Photo by Chet White
Kentucky women's basketball team head shots for the 2011-12 season. Photo by Chet White | UK Athletics
LEXINGTON, Ky. — No matter how many victories pile up behind him or how many times his team shows up in the top 10, Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell won't forget how and where it all started.
Nor will he forget that it almost didn't start at all.
The memory of what happened – as opposed to what could have happened — will be more vivid this evening when he shakes hands with Tennessee coach Pat Summitt before the ninth-ranked Wildcats play the sixth-ranked Lady Vols at Memorial Coliseum.
Summitt is his friend and mentor. She's also the coach who had cause to fire him before they ever met.
They weren't exactly traveling in the same basketball circles at the time. She was in the midst of winning three consecutive national titles from 1996 through 1998; he had just been hired to coach the boys and girls basketball teams in Lexington, Miss.
A former basketball player himself, he was more concerned about coaching the girls. In search for help, he signed up to work Summitt's summer basketball camp.
Mitchell was one of the scores of high school coaches hired as instructors. College players served as camp counselors. Buses transported them all over Knoxville.
The small-town Mississippi high school coach was taken aback by the enormity of it.
"You can't believe what a big operation this was," Mitchell said. "There would be 900 kids, and her big thing was a 10-to-1 camper-coach ratio."
Her other big thing was the schedule. It had to be maintained.
She spelled that out in an introductory meeting with the instructors and counselors.
"If you're late, you're fired," Mitchell remembers her saying emphatically.
That was non-negotiable, she stressed. Don't even bother coming up with an excuse.
"I was impressed with her right away," Mitchell said.
But the strong impression couldn't overcome the strong urge to sleep.
Mitchell began the camp sleepy since his band had just returned from a July 4th gig. Then, night after night, he stayed up late with the instructors and counselors.
He was reading a book on a lunch break when he fell asleep in a dorm-room chair. He woke up, looked at his watch and panicked.
He raced across campus in time to make his 12:30 coaching session. But even as he ran, he knew that wouldn't be good enough. The 10 players for whom he was responsible were already lined up waiting for their assigned bus, scheduled to depart at 12:15.
Word was spreading on walkie-talkies among the coaches and gym directors as he ran: "Matthew Mitchell wasn't with his team."
The consensus among his fellow instructors was that Mitchell should say he was sick. But he followed the advice of the high school coach who implored him to tell the truth.
He introduced himself to Summitt, apologized profusely for his tardiness and told her how much he wanted to continue at the camp.
"She just said you better not let it happen again," Mitchell said. "So I walked away with a reprieve."
He also walked away as a camp legend. He became known as the "late guy that Summitt didn't fire."
Assistant coach Mickie DeMoss assured him he was the first and only exception to Summitt's rule on punctuality.
"I saw her fire people at camp who were late or not doing what they were supposed to do," Mitchell said "She'd say, 'pack your bags.' "
Mitchell returned to work two more of her camps and was later hired as a graduate assistant on her staff. That led to a series of college assistant coaching jobs and ultimately to Kentucky, where he has taken the Wildcats as far as the Elite 8 in the NCAA tournament and won 53 games the last two seasons.
Mitchell still doesn't know why Summitt didn't fire him as a camp instructor.
"It's one of those mysteries of life," he said, laughing. "We've never had a serious conversation about it."
Summitt smiled, too, when asked about the camp incident at SEC media day and says, "Everybody deserves a second chance."
Mitchell has turned the second chance into a successful head-coaching career. The Wildcats are 14-2 and regarded as the biggest threat to UT's bid for a third consecutive SEC championship.
But tonight's match-up isn't just about a couple of championship contenders. It's also about a couple of basketball legends.
Summitt is the winningest coach in her sport. Mitchell is the late guy who didn't get fired.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/johnadamskns
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Comments » 9
DebKY writes:
Definitely not a class act, or he would not have made the comment three or four years ago that Pat was too old and needed to go to the house. I would love to have the opportunity to show him the video clip that he made to the media.
GO BIG ORANGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
vol4gzus writes:
Was that him or our buddy Geno?
orangecountyvols writes:
Vols,
Should be a very good game. No Dunlap around this time.........right? Also, the 2 schedules have been a bit different as far as competition is concerned.
Still, should the Kittens pull a football-type surprise and win it, I would not care to be in their sneakers when they return later to Knoxville. That one could get ugly.
But as to this one, we cannot count on any such 20-3 opening this time. Are they playing in Rupp or the smaller version of a gym to appear to have a larger crowd?
Finally, wonder if they'll turn Taber loose for this game? If so, that will account for solid depth in the contest.
ssgdebity writes:
They are playing at memorial coliseum which is down the road from Rupp arena. Yea I am very concerned about this one as it could be a sleeper game. I really hope not after what happened in football I would not be surprised. I hope the ladies are thinking that as well. However by looking at both schedules for the teams, Tennessee has more quality wins than KY has. But that really dont mean anything. My feeling on this game is whoever wins (I hope TN), will be regular season champs. As far dunlap, she no longer plays for KY however the main threat they have is Snowden. We contain her should be a victory as the last several games she has been averaging at least 20 points.
HazardKYVol writes:
If he did say that, I'm sure it was said in jest. CMM always speaks very highly of CPS. I'm sure he appreciates the opportunity that CPS gave him way back when. With that being said, I hope the Lady Vols can pull off the win in Lexington.
EightLetters writes:
UK just announced that the game is a sellout at Memorial Coliseum...home court of the UK women. Should be a great game.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Definitely the kind of game the LVs need to win if they want to consider themselves championship material, or make other people consider them that, for that matter. UK's program has made great strides over the past several years, to the point where a victory over them cannot be taken for granted. In fact, it would a "quality win" by any standard.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
"would BE a 'quality win'..." Fingers moving faster than brain.
DebKY writes:
Kentucky was getting ready to play Louisville. During Mitchell's press conference, he was talking about how much he hated Louisville. He made several negative remarks, including that he had grown up hating them. Then suddenly, he made the comment that Pat was too old and needed to go the house.
I was shocked that he had not only changed the subject, but that he had directed it toward Coach Summitt. Thankfully, my husband was sitting beside me and he heard every word!
Thank goodness Coach Summitt turned down Kentucky during her early coaching career!
Go Big Orange!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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