss Thursday night, winning 60-59 on a late jumper by Angie Bjorklund.

For all of its issues, this team has helped to reaffirm another key Summitt variable: her ongoing passion for coaching. Her thundering at the players in practice this week looked and sounded very familiar.

"As long as I'm enjoying what I do,'' Summitt said, "and I still love the game and I'm passionate about teaching ..."

Then she'll continue to serve as a guide from someone like Caldwell, someone who's just starting to string together the seasons and the victories.