Meg Smath is a Vanderbilt Commodores fan who works for the University of Kentucky. She's still wearing some orange to show she's rooting for Tennessee coach Pat Summitt.
"Pat Summitt is probably the one person on the planet I want to beat the most, but for this, I am behind her all the way," Smath said. "I may hate losing to her, but I respect her so much. She has done so much for women's basketball in general and the University of Tennessee in particular."
Thanks to an informal "We've Got Your Back, Pat" campaign publicized on Facebook and Twitter, people around the country — and not necessarily Lady Vols fans — were wearing orange Friday to show support for Summitt, who announced this week that she's been diagnosed with early onset dementia, Alzheimer's type. The Facebook group had more than 19,000 fans by Friday afternoon.
"It is also just so poignant that this woman who is so strong and capable will ultimately lose everything that makes her who she is," said Smath, 54. "My husband's father died of Alzheimer's, and my grandmother had it, too, but she didn't start to show symptoms until she was in her 90s. It is so unfair that Pat has it at such a young age, still in her prime."
Smath, a geological editor at the Kentucky Geological Survey, was sure to inform her co-worker Steve Martin about the push to wear orange. Martin, a geologist who has degrees from UT-Knoxville and UT-Chattanooga, said he's been a Summitt and Lady Vols fan since the 1980s.
Martin, who wore an orange and white seersucker shirt on Friday, said he was crushed by the news of Summitt's diagnosis.
"You just feel your heart breaking," said Martin, 48. "It's just the way she represents the university and Tennesseans in general with her honesty and how she tries to do the right thing. Like everyone else, it just broke my heart."
It's not unusual to see plenty of orange on any given day on Tennessee's campus, but Kyle Hensley, a 21-year-old agricultural business major from Lenoir City, Tenn., said there seemed to be a bit more on Friday.
"When you walk around, there's a lot of orange," said Hensley, who made sure his usual choice of a button-down shirt was orange. "You don't know if it's out of habit, but I noticed walking around today that there was quite a bit."
Tyler Summitt, the coach's 20-year-old son and a Tennessee student, definitely noticed a difference when he got to campus.
"I got out of my car and I was right by Neyland Stadium and I looked around and I was like, `Is there a football game today?'" he said. "I had forgotten it was wear orange for mom. Things have been so chaotic this week."
Tyler Summitt said his mother, who hasn't said anything publically since a statement about her diagnosis, was trying to figure out how to thank everyone for their support.
"My mom didn't know how things were going to be received. She wasn't so much worried as she was anxious to see the reaction of everybody — the public, the fans, the players, the boosters," he said. "Having seen the response, she is so overwhelmed with joy."
Summitt said in a video-taped statement on Friday afternoon that she has been touched by the support she's received.
"It's been very touching for me to hear from people all over the country. It's just amazing," she said. "I couldn't do this without so many of you. I know you're praying for me, and it makes me have the motivation to do whatever I need to do to beat this, and I thank you and I love all of you."
The support isn't just limited to wearing orange. People have sent letters to Summitt and changed their Facebook profile photos to that of an orange ribbon. Larry Weinberg, a Tennessee-Martin and UT-Memphis alumnus, said he and some fellow fans signed a Lady Vols flag that was to be delivered to Summitt on Friday.
Weinberg, a pharmacist for Kroger in Memphis, also paid a $5 "fine" — a donation to charity — for permission to wear his Tennessee polo shirt to work. It wasn't necessary as his boss was in full support.
"She gave permission for anyone in the store to wear orange," said Weinberg, 65. "She said she was going to have some orange ribbons cut up and available. She's not a UT fan, but she's a Pat Summitt fan."
Jennifer Langston, a communications consultant from Morrisville, N.C., said the orange shirt, Lady Vols pin, orange sandals she was wearing and orange purse she was carrying was a typical outfit for her. Even her Jeep is orange.
"I found out about the diagnosis over Twitter while sitting in the Philadelphia airport on my way back from a business trip. I was instantly brought to tears," said Langston, 39. "When I got back to Raleigh and started reading the coverage, people's reactions, it was clear to me that I wasn't alone. I still can't explain it, exactly, the sense of community and closeness that's she's built with the fan base.
"So I am wearing orange today to try to connect with that community, even though no one in Raleigh will know it," she said.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Tamika Catchings Receives WNBA Cares Community Assist Award for July
The WNBA today honored Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings' commitment to the community with its WNBA Cares Community Assist Award for July. The Fever captain plays a leadership role off-the-court in the team's community outreach programs as the spokesperson for Get Fever Fit, the team's WNBA FIT initiative, and supports youth development, education, and health and wellness year-round through her Catch the Stars Foundation. This marks Catchings' seventh Community Assist Award, having previously received awards in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. Catchings was also named the 2007 Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award recipient.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tyler Summitt opens up about how his mother is dealing with disease
Tyler Summitt is opening up about how his mom is dealing with early onset Alzheimer's disease.
Tyler said his mom has high spirits and is ready to face the challenge head-on.
"First of all anybody that ever comes to her and says I'm sorry, she says no need to be sorry, we're getting through this. And she's the one encouraging them. it's a little backwards you know, but she won't have any pity party for her. She's ready to move forward with this," said Tyler.
As Pat Summitt works to move forward, Tyler said he is doing the same and keeps the lessons his mom taught him close to heart. "Her players get four years with her. I've had a lifetime with her. I thought I learned it all because I want to be a college coach someday, and I realize the life lessons never do stop for her. She just taught me how to be open and honest and to have the courage to face the truth," said Tyler.
Tyler said his mom's diagnosis has made her more determined than ever. He said she is doing daily exercises to keep her mind strong and plans to keep coaching the Lady Vols as long as she can.
Tyler said his mom has high spirits and is ready to face the challenge head-on.
"First of all anybody that ever comes to her and says I'm sorry, she says no need to be sorry, we're getting through this. And she's the one encouraging them. it's a little backwards you know, but she won't have any pity party for her. She's ready to move forward with this," said Tyler.
As Pat Summitt works to move forward, Tyler said he is doing the same and keeps the lessons his mom taught him close to heart. "Her players get four years with her. I've had a lifetime with her. I thought I learned it all because I want to be a college coach someday, and I realize the life lessons never do stop for her. She just taught me how to be open and honest and to have the courage to face the truth," said Tyler.
Tyler said his mom's diagnosis has made her more determined than ever. He said she is doing daily exercises to keep her mind strong and plans to keep coaching the Lady Vols as long as she can.
Pat Summitt's legacy a long way from finished
When she sat on the bench angrily stamping her feet, or locked in on one of those orange Tennessee jerseys like she was trying to melt the player inside, Pat Summitt looked like one of the toughest coaches you ever laid eyes on. The world seemed to be running on her schedule instead of the other way around.
We learned otherwise Tuesday, when the 59-year-old Hall of Fame coach surprised almost everyone by saying she has been diagnosed with early onset dementia — the Alzheimer's type.
What didn't surprise is that Summitt released the news on her terms. She was diagnosed after a series of tests at the Mayo Clinic three months ago, leaving the rest of us to wonder how long she anguished over the decision that she delivered to her team in person, but sounded so matter of fact in a statement released by the university.
"I plan to continue to be your coach," Summitt said. "Obviously, I realize I may have some limitations with this condition since there will be some good days and some bad days."
In 1994, some five years after leaving the White House, the late Ronald Reagan disclosed that he was battling the same disease, a neurological disorder that destroys brain cells and for which there is still no cure.
As it progressed, public appearances became increasingly rare. By continuing to work — "Throughout my career, I have always made it a point that my life and my basketball were an open book," Summitt began her statement — she signaled just the opposite.
"It takes great, great courage to fight health issues; it takes even greater courage to fight them in front of the world," Oklahoma women's coach Sherri Coale said. "Pat's willingness to share this private battle speaks volumes about her strength and her character."
Summitt's legacy, after all, hardly needs burnishing. Entering her 38th season at Tennessee, she has won eight national championships and more games than any coach in the college game, men's or women's.
Summitt started coaching when the women's game was an afterthought, but she demanded that her players prepare and play it with the same seriousness the men did.
Her players lifted weights, ran sprints and scrimmaged against men. They heard about it — but good — if they tried to cut corners. The Lady Vols' domination practically dared a handful of programs such as Connecticut and Stanford to come and get them.
Summitt welcomed that challenge, too. It's one more measure of her success that today, we take that competitiveness for granted; before Summitt insisted on it, that wasn't always so.
"It always seemed she had no vulnerability. She's the solid rock everyone looked up to," said former Texas coach Jody Conradt, another one-time rival. "I'm very happy she's not going to walk off the court at this point. When you have made it your life, there needs to be transition."
How long that will be remains anyone's guess. Summitt has three assistants to lean on with nearly nine decades of combined experience.
Medical experts say that depending on the progression of the disease, she could work for a few more seasons. Several added that simply by continuing to show up, Summitt would demonstrate what is possible, changing attitudes about an illness that afflicts more than five million of her countrymen — including 200,000 who, like Summitt, are diagnosed before age 65. Not unlike what she did for women's basketball.
"She's our John Wooden. ... I played for the woman. She's as tough as nails. People think I'm tough," said Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, who won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics playing for Summitt. "I'm a pussycat compared to Pat Summitt ... Pat Summitt will fight. Pat Summitt will be on a crusade to help people with dementia. Pat said it best," she added. "It won't be a pity party."
It won't be pretty at times, either. Nearly every sports fan remembers how valiantly former North Carolina coach Jim Valvano battled cancer. A speech he gave late in that fight — punctuated by the line, "Don't give up, don't ever give up!" — became a clarion call for cancer research funding. The Jimmy V Foundation continues that mission today.
Those who know Summitt have no doubt she will find a way to make her mark, beyond the milestones she already set down in the women's game.
"There is no doubt in my mind that Pat will take on this challenge as she has all others during her Hall of Fame career — head on," Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma said, speaking for many of his colleagues." I wish her all the best."
We learned otherwise Tuesday, when the 59-year-old Hall of Fame coach surprised almost everyone by saying she has been diagnosed with early onset dementia — the Alzheimer's type.
What didn't surprise is that Summitt released the news on her terms. She was diagnosed after a series of tests at the Mayo Clinic three months ago, leaving the rest of us to wonder how long she anguished over the decision that she delivered to her team in person, but sounded so matter of fact in a statement released by the university.
"I plan to continue to be your coach," Summitt said. "Obviously, I realize I may have some limitations with this condition since there will be some good days and some bad days."
In 1994, some five years after leaving the White House, the late Ronald Reagan disclosed that he was battling the same disease, a neurological disorder that destroys brain cells and for which there is still no cure.
As it progressed, public appearances became increasingly rare. By continuing to work — "Throughout my career, I have always made it a point that my life and my basketball were an open book," Summitt began her statement — she signaled just the opposite.
"It takes great, great courage to fight health issues; it takes even greater courage to fight them in front of the world," Oklahoma women's coach Sherri Coale said. "Pat's willingness to share this private battle speaks volumes about her strength and her character."
Summitt's legacy, after all, hardly needs burnishing. Entering her 38th season at Tennessee, she has won eight national championships and more games than any coach in the college game, men's or women's.
Summitt started coaching when the women's game was an afterthought, but she demanded that her players prepare and play it with the same seriousness the men did.
Her players lifted weights, ran sprints and scrimmaged against men. They heard about it — but good — if they tried to cut corners. The Lady Vols' domination practically dared a handful of programs such as Connecticut and Stanford to come and get them.
Summitt welcomed that challenge, too. It's one more measure of her success that today, we take that competitiveness for granted; before Summitt insisted on it, that wasn't always so.
"It always seemed she had no vulnerability. She's the solid rock everyone looked up to," said former Texas coach Jody Conradt, another one-time rival. "I'm very happy she's not going to walk off the court at this point. When you have made it your life, there needs to be transition."
How long that will be remains anyone's guess. Summitt has three assistants to lean on with nearly nine decades of combined experience.
Medical experts say that depending on the progression of the disease, she could work for a few more seasons. Several added that simply by continuing to show up, Summitt would demonstrate what is possible, changing attitudes about an illness that afflicts more than five million of her countrymen — including 200,000 who, like Summitt, are diagnosed before age 65. Not unlike what she did for women's basketball.
"She's our John Wooden. ... I played for the woman. She's as tough as nails. People think I'm tough," said Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, who won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics playing for Summitt. "I'm a pussycat compared to Pat Summitt ... Pat Summitt will fight. Pat Summitt will be on a crusade to help people with dementia. Pat said it best," she added. "It won't be a pity party."
It won't be pretty at times, either. Nearly every sports fan remembers how valiantly former North Carolina coach Jim Valvano battled cancer. A speech he gave late in that fight — punctuated by the line, "Don't give up, don't ever give up!" — became a clarion call for cancer research funding. The Jimmy V Foundation continues that mission today.
Those who know Summitt have no doubt she will find a way to make her mark, beyond the milestones she already set down in the women's game.
"There is no doubt in my mind that Pat will take on this challenge as she has all others during her Hall of Fame career — head on," Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma said, speaking for many of his colleagues." I wish her all the best."
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Dementia diagnosis won’t stop Pat Summitt
by Dan Wetzel
They’ve called Pat Summitt a groundbreaker, a legend, an inspiration and the “Wizard of Knoxville,” a nod to UCLA’s John Wooden, who may be the only college basketball coach who can compare.
She’s recorded more than 1,000 victories at Tennessee in women’s basketball, eight national titles, two Olympic medals (silver as a U.S. player in 1976 and gold as Team USA women’s head coach in 1984) and enough memories for multiple lifetimes.
Only here comes the saddest news of all, Pat Summitt, at just age 59, has been diagnosed with early onset dementia.
“There’s not going to be any pity party and I’ll make sure of that,” Summitt told the Knoxville News-Sentinel in a statement that is as pure Pat Summitt as you’ll ever find.
After months of what she described as “erratic behavior” she went to the Mayo Clinic in May and has since received the diagnosis. She plans on coaching until she no longer can.
“I feel better just knowing what I’m dealing with,” she told the News-Sentinel. “And as far as I’m concerned it’s not going to keep me from living my life, not going to keep me from coaching.”
Really though, nothing is certain, except this is one cruel disease.
What a life this woman has led, and for her not to be able to sit back for decades to come and enjoy every last memory? What an impact this woman has had on so many other lives, and there’s a chance she won’t get to appreciate it, or recall it?
And how brutal is it that a woman of such accomplishment, wisdom and impact might have her career cut short, robbing any number of players that would’ve enjoyed her guidance.
In 15 years of periodic interviews and interactions with Pat Summitt, I left every single one with the same feeling: The woman is straight class. Like the truly great ones, you didn’t have to spend a great deal of time – or any at all – to feel her impact on the world, to take something positive from her. A combination of intelligence, drive, competitiveness and leadership, all in a homespun Southern voice that took women’s basketball (and women’s sports in general) from forgotten to the forefront.
She was 22 when she first coached the Lady Vols in 1975, the sport little more than an extracurricular pursuit. She was rehabbing a knee injury and hoping to make the ’76 Games in Montreal. Almost no one else wanted the job.
Now it’s big business, huge college crowds, even a professional league.
It simply doesn’t happen without Pat Summitt, who commanded attention and respect because there was no way you could look at her and her teams and provide anything else.
She’s an indomitable presence, who made her point about increased funding and opportunity and understanding through force of will, not whine. Pat Summitt didn’t claim people owed her or her women anything. She just proved they did.
Back in the day, women were to be protected in athletics – there was still 6-on-6 basketball being played out there because some didn’t think girls could handle the exertion of full-court ball.
From Day 1, Summitt coached the game like Henry Iba or Bob Knight would, with no excuses when it came to effort.
She worked like the daughter of a demanding dairy farmer had been taught – “the cows didn’t take a day off,” she said jokingly to me a few years back.
“For me it was the only way I knew how to approach coaching,” she said. “I think we surprised some people. I think they liked our intensity.
“I’m sure there were some good old boys who thought, ‘I’m not going to watch women’s basketball.’ But when they saw it, they saw something they didn’t expect. I’m glad that’s changed.”
To say she impacted women’s sports across the board is understating it. You didn’t have to play basketball, let alone for her at UT, to be inspired.
Everything changed with Pat Summitt, the perfect personality at the perfect time, the one that helped make Title IX less of an obligation and more of an opportunity for these colleges that would’ve rather spent a scholarship on an extra tackling dummy.
The diagnosis is difficult, who knows what’s ahead. Hopefully she can continue to coach. Hopefully she can continue to lead. Hopefully she has years and years in front of her of clear memories about the power of her life.
The rest of the country certainly isn’t going to forget.
They’ve called Pat Summitt a groundbreaker, a legend, an inspiration and the “Wizard of Knoxville,” a nod to UCLA’s John Wooden, who may be the only college basketball coach who can compare.
She’s recorded more than 1,000 victories at Tennessee in women’s basketball, eight national titles, two Olympic medals (silver as a U.S. player in 1976 and gold as Team USA women’s head coach in 1984) and enough memories for multiple lifetimes.
Only here comes the saddest news of all, Pat Summitt, at just age 59, has been diagnosed with early onset dementia.
“There’s not going to be any pity party and I’ll make sure of that,” Summitt told the Knoxville News-Sentinel in a statement that is as pure Pat Summitt as you’ll ever find.
After months of what she described as “erratic behavior” she went to the Mayo Clinic in May and has since received the diagnosis. She plans on coaching until she no longer can.
“I feel better just knowing what I’m dealing with,” she told the News-Sentinel. “And as far as I’m concerned it’s not going to keep me from living my life, not going to keep me from coaching.”
Really though, nothing is certain, except this is one cruel disease.
What a life this woman has led, and for her not to be able to sit back for decades to come and enjoy every last memory? What an impact this woman has had on so many other lives, and there’s a chance she won’t get to appreciate it, or recall it?
And how brutal is it that a woman of such accomplishment, wisdom and impact might have her career cut short, robbing any number of players that would’ve enjoyed her guidance.
In 15 years of periodic interviews and interactions with Pat Summitt, I left every single one with the same feeling: The woman is straight class. Like the truly great ones, you didn’t have to spend a great deal of time – or any at all – to feel her impact on the world, to take something positive from her. A combination of intelligence, drive, competitiveness and leadership, all in a homespun Southern voice that took women’s basketball (and women’s sports in general) from forgotten to the forefront.
She was 22 when she first coached the Lady Vols in 1975, the sport little more than an extracurricular pursuit. She was rehabbing a knee injury and hoping to make the ’76 Games in Montreal. Almost no one else wanted the job.
Now it’s big business, huge college crowds, even a professional league.
It simply doesn’t happen without Pat Summitt, who commanded attention and respect because there was no way you could look at her and her teams and provide anything else.
She’s an indomitable presence, who made her point about increased funding and opportunity and understanding through force of will, not whine. Pat Summitt didn’t claim people owed her or her women anything. She just proved they did.
Back in the day, women were to be protected in athletics – there was still 6-on-6 basketball being played out there because some didn’t think girls could handle the exertion of full-court ball.
From Day 1, Summitt coached the game like Henry Iba or Bob Knight would, with no excuses when it came to effort.
She worked like the daughter of a demanding dairy farmer had been taught – “the cows didn’t take a day off,” she said jokingly to me a few years back.
“For me it was the only way I knew how to approach coaching,” she said. “I think we surprised some people. I think they liked our intensity.
“I’m sure there were some good old boys who thought, ‘I’m not going to watch women’s basketball.’ But when they saw it, they saw something they didn’t expect. I’m glad that’s changed.”
To say she impacted women’s sports across the board is understating it. You didn’t have to play basketball, let alone for her at UT, to be inspired.
Everything changed with Pat Summitt, the perfect personality at the perfect time, the one that helped make Title IX less of an obligation and more of an opportunity for these colleges that would’ve rather spent a scholarship on an extra tackling dummy.
The diagnosis is difficult, who knows what’s ahead. Hopefully she can continue to coach. Hopefully she can continue to lead. Hopefully she has years and years in front of her of clear memories about the power of her life.
The rest of the country certainly isn’t going to forget.
A Statement from Pat Summitt
Dear All -
Throughout my career, I have always made it a point that my life and my basketball program were an open book.
With that in mind, I have something I'd like to share with my Tennessee families -- the university, boosters and fans of Lady Vol basketball.
Once last season concluded, I addressed some ongoing concerns regarding my health. After consulting with my local physicians, I decided to visit the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Earlier this summer, the doctors at the Mayo Clinic diagnosed me with early onset dementia ("Alzheimer's Type") at the age of 59.
I plan to continue to be your coach. Obviously, I realize I may have some limitations with this condition since there will be some good days and some bad days.
For that reason, I will be relying on my outstanding coaching staff like never before. We have always collaborated on every facet of Lady Vol basketball; and now you will see Holly Warlick, Dean Lockwood and Mickie DeMoss taking on more responsibility as their duties will change significantly.
I love being your coach and the privilege to go to work every day with our outstanding Lady Vol basketball student-athletes. I appreciate the complete support of UT Chancellor Dr. Jimmy Cheek and UT Athletics Director Joan Cronan to continue coaching at the University of Tennessee as long as the good Lord is willing.
I've been honest and shared my health concerns with you, and now we'll move forward to the business at hand... coaching a great group of Lady Vols. For the time being, I hope you will respect my privacy regarding this matter.
Thank you.
Go Lady Vols!
Pat Summitt
Throughout my career, I have always made it a point that my life and my basketball program were an open book.
With that in mind, I have something I'd like to share with my Tennessee families -- the university, boosters and fans of Lady Vol basketball.
Once last season concluded, I addressed some ongoing concerns regarding my health. After consulting with my local physicians, I decided to visit the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Earlier this summer, the doctors at the Mayo Clinic diagnosed me with early onset dementia ("Alzheimer's Type") at the age of 59.
I plan to continue to be your coach. Obviously, I realize I may have some limitations with this condition since there will be some good days and some bad days.
For that reason, I will be relying on my outstanding coaching staff like never before. We have always collaborated on every facet of Lady Vol basketball; and now you will see Holly Warlick, Dean Lockwood and Mickie DeMoss taking on more responsibility as their duties will change significantly.
I love being your coach and the privilege to go to work every day with our outstanding Lady Vol basketball student-athletes. I appreciate the complete support of UT Chancellor Dr. Jimmy Cheek and UT Athletics Director Joan Cronan to continue coaching at the University of Tennessee as long as the good Lord is willing.
I've been honest and shared my health concerns with you, and now we'll move forward to the business at hand... coaching a great group of Lady Vols. For the time being, I hope you will respect my privacy regarding this matter.
Thank you.
Go Lady Vols!
Pat Summitt
Pat Summitt diagnosed with early onset dementia, will try to coach this season
"There's not going to be any pity party and I'll make sure of that." --Pat Summitt
"I feel better just knowing what I’m dealing with. And as far as I’m concerned it’s not going to keep me from living my life, not going to keep me from coaching." --Pat Summitt
For such a strong figure, Pat Summitt was feeling almost helpless.
Months of erratic behavior had left Tennessee women’s basketball coach bewildered, scared and asking herself “What’s wrong with me?”
Summitt went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., in May. She underwent a series of tests and received a stunning answer. The diagnosis was early onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type.
Her initial reaction to learning she had a progressive condition that could impair her mental acuity was one of anger and denial. Since then, she’s moved forward in more Summitt-like fashion, formulating a plan involving medication and mental activities, such as reading and doing puzzles at night before going to sleep. She’s also taken a hopeful stance about her future.
The 59-year-old Summitt, who has 1,071 career victories and has led UT to eight national championships, is determined to continue coaching and is planning for her 38th season at UT. She has the support of the University administration.
She’s also feeling confident enough to go public with her condition. She spoke Monday night with the News Sentinel and the Washington Post and did a video for the Lady Vols’ website. She was to tell the players in a team meeting Tuesday afternoon, waiting until Glory Johnson and Shekinna Stricklen returned from the World University Games in China.
She sounded like herself in saying: “There’s not going to be any pity party and I’ll make sure of that.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, Alzheimer’s is caused by the destruction of brain cells. It usually progresses slowly, causing a gradual decline in cognitive abilities. Summitt said that her grandmother — “Granny Head” — had severe dementia.
No matter how grim the prognosis, Summitt seems relieved to have a definitive answer. Small wonder, considering how low she felt at times last season. She confessed to not being as confident on the court and second guessing some of her decisions.
“There were some mornings I would wake up and think I don’t even want to go in,” she said. “That didn’t last long but it was like ‘What’s wrong with me? What’s going on with me?’ ”
Summitt also has rheumatoid arthritis and there was some question as to whether her medication for that condition was the root cause of her problems. The series of tests she underwent at the Mayo Clinic, particularly a spinal tap, served to flush an unknown opponent out into the open.
“She’s always better when she knows what she’s fighting against,’’ said Summitt’s son, Tyler. “She had recommendations, what to do and what routine to get into and she’s going to prepare just like a game for her health.”
Tyler, who’s a junior at UT and a walk-on on the men’s basketball team, accompanied his mother to Minnesota and has watched her sort through her responses. Despite being the offseason, Summitt’s calendar still was crowded with SEC meetings, summer camps and July recruiting. Tyler said that the sadness and anger lingered for at least a month.
“Nobody accepts this,’’ Tyler said. “And there was anger. “Why me?” was a question she asked more than once. But then, once she came to terms with it, she treated it like every other challenge she ever had, and is going to do everything she possibly can to keep her mind right and stay the coach.”
Summitt said that she didn’t consider retirement. She has been buoyed by the encouragement received from Dr. Ronald Petersen, the director of the Mayo Clinic’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.
“He’s the one who told me you can coach as long as you want to coach and no one else had said anything like that to me,’’ Summitt said, “I haven’t talked to him (lately) and I even thought about calling him sometime soon and telling him where I am with this. He was so positive (saying) ‘You can work through this.’ ”
No amount of optimism, though, can diminish the uncertainty related to Summitt’s intentions. Tennessee interim athletic director Joan Cronan has considered the circumstances, acknowledging that the program could take a hit in recruiting but noting that Summitt’s coaching staff of Mickie DeMoss, Holly Warlick and Dean Lockwood has 89 years worth of coaching experience with which to assist their boss.
In the end, she came back to her nearly three decades worth of experience with Summitt.
“I’m comfortable because I know her as a person and I know her as a coach,’’ Cronan said. “And I feel like if it wasn’t the right thing for her or us she wouldn’t be going forward.”
As if for emphasis, Cronan added: “We’re in uncharted waters, but we certainly have a great captain.”
Summitt has progressed from feeling helpless to being resolved.
“I feel better just knowing what I’m dealing with,’’ she said. “And as far as I’m concerned it’s not going to keep me from living my life, not going to keep me from coaching.”
"I feel better just knowing what I’m dealing with. And as far as I’m concerned it’s not going to keep me from living my life, not going to keep me from coaching." --Pat Summitt
For such a strong figure, Pat Summitt was feeling almost helpless.
Months of erratic behavior had left Tennessee women’s basketball coach bewildered, scared and asking herself “What’s wrong with me?”
Summitt went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., in May. She underwent a series of tests and received a stunning answer. The diagnosis was early onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type.
Her initial reaction to learning she had a progressive condition that could impair her mental acuity was one of anger and denial. Since then, she’s moved forward in more Summitt-like fashion, formulating a plan involving medication and mental activities, such as reading and doing puzzles at night before going to sleep. She’s also taken a hopeful stance about her future.
The 59-year-old Summitt, who has 1,071 career victories and has led UT to eight national championships, is determined to continue coaching and is planning for her 38th season at UT. She has the support of the University administration.
She’s also feeling confident enough to go public with her condition. She spoke Monday night with the News Sentinel and the Washington Post and did a video for the Lady Vols’ website. She was to tell the players in a team meeting Tuesday afternoon, waiting until Glory Johnson and Shekinna Stricklen returned from the World University Games in China.
She sounded like herself in saying: “There’s not going to be any pity party and I’ll make sure of that.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, Alzheimer’s is caused by the destruction of brain cells. It usually progresses slowly, causing a gradual decline in cognitive abilities. Summitt said that her grandmother — “Granny Head” — had severe dementia.
No matter how grim the prognosis, Summitt seems relieved to have a definitive answer. Small wonder, considering how low she felt at times last season. She confessed to not being as confident on the court and second guessing some of her decisions.
“There were some mornings I would wake up and think I don’t even want to go in,” she said. “That didn’t last long but it was like ‘What’s wrong with me? What’s going on with me?’ ”
Summitt also has rheumatoid arthritis and there was some question as to whether her medication for that condition was the root cause of her problems. The series of tests she underwent at the Mayo Clinic, particularly a spinal tap, served to flush an unknown opponent out into the open.
“She’s always better when she knows what she’s fighting against,’’ said Summitt’s son, Tyler. “She had recommendations, what to do and what routine to get into and she’s going to prepare just like a game for her health.”
Tyler, who’s a junior at UT and a walk-on on the men’s basketball team, accompanied his mother to Minnesota and has watched her sort through her responses. Despite being the offseason, Summitt’s calendar still was crowded with SEC meetings, summer camps and July recruiting. Tyler said that the sadness and anger lingered for at least a month.
“Nobody accepts this,’’ Tyler said. “And there was anger. “Why me?” was a question she asked more than once. But then, once she came to terms with it, she treated it like every other challenge she ever had, and is going to do everything she possibly can to keep her mind right and stay the coach.”
Summitt said that she didn’t consider retirement. She has been buoyed by the encouragement received from Dr. Ronald Petersen, the director of the Mayo Clinic’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.
“He’s the one who told me you can coach as long as you want to coach and no one else had said anything like that to me,’’ Summitt said, “I haven’t talked to him (lately) and I even thought about calling him sometime soon and telling him where I am with this. He was so positive (saying) ‘You can work through this.’ ”
No amount of optimism, though, can diminish the uncertainty related to Summitt’s intentions. Tennessee interim athletic director Joan Cronan has considered the circumstances, acknowledging that the program could take a hit in recruiting but noting that Summitt’s coaching staff of Mickie DeMoss, Holly Warlick and Dean Lockwood has 89 years worth of coaching experience with which to assist their boss.
In the end, she came back to her nearly three decades worth of experience with Summitt.
“I’m comfortable because I know her as a person and I know her as a coach,’’ Cronan said. “And I feel like if it wasn’t the right thing for her or us she wouldn’t be going forward.”
As if for emphasis, Cronan added: “We’re in uncharted waters, but we certainly have a great captain.”
Summitt has progressed from feeling helpless to being resolved.
“I feel better just knowing what I’m dealing with,’’ she said. “And as far as I’m concerned it’s not going to keep me from living my life, not going to keep me from coaching.”
Lady Vols Release 2011-12 Schedule
The University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers released the basketball schedule for the 2010-11 season today.
In addition to the Southeastern Conference slate of 16 games, the Lady Vols will also face a number of formidable non-conference teams including first time foes Pepperdine and the University of Miami (Fla.). Also on the dance card are contests with Virginia, Baylor, Middle Tennessee, Texas, DePaul, Rutgers, UCLA, Stanford, Old Dominion, Chattanooga and Notre Dame.
Twenty of UT's 24 opponents in the coming season participated in 2011 post season play appearing in the NCAA or WNIT Tournaments. In all, UT will be facing competition from nine different conferences in the coming year including the ACC, Big 12, BIG EAST, Colonial, Pac 12, Southeastern, Southern, Sunbelt and West Coast conferences.
"This is an exciting schedule for the coming year," said Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt, who is beginning her 38th season at Tennessee and is the NCAA's all-time winningest coach starting the campaign with a 1,071-199 overall record. "We'll see a couple of new opponents in Pepperdine and Miami and travel to play 2011 Final Four teams Notre Dame and Stanford on their home courts.
"The non-conference schedule is really challenging and should help us to prepare for anything we may see come post-season play."
The season gets underway with a pair of exhibition tune-ups in Knoxville as Carson-Newman comes to town on Nov. 1 and former NAIA National Champion Union University (Jackson, Tenn.) heads to Rocky Top for a game on Nov. 8.
Following the dress rehearsal contests, the Lady Vols officially open the season at home taking on first-ever opponent Pepperdine on Nov. 13 and follows that game with another new opponent at Thompson-Boling Arena taking on the University of Miami (Fla.) in the STATE FARM TIPOFF on Nov. 15. The game with the Hurricanes will mark the 187th opponent in Lady Vol basketball history.
The remainder of the November schedule features an away game at Virginia (Nov. 20) and contests at home against Baylor (Nov. 27) and Middle Tennessee (Nov. 29).
"I think our great fans will be treated to a tremendous home schedule this season and I'm thrilled that we have the opportunity for 17 home dates (including the exhibition games) in our arena," said Summitt.
Tennessee begins and ends the month of December at home taking on Texas (Dec. 4) and Old Dominion (Dec. 28). In between, the Lady Vols will face DePaul at the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 11 and then travels to Rutgers for a Dec. 13 meeting. Prior to the Christmas holidays, UT will head out west to face a pair of Pac-12 foes in UCLA (Dec. 17) and 2011 Final Four participant Stanford (Dec. 20).
In January, the Lady Vols open the 2012 side of the slate with a New Year's Day showdown with SEC rival Auburn on The Plains on Jan. 1. The Lady Vols will briefly step out of the conference to face UT-Chattanooga in Knoxville on Jan. 3 before resuming a steady diet of SEC play as Georgia rolls into town for a key match-up on Jan. 5. Other January home dates include Vanderbilt (Jan. 15) and LSU (Jan. 19) while road SEC dates have the Lady Vols traveling to Arkansas (Jan. 8), Kentucky (Jan. 12), Alabama (Jan. 26) and Georgia (Jan. 29). UT concludes the 2012 portion of the non-conference schedule with a national marquee game at 2011 Final Four runner-up Notre Dame on Jan. 23.
Tennessee starts the month of February enjoying home games against South Carolina (Feb. 2), Auburn (Feb. 5) and the "Play for Kay" breast cancer awareness game versus Kentucky (Feb. 13). UT travels to Vanderbilt (Feb. 9), Mississippi State (Feb. 16) and Ole Miss (Feb. 19) before wrapping up regular season play for 2011-12 at home with contests versus Arkansas (Feb. 23) and Senior Day against Florida on Feb. 26.
In the 16-game SEC schedule, the Lady Vols play home-and-home games with Auburn, Arkansas, Georgia and Kentucky this season, to go along with its annual home-and-home traditional rival contests versus Vanderbilt.
"The SEC is always a tough league," Summitt said. "Every team has improved from last season and wins will be even tougher to get...especially on the road."
In the postseason, the 2012 SEC Tournament stays in the Music City in Nashville, Tenn., Mar. 1-4. Tennessee will find out its March Madness fate when the NCAA Tournament bracket is announced on Mar. 12. NCAA First/Second Round games will be played at 16 sites from Mar. 17-20. The NCAA Regional Championships will be contested, Mar. 24-27 and the season will culminate with the 2012 NCAA Final Four in Denver, Colo., April 1 and 3.
2011-2012 SCHEDULE
Date Opponent / Event Location Time / Result
11/01/11 vs. Carson-Newman College Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
11/08/11 vs. Union (Tenn.) Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
11/13/11 vs. Pepperdine Knoxville, Tenn. 2:00 p.m. ET
11/15/11 vs. Miami (State Farm Tipoff) Knoxville, Tenn. 6:00 p.m. ET
11/20/11 at Virginia Charlottesville, Va. 2:00 p.m. ET
11/27/11 vs. Baylor Knoxville, Tenn. 2:30 p.m. ET
11/29/11 vs. Middle Tennessee State Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
12/04/11 vs. Texas Knoxville, Tenn. 3:00 p.m. ET
12/11/11 vs. at Maggie Dixon Classic vs. DePaul New York, N.Y. (Madison Square Garden) 1:30 p.m. ET
12/13/11 at Rutgers Piscataway, N.J. 7:30 p.m. ET
12/17/11 at UCLA Los Angeles, Calif. (Wooden Center) 2:00 p.m. PT
12/20/11 at Stanford Palo Alto, Calif. 7:00 p.m. PT
12/28/11 vs. Old Dominion Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
01/01/12 at Auburn * Auburn, Ala. 2:00 p.m. CT
01/03/12 vs. Chattanooga Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
01/05/12 vs. Georgia * Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
01/08/12 at Arkansas * Fayetteville, Ark. 2:00 p.m. CT
01/12/12 at Kentucky * Lexington, Ky. 7:00 p.m. ET
01/15/12 vs. Vanderbilt * Knoxville, Tenn. 3:00 p.m. ET
01/19/12 vs. LSU Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
01/23/12 at Notre Dame South Bend, Ind. 7:00 p.m. ET
01/26/12 at Alabama * Tuscaloosa, Ala. 7:00 p.m. CT
01/29/12 at Georgia * Athens, Ga. 5:00 p.m. ET
02/02/12 vs. South Carolina * Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
02/05/12 vs. Auburn * Knoxville, Tenn. 3:00 p.m. CT
02/09/12 at Vanderbilt * Nashville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. CT
02/13/12 vs. Kentucky (Play for Kay) * Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
02/16/12 at Mississippi State * Starkville, Miss. 7:00 p.m. CT
02/19/12 at Ole Miss * Oxford, Miss. 2:00 p.m. CT
02/23/12 vs. Arkansas * Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
02/26/12 vs. Florida * Knoxville, Tenn. 3:00 p.m. ET
In addition to the Southeastern Conference slate of 16 games, the Lady Vols will also face a number of formidable non-conference teams including first time foes Pepperdine and the University of Miami (Fla.). Also on the dance card are contests with Virginia, Baylor, Middle Tennessee, Texas, DePaul, Rutgers, UCLA, Stanford, Old Dominion, Chattanooga and Notre Dame.
Twenty of UT's 24 opponents in the coming season participated in 2011 post season play appearing in the NCAA or WNIT Tournaments. In all, UT will be facing competition from nine different conferences in the coming year including the ACC, Big 12, BIG EAST, Colonial, Pac 12, Southeastern, Southern, Sunbelt and West Coast conferences.
"This is an exciting schedule for the coming year," said Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt, who is beginning her 38th season at Tennessee and is the NCAA's all-time winningest coach starting the campaign with a 1,071-199 overall record. "We'll see a couple of new opponents in Pepperdine and Miami and travel to play 2011 Final Four teams Notre Dame and Stanford on their home courts.
"The non-conference schedule is really challenging and should help us to prepare for anything we may see come post-season play."
The season gets underway with a pair of exhibition tune-ups in Knoxville as Carson-Newman comes to town on Nov. 1 and former NAIA National Champion Union University (Jackson, Tenn.) heads to Rocky Top for a game on Nov. 8.
Following the dress rehearsal contests, the Lady Vols officially open the season at home taking on first-ever opponent Pepperdine on Nov. 13 and follows that game with another new opponent at Thompson-Boling Arena taking on the University of Miami (Fla.) in the STATE FARM TIPOFF on Nov. 15. The game with the Hurricanes will mark the 187th opponent in Lady Vol basketball history.
The remainder of the November schedule features an away game at Virginia (Nov. 20) and contests at home against Baylor (Nov. 27) and Middle Tennessee (Nov. 29).
"I think our great fans will be treated to a tremendous home schedule this season and I'm thrilled that we have the opportunity for 17 home dates (including the exhibition games) in our arena," said Summitt.
Tennessee begins and ends the month of December at home taking on Texas (Dec. 4) and Old Dominion (Dec. 28). In between, the Lady Vols will face DePaul at the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 11 and then travels to Rutgers for a Dec. 13 meeting. Prior to the Christmas holidays, UT will head out west to face a pair of Pac-12 foes in UCLA (Dec. 17) and 2011 Final Four participant Stanford (Dec. 20).
In January, the Lady Vols open the 2012 side of the slate with a New Year's Day showdown with SEC rival Auburn on The Plains on Jan. 1. The Lady Vols will briefly step out of the conference to face UT-Chattanooga in Knoxville on Jan. 3 before resuming a steady diet of SEC play as Georgia rolls into town for a key match-up on Jan. 5. Other January home dates include Vanderbilt (Jan. 15) and LSU (Jan. 19) while road SEC dates have the Lady Vols traveling to Arkansas (Jan. 8), Kentucky (Jan. 12), Alabama (Jan. 26) and Georgia (Jan. 29). UT concludes the 2012 portion of the non-conference schedule with a national marquee game at 2011 Final Four runner-up Notre Dame on Jan. 23.
Tennessee starts the month of February enjoying home games against South Carolina (Feb. 2), Auburn (Feb. 5) and the "Play for Kay" breast cancer awareness game versus Kentucky (Feb. 13). UT travels to Vanderbilt (Feb. 9), Mississippi State (Feb. 16) and Ole Miss (Feb. 19) before wrapping up regular season play for 2011-12 at home with contests versus Arkansas (Feb. 23) and Senior Day against Florida on Feb. 26.
In the 16-game SEC schedule, the Lady Vols play home-and-home games with Auburn, Arkansas, Georgia and Kentucky this season, to go along with its annual home-and-home traditional rival contests versus Vanderbilt.
"The SEC is always a tough league," Summitt said. "Every team has improved from last season and wins will be even tougher to get...especially on the road."
In the postseason, the 2012 SEC Tournament stays in the Music City in Nashville, Tenn., Mar. 1-4. Tennessee will find out its March Madness fate when the NCAA Tournament bracket is announced on Mar. 12. NCAA First/Second Round games will be played at 16 sites from Mar. 17-20. The NCAA Regional Championships will be contested, Mar. 24-27 and the season will culminate with the 2012 NCAA Final Four in Denver, Colo., April 1 and 3.
2011-2012 SCHEDULE
Date Opponent / Event Location Time / Result
11/01/11 vs. Carson-Newman College Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
11/08/11 vs. Union (Tenn.) Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
11/13/11 vs. Pepperdine Knoxville, Tenn. 2:00 p.m. ET
11/15/11 vs. Miami (State Farm Tipoff) Knoxville, Tenn. 6:00 p.m. ET
11/20/11 at Virginia Charlottesville, Va. 2:00 p.m. ET
11/27/11 vs. Baylor Knoxville, Tenn. 2:30 p.m. ET
11/29/11 vs. Middle Tennessee State Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
12/04/11 vs. Texas Knoxville, Tenn. 3:00 p.m. ET
12/11/11 vs. at Maggie Dixon Classic vs. DePaul New York, N.Y. (Madison Square Garden) 1:30 p.m. ET
12/13/11 at Rutgers Piscataway, N.J. 7:30 p.m. ET
12/17/11 at UCLA Los Angeles, Calif. (Wooden Center) 2:00 p.m. PT
12/20/11 at Stanford Palo Alto, Calif. 7:00 p.m. PT
12/28/11 vs. Old Dominion Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
01/01/12 at Auburn * Auburn, Ala. 2:00 p.m. CT
01/03/12 vs. Chattanooga Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
01/05/12 vs. Georgia * Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
01/08/12 at Arkansas * Fayetteville, Ark. 2:00 p.m. CT
01/12/12 at Kentucky * Lexington, Ky. 7:00 p.m. ET
01/15/12 vs. Vanderbilt * Knoxville, Tenn. 3:00 p.m. ET
01/19/12 vs. LSU Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
01/23/12 at Notre Dame South Bend, Ind. 7:00 p.m. ET
01/26/12 at Alabama * Tuscaloosa, Ala. 7:00 p.m. CT
01/29/12 at Georgia * Athens, Ga. 5:00 p.m. ET
02/02/12 vs. South Carolina * Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
02/05/12 vs. Auburn * Knoxville, Tenn. 3:00 p.m. CT
02/09/12 at Vanderbilt * Nashville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. CT
02/13/12 vs. Kentucky (Play for Kay) * Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
02/16/12 at Mississippi State * Starkville, Miss. 7:00 p.m. CT
02/19/12 at Ole Miss * Oxford, Miss. 2:00 p.m. CT
02/23/12 vs. Arkansas * Knoxville, Tenn. 7:00 p.m. ET
02/26/12 vs. Florida * Knoxville, Tenn. 3:00 p.m. ET
Monday, August 22, 2011
Johnson, Stricklen Return with WUG Gold
World-traveled Lady Vols Glory Johnson and Shekinna Stricklen returned to Knoxville Monday night, bringing home the gold from the 2011 World University Games, held in Shenzhen, China. The United States team topped Taiwan 101-66 in the gold medal game Sunday.
The World University Games win for Johnson and Stricklen adds another pair of USA golds for the Lady Vols. Earlier this summer, freshmen Ariel Massengale and Cierra Burdick earned gold for the US at the FIBA U19 World Championship in Puerto Montt, Chile.
The World University Games win for Johnson and Stricklen adds another pair of USA golds for the Lady Vols. Earlier this summer, freshmen Ariel Massengale and Cierra Burdick earned gold for the US at the FIBA U19 World Championship in Puerto Montt, Chile.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Summitt inducted into 5th Hall of Fame
Pat Summitt doesn't get overwhelmed too often. So she resorted to what's becoming an old standby as she was inducted into her fifth Hall of Fame on Friday.
The NCAA's winningest Division I basketball coach led the room in a chorus of "Rocky Top."
"I did not anticipate there being this many people, and when we drove up and I saw the people I was like, 'I wonder what they're having in this event,'" Summitt said.
The coach thanked her parents, family and friends, her staff and Joan Cronan, now the Volunteer's interim athletics director, after being inducted into the Tennessee Women's Hall of Fame by the state's Economic Council on Women. Summitt also deflected credit to Tennessee fans and leadership.
"There's a lot of successful people in this room, and I have a lot of great friends here. It was touching. I was very humbled," Summitt said. "But I want to keep doing the right things for women all the time."
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb and North Carolina State coach Kellie Jolly Harper were among those helping to celebrate this latest honor.
Summitt, 1,071-199 in 37 seasons, also has been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, the Women's Sports Foundation Hall of Fame and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
Cronan lightheartedly pointed out that one of the first questions she hears from people in her travels is whether Summitt stares at her like she does her players and referees.
She turned serious when describing the impact of sports.
"Did you know that 80 percent of the women at the top echelon of Fortune 500 companies participated in athletics? So we are making a difference teaching them more than a game, and Pat has done that so well for so many years," Cronan said.
Haslam called Summitt a role model not only for women but for anyone wanting to excel. Haslam said Summitt could have been a CEO or a lawyer arguing before the Supreme Court.
"If she were running for governor, I wouldn't be standing here," Haslam said. "It's true. It's that commitment to excellence."
At times, the tribute veered into a roast of Summitt with stories and jokes. Tennessee associate coach Holly Warlick noted Summitt was coaching her as she tried to detail how many former players now are coaches.
Balcomb, her SEC coaching rival, said Summitt called the athletic director for her when the Vanderbilt women's basketball job was open.
"I tell Pat stories usually when Pat isn't in the room, so I'm extremely nervous," she said, joking.
Balcomb remembered her first meeting with Summitt after Balcomb's Xavier team beat the Lady Vols in the NCAA tournament. That was the first time she got what she called the "Pat finger" wagging at her.
Those watching thought Summitt chewed her out and Balcomb was asked what she said. Summitt simply told her that Xavier had kicked Tennessee and deserved to win, while Balcomb could only stare up at the taller Summitt.
"Why I stay at Vanderbilt is to play against her because she is the best," Balcomb said.
Summitt said jokingly that Warlick wants her job, and she is a likely successor if she ever retires. Summitt, who turned 59 on Tuesday, said she expects to coach at least three, four or five more years. She's looking forward to the top recruits she has lined up.
"There are some teams out there I don't want to give up," she said.
The NCAA's winningest Division I basketball coach led the room in a chorus of "Rocky Top."
"I did not anticipate there being this many people, and when we drove up and I saw the people I was like, 'I wonder what they're having in this event,'" Summitt said.
The coach thanked her parents, family and friends, her staff and Joan Cronan, now the Volunteer's interim athletics director, after being inducted into the Tennessee Women's Hall of Fame by the state's Economic Council on Women. Summitt also deflected credit to Tennessee fans and leadership.
"There's a lot of successful people in this room, and I have a lot of great friends here. It was touching. I was very humbled," Summitt said. "But I want to keep doing the right things for women all the time."
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb and North Carolina State coach Kellie Jolly Harper were among those helping to celebrate this latest honor.
Summitt, 1,071-199 in 37 seasons, also has been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, the Women's Sports Foundation Hall of Fame and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
Cronan lightheartedly pointed out that one of the first questions she hears from people in her travels is whether Summitt stares at her like she does her players and referees.
She turned serious when describing the impact of sports.
"Did you know that 80 percent of the women at the top echelon of Fortune 500 companies participated in athletics? So we are making a difference teaching them more than a game, and Pat has done that so well for so many years," Cronan said.
Haslam called Summitt a role model not only for women but for anyone wanting to excel. Haslam said Summitt could have been a CEO or a lawyer arguing before the Supreme Court.
"If she were running for governor, I wouldn't be standing here," Haslam said. "It's true. It's that commitment to excellence."
At times, the tribute veered into a roast of Summitt with stories and jokes. Tennessee associate coach Holly Warlick noted Summitt was coaching her as she tried to detail how many former players now are coaches.
Balcomb, her SEC coaching rival, said Summitt called the athletic director for her when the Vanderbilt women's basketball job was open.
"I tell Pat stories usually when Pat isn't in the room, so I'm extremely nervous," she said, joking.
Balcomb remembered her first meeting with Summitt after Balcomb's Xavier team beat the Lady Vols in the NCAA tournament. That was the first time she got what she called the "Pat finger" wagging at her.
Those watching thought Summitt chewed her out and Balcomb was asked what she said. Summitt simply told her that Xavier had kicked Tennessee and deserved to win, while Balcomb could only stare up at the taller Summitt.
"Why I stay at Vanderbilt is to play against her because she is the best," Balcomb said.
Summitt said jokingly that Warlick wants her job, and she is a likely successor if she ever retires. Summitt, who turned 59 on Tuesday, said she expects to coach at least three, four or five more years. She's looking forward to the top recruits she has lined up.
"There are some teams out there I don't want to give up," she said.
Friday, June 03, 2011
Pat Summitt to be inducted into TN Women's Hall of Fame
Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt will be inducted into the Tennessee Women's Hall of Fame on June 17.
According to a release, officials are inducting Summit into the hall of fame for her "unparalleled contributions to the lives of women and girls throughout the State through her leadership and example."
The ceremony will take place at the Airport Marriot in Nashvillle.
For more information on the event, read the following release:
NASHVILLE, TN - The championship banners hang over the court that bears her name. The record books document her accomplishments in hard numbers and cold facts. Women's basketball, college and professional, will be changed forever by the numbers of players, coaches and administrators she's taught. But Pat Summitt is being inducted into the Tennessee Women's Hall of Fame because she has made unparalleled contributions to the lives of women and girls throughout the State through her leadership and example.
On June 17, 2011 at the Airport Marriott in Nashville, the Tennessee Economic Council on Women will induct Coach Summitt as the third member of its Tennessee Women's Hall of Fame. The award, which celebrates women whose lives reflect exceptional accomplishments and devotion to improving the economic status of women and girls in Tennessee, will be presented to Coach Summitt by Governor Bill Haslam.
"Although we are very proud of her record number of wins, it's her legacy of leadership that we're honoring. Her contribution to women and girls across the State of Tennessee go far beyond the basketball court and are more important than any record book could describe," said Dr. Carol Danehower, Chair of the Tennessee Economic Council on Women. The Hall of Fame's previous inductees are Jane Eskind and Martha Craig "Cissy" Daughtrey.
In addition to Governor Haslam, Coach Summitt will be joined by Vanderbilt Women's Basketball Coach Melanie Balcomb, UT Women's Athletics Director Joan Cronan, UT Associate Head Coach Holly Warlick and Billie Moore who coached a young Pat Head on the 1976 U.S. Women's Basketball silver-medal team.
The event will take place on June 17 at the Airport Marriott from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and will include a luncheon. Tickets can be purchased at www.womenseconomicfoundation.org. For additional information, please call (615) 444-9663.
According to a release, officials are inducting Summit into the hall of fame for her "unparalleled contributions to the lives of women and girls throughout the State through her leadership and example."
The ceremony will take place at the Airport Marriot in Nashvillle.
For more information on the event, read the following release:
NASHVILLE, TN - The championship banners hang over the court that bears her name. The record books document her accomplishments in hard numbers and cold facts. Women's basketball, college and professional, will be changed forever by the numbers of players, coaches and administrators she's taught. But Pat Summitt is being inducted into the Tennessee Women's Hall of Fame because she has made unparalleled contributions to the lives of women and girls throughout the State through her leadership and example.
On June 17, 2011 at the Airport Marriott in Nashville, the Tennessee Economic Council on Women will induct Coach Summitt as the third member of its Tennessee Women's Hall of Fame. The award, which celebrates women whose lives reflect exceptional accomplishments and devotion to improving the economic status of women and girls in Tennessee, will be presented to Coach Summitt by Governor Bill Haslam.
"Although we are very proud of her record number of wins, it's her legacy of leadership that we're honoring. Her contribution to women and girls across the State of Tennessee go far beyond the basketball court and are more important than any record book could describe," said Dr. Carol Danehower, Chair of the Tennessee Economic Council on Women. The Hall of Fame's previous inductees are Jane Eskind and Martha Craig "Cissy" Daughtrey.
In addition to Governor Haslam, Coach Summitt will be joined by Vanderbilt Women's Basketball Coach Melanie Balcomb, UT Women's Athletics Director Joan Cronan, UT Associate Head Coach Holly Warlick and Billie Moore who coached a young Pat Head on the 1976 U.S. Women's Basketball silver-medal team.
The event will take place on June 17 at the Airport Marriott from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and will include a luncheon. Tickets can be purchased at www.womenseconomicfoundation.org. For additional information, please call (615) 444-9663.
Saturday, April 09, 2011
Mystics Acquire All-Star Nicky Anosike
Washington Mystics General Manager and Head Coach Trudi Lacey announced today that the team has acquired All-Star Nicky Anosike from the Minnesota Lynx. The Lynx will receive the Mystics' first round pick in the 2012 WNBA draft.
"We are thrilled to sign a player of Nicky's caliber," said Lacey. "She will be an excellent addition to our team and give us the low post presence we have been missing. Nicky's experience both at the collegiate and professional levels as well her skill set brings a dimension to our team that is unprecedented. "
A 6-3 forward/center, Anosike was drafted in the second round (16th overall) of the 2008 WNBA draft by the Minnesota Lynx. Last season, she played 31 games and averaged 9.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. The 2009 season was a stellar year for Anosike, as she led the Lynx in scoring (13.2 ppg), rebounding (7.4 rpg), assists (2.7 apg), steals (2.7 spg) and blocked shots (.93 bpg) to become one of only two late round draft picks to be named to the All-Star team since 2001.
A standout player from the University of Tennessee, Anosike won back-to-back National Championships (2007 & 2008) and was named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Teams. In addition to earning All-American and All-SEC honors throughout her collegiate career, Anosike was named the 2008 NCAA Woman of the Year for her dedication to her community and her studies.
"We are thrilled to sign a player of Nicky's caliber," said Lacey. "She will be an excellent addition to our team and give us the low post presence we have been missing. Nicky's experience both at the collegiate and professional levels as well her skill set brings a dimension to our team that is unprecedented. "
A 6-3 forward/center, Anosike was drafted in the second round (16th overall) of the 2008 WNBA draft by the Minnesota Lynx. Last season, she played 31 games and averaged 9.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. The 2009 season was a stellar year for Anosike, as she led the Lynx in scoring (13.2 ppg), rebounding (7.4 rpg), assists (2.7 apg), steals (2.7 spg) and blocked shots (.93 bpg) to become one of only two late round draft picks to be named to the All-Star team since 2001.
A standout player from the University of Tennessee, Anosike won back-to-back National Championships (2007 & 2008) and was named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Teams. In addition to earning All-American and All-SEC honors throughout her collegiate career, Anosike was named the 2008 NCAA Woman of the Year for her dedication to her community and her studies.
Thursday, April 07, 2011
Tennessee's Pat Summitt gets head start on 2011-12
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt is getting a head start on next season.
Summitt and her Lady Volunteers program didn't reach the Final Four for a third straight year, the longest drought in nearly two decades. To make sure her current junior class doesn't become the first in Tennessee history to never make a national semifinals appearance, Summitt has been making a few changes and imposing extra demands on her players.
"I'm still not over it," Summitt said on Wednesday, more than a week after Tennessee's 73-59 loss to Notre Dame in the regional finals in Dayton, Ohio. "I just felt like we didn't come ready to play at the highest level. You've got to bring your 'A' game."
Only those players who do bring their 'A' game will be playing next year, Summitt said, promising to shorten the deep rotation that was the hallmark of Tennessee's 34-3 season and undefeated Southeastern Conference run if necessary.
At the core of Summitt's disappointment was the team's lack of commitment to defense and some players' desire to improve their game. She's already named forwards Glory Johnson and Alicia Manning and guard Taber Spani as team captains for next season, hoping that their emphasis on defense and putting extra hours in the gym will inspire their teammates to do on the same.
"I think the thing that I've realized with this particular team is we have a lot of players that are very skilled offensively, but we just don't have the defensive mentality across the board, and I think the defense and board play is going to be without a question a point of emphasis for us."
Summitt has had them in the gym twice since their season ended on March 28 — once to watch film of their NCAA loss and once to practice their defense — but it's the extra time the players invest trying to rid their game of weaknesses during the offseason that will convince her they need to stay in the playing rotation.
The Lady Vols can also count on contending with a fresh set of faces in the fall. Summitt has signed top forward prospect Cierra Burdick, top point guard prospect Ariel Massengale and the state of Tennessee's top prospect, forward Isabelle Harrison.
But with the decisions of center Kelley Cain and point guard Lauren Avant to leave the program, Summitt has plans of adding even more new players, either by signing incoming freshmen or bringing in junior college players.
"We've been looking, you don't have to worry about that," Summitt said. "We'll just say everything's open right now, but we will have more players."
Massengale is all but guaranteed a starting role if she's healthy upon arrival, which could help Tennessee at a position that's been a sore spot for Summitt. Forward Shekinna Stricklen and shooting guard Meighan Simmons adjusted their play to fill in at the position for the past three seasons.
"I've watched (Massengale) play. I just think she's a real special guard. Cierra Burdick — the two of them played really well together (in the McDonald's high school all-American game). I feel good about that, but I also think we'll have some good guards coming in as well."
In the mean time, it's up to the current Lady Vols to decide how much they're willing to do to make sure next year's season outcome changes.
"I think they understand the sense of urgency for each individual to step up," Summitt said. "We all understand that we can get better in all aspects. That's why I keep going back and saying take ownership of your team, invest in this program, do the things you have to do on a daily basis to get better."
Summitt and her Lady Volunteers program didn't reach the Final Four for a third straight year, the longest drought in nearly two decades. To make sure her current junior class doesn't become the first in Tennessee history to never make a national semifinals appearance, Summitt has been making a few changes and imposing extra demands on her players.
"I'm still not over it," Summitt said on Wednesday, more than a week after Tennessee's 73-59 loss to Notre Dame in the regional finals in Dayton, Ohio. "I just felt like we didn't come ready to play at the highest level. You've got to bring your 'A' game."
Only those players who do bring their 'A' game will be playing next year, Summitt said, promising to shorten the deep rotation that was the hallmark of Tennessee's 34-3 season and undefeated Southeastern Conference run if necessary.
At the core of Summitt's disappointment was the team's lack of commitment to defense and some players' desire to improve their game. She's already named forwards Glory Johnson and Alicia Manning and guard Taber Spani as team captains for next season, hoping that their emphasis on defense and putting extra hours in the gym will inspire their teammates to do on the same.
"I think the thing that I've realized with this particular team is we have a lot of players that are very skilled offensively, but we just don't have the defensive mentality across the board, and I think the defense and board play is going to be without a question a point of emphasis for us."
Summitt has had them in the gym twice since their season ended on March 28 — once to watch film of their NCAA loss and once to practice their defense — but it's the extra time the players invest trying to rid their game of weaknesses during the offseason that will convince her they need to stay in the playing rotation.
The Lady Vols can also count on contending with a fresh set of faces in the fall. Summitt has signed top forward prospect Cierra Burdick, top point guard prospect Ariel Massengale and the state of Tennessee's top prospect, forward Isabelle Harrison.
But with the decisions of center Kelley Cain and point guard Lauren Avant to leave the program, Summitt has plans of adding even more new players, either by signing incoming freshmen or bringing in junior college players.
"We've been looking, you don't have to worry about that," Summitt said. "We'll just say everything's open right now, but we will have more players."
Massengale is all but guaranteed a starting role if she's healthy upon arrival, which could help Tennessee at a position that's been a sore spot for Summitt. Forward Shekinna Stricklen and shooting guard Meighan Simmons adjusted their play to fill in at the position for the past three seasons.
"I've watched (Massengale) play. I just think she's a real special guard. Cierra Burdick — the two of them played really well together (in the McDonald's high school all-American game). I feel good about that, but I also think we'll have some good guards coming in as well."
In the mean time, it's up to the current Lady Vols to decide how much they're willing to do to make sure next year's season outcome changes.
"I think they understand the sense of urgency for each individual to step up," Summitt said. "We all understand that we can get better in all aspects. That's why I keep going back and saying take ownership of your team, invest in this program, do the things you have to do on a daily basis to get better."
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Lauren Avant leaving Lady Vols
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt has announced that freshman guard Lauren Avant will not return to play for the Lady Vols next season.
The Avant announcement came a day after redshirt junior center Kelley Cain said that she would forgo her final season of eligibility because of her history of injuries. Summitt said that wasn't expecting any more attrition. But Avant, who also dealt with a multitude of injuries, came to her on Tuesday and said that she wanted to transfer to a smaller school.
"I think with the injuries and I think also thinking about being closer to home and not having the pressure of Division I here, you know, at Tennessee,'' said Summitt, listing the reasoning behind Avant's decision. "She said she wants a smaller school."
Avant, who is from Memphis, would be eligible to play next season if she transferred to a Division II or Division III school.
With two scholarships suddenly available, Summitt indicated that Tennessee will be adding at least one player in the spring signing period.
The Avant announcement came a day after redshirt junior center Kelley Cain said that she would forgo her final season of eligibility because of her history of injuries. Summitt said that wasn't expecting any more attrition. But Avant, who also dealt with a multitude of injuries, came to her on Tuesday and said that she wanted to transfer to a smaller school.
"I think with the injuries and I think also thinking about being closer to home and not having the pressure of Division I here, you know, at Tennessee,'' said Summitt, listing the reasoning behind Avant's decision. "She said she wants a smaller school."
Avant, who is from Memphis, would be eligible to play next season if she transferred to a Division II or Division III school.
With two scholarships suddenly available, Summitt indicated that Tennessee will be adding at least one player in the spring signing period.
Baylor, Notre Dame lead first look at preseason Top 10 for 2011-12
The defending champion is Texas A&M, and Maya Moore is soon to be a member of the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx. Indeed, we're entering a new era in women's college basketball. While we reserve the right to change these picks come next November, here's SI.com's way-too-early preseason Top 10 for 2011-12 ...
1. Baylor (34-3)
Starters Returning: Four
Key Players: Brittney Griner, Odyssey Sims and Destiny Williams
The Skinny: Look for point guard Sims -- the freshman of the year -- to make a huge leap as a sophomore. Remember, she was expected to back up Kelli Griffin this year before Griffin shockingly left the Lady Bears before the opening game. The junior-to-be Griner will use the loss to Texas A&M in the Dallas Regional final as motivation to get stronger.
Quotable: "I harp on this, but truthfully, when you look out on that floor, I have one senior and a bunch of sophomores and one freshman who get the majority of the minutes." -- Baylor coach Kim Mulkey on her inexperience this season.
2. Notre Dame (30-8)
Starters Returning: Four
Key Players: Skylar Diggins, Natalie Novosel and Devereaux Peters
The Skinny: The deepest team in the country (they lost only one player) will be led by Diggins and Novosel. Redshirt senior guard Brittany Mallory has one more year of eligibility and will make her decision on whether she's coming back later in the summer. Most expected Notre Dame to make its big run in 2012, and they exceeded expectations by losing in a tight championship game. The Irish are the co-favorites with the Lady Bears.
Quotable: "I think there's definitely a little carry over, but you're just not guaranteed anything. Getting here this year doesn't mean that because we have everybody back but Becca (Bruszewski) that we're going to be back here next year. And that's something we'll have to guard against after the season. We can't get complacent. We know how hard we worked to get here. This was an unbelievable effort by everybody to get here."-- Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw.
3. Tennessee (34-3)
Starters Returning: Four
Key Players: Meighan Simmons, Shekinna Stricklen and Glory Johnson
The Skinny: Pat Summitt has a deep and athletic team returning, but the best news of all is incoming point guard Ariel Massengale, a big-time talent who will likely start as a freshman. That means Simmons moves to the wing, where she'll be even more deadly. Tennessee also adds another major recruit in forward Cierra Burdick.
Quotable: "I am very disappointed in our basketball team. I don't think we came here with the focus and don't ask me why. I look at this junior class and Angie [Bjorklund] as a senior and I am kind of lost for words as to why they wouldn't come in and already know what they were going to do. I hate this for our program, our administration. I hope our players will learn from it because we have a way to go. We were exposed today." -- Summitt, following her team's loss to Notre Dame in the Elite Eight.
4. UConn (36-2)
Starters Returning: Four
Key Players: Bria Hartley, Stefanie Dolson, Tiffany Hayes, Kelly Farris and Caroline Doty
The Skinny: Moore is gone, but UConn isn't going away from the national stage with the core above and a great freshman class led by wing player Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, the WBCA national high school player of the year. The 6-foot-3 forward-center recruit Kiah Stokes also has promise.
Quotable: "What Maya and Lorin [Dixon] experienced in the two years between their loss in the Final Four and the loss against Notre Dame, that's what I'm going to choose to focus on when I think about those two, especially Maya. I'm going to think more about the best player in the history of the Big East and maybe the best student-athlete in the history of college basketball." -- Coach Geno Auriemma, after the loss to Notre Dame in the national semifinals.
5. Louisville (22-13)
Starters Returning: Five
Key Players: Shoni Schimmel, Monique Reid, Tia Gibbs
The Skinny: Schimmel (15.1 points), a Magic Johnson-like point guard who ranked second in the Big East with 4.9 assists per game, had a fantastic freshman year. If not for Reid suffering a right groin strain early against Gonzaga, Louisville might have faced Stanford in the Elite Eight. This team has every starter back, and the Cardinal also add a big-time recruit in forward Sarah Hammond.
Quotable: "We have to have some kids that want to put in some time to become better basketball players. We need children that didn't play as much to be hungry and want to be in the gym. I'm excited about the future of this program, but we can't stop working." -- Louisville coach Jeff Waltz, to the Louisville Courier-Journal.
6. Stanford (33-3)
The Skinny: The Ogumwike sisters (All-America senior forward Necka and sophomore forward Chinay) are back, but Stanford will have trouble replacing the scoring from graduating seniors Melanie Murphy, Kayla Pedersen and Jeanette Pohlen. Incoming point guard Amber Orrange has plenty of promise.
7. Texas A&M (33-5)
The Skinny: The champs lose leading scoring Danielle Adams and inspirational point guard Sydney Colson, but senior guard Sydney Carter and senior forward and NCAA hero Tyra White can fill it up. Coach Gary Blair gets an impact transfer in center Kelsey Bone, who has star potential.
8. Duke (32-4)
The Skinny: The vaunted freshman class -- led by Chelsea Gray -- now takes ownership of this team with the departures of Jasmine Thomas, Krystal Thomas and Karima Christmas. Incoming post Elizabeth Williams and forward Amber Hanson (sister of North Carolina's John) will be impact recruits.
9. Georgetown (24-11)
The Skinny: The Hoyas have a fabulous point guard in Sugar Rogers and return four starters (sans Monica McNutt). Their defense will keep them in every game.
10. LSU (19-13)
The Skinny: New coach Nicki Caldwell built up UCLA very quickly and now heads to LSU where she has returning talent (senior forward LaSondra Barrett and junior guard Adrienne Webb) and a major recruit in 6-foot-4 forward Krystal Forthan. Watch out for this program the next two years.
1. Baylor (34-3)
Starters Returning: Four
Key Players: Brittney Griner, Odyssey Sims and Destiny Williams
The Skinny: Look for point guard Sims -- the freshman of the year -- to make a huge leap as a sophomore. Remember, she was expected to back up Kelli Griffin this year before Griffin shockingly left the Lady Bears before the opening game. The junior-to-be Griner will use the loss to Texas A&M in the Dallas Regional final as motivation to get stronger.
Quotable: "I harp on this, but truthfully, when you look out on that floor, I have one senior and a bunch of sophomores and one freshman who get the majority of the minutes." -- Baylor coach Kim Mulkey on her inexperience this season.
2. Notre Dame (30-8)
Starters Returning: Four
Key Players: Skylar Diggins, Natalie Novosel and Devereaux Peters
The Skinny: The deepest team in the country (they lost only one player) will be led by Diggins and Novosel. Redshirt senior guard Brittany Mallory has one more year of eligibility and will make her decision on whether she's coming back later in the summer. Most expected Notre Dame to make its big run in 2012, and they exceeded expectations by losing in a tight championship game. The Irish are the co-favorites with the Lady Bears.
Quotable: "I think there's definitely a little carry over, but you're just not guaranteed anything. Getting here this year doesn't mean that because we have everybody back but Becca (Bruszewski) that we're going to be back here next year. And that's something we'll have to guard against after the season. We can't get complacent. We know how hard we worked to get here. This was an unbelievable effort by everybody to get here."-- Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw.
3. Tennessee (34-3)
Starters Returning: Four
Key Players: Meighan Simmons, Shekinna Stricklen and Glory Johnson
The Skinny: Pat Summitt has a deep and athletic team returning, but the best news of all is incoming point guard Ariel Massengale, a big-time talent who will likely start as a freshman. That means Simmons moves to the wing, where she'll be even more deadly. Tennessee also adds another major recruit in forward Cierra Burdick.
Quotable: "I am very disappointed in our basketball team. I don't think we came here with the focus and don't ask me why. I look at this junior class and Angie [Bjorklund] as a senior and I am kind of lost for words as to why they wouldn't come in and already know what they were going to do. I hate this for our program, our administration. I hope our players will learn from it because we have a way to go. We were exposed today." -- Summitt, following her team's loss to Notre Dame in the Elite Eight.
4. UConn (36-2)
Starters Returning: Four
Key Players: Bria Hartley, Stefanie Dolson, Tiffany Hayes, Kelly Farris and Caroline Doty
The Skinny: Moore is gone, but UConn isn't going away from the national stage with the core above and a great freshman class led by wing player Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, the WBCA national high school player of the year. The 6-foot-3 forward-center recruit Kiah Stokes also has promise.
Quotable: "What Maya and Lorin [Dixon] experienced in the two years between their loss in the Final Four and the loss against Notre Dame, that's what I'm going to choose to focus on when I think about those two, especially Maya. I'm going to think more about the best player in the history of the Big East and maybe the best student-athlete in the history of college basketball." -- Coach Geno Auriemma, after the loss to Notre Dame in the national semifinals.
5. Louisville (22-13)
Starters Returning: Five
Key Players: Shoni Schimmel, Monique Reid, Tia Gibbs
The Skinny: Schimmel (15.1 points), a Magic Johnson-like point guard who ranked second in the Big East with 4.9 assists per game, had a fantastic freshman year. If not for Reid suffering a right groin strain early against Gonzaga, Louisville might have faced Stanford in the Elite Eight. This team has every starter back, and the Cardinal also add a big-time recruit in forward Sarah Hammond.
Quotable: "We have to have some kids that want to put in some time to become better basketball players. We need children that didn't play as much to be hungry and want to be in the gym. I'm excited about the future of this program, but we can't stop working." -- Louisville coach Jeff Waltz, to the Louisville Courier-Journal.
6. Stanford (33-3)
The Skinny: The Ogumwike sisters (All-America senior forward Necka and sophomore forward Chinay) are back, but Stanford will have trouble replacing the scoring from graduating seniors Melanie Murphy, Kayla Pedersen and Jeanette Pohlen. Incoming point guard Amber Orrange has plenty of promise.
7. Texas A&M (33-5)
The Skinny: The champs lose leading scoring Danielle Adams and inspirational point guard Sydney Colson, but senior guard Sydney Carter and senior forward and NCAA hero Tyra White can fill it up. Coach Gary Blair gets an impact transfer in center Kelsey Bone, who has star potential.
8. Duke (32-4)
The Skinny: The vaunted freshman class -- led by Chelsea Gray -- now takes ownership of this team with the departures of Jasmine Thomas, Krystal Thomas and Karima Christmas. Incoming post Elizabeth Williams and forward Amber Hanson (sister of North Carolina's John) will be impact recruits.
9. Georgetown (24-11)
The Skinny: The Hoyas have a fabulous point guard in Sugar Rogers and return four starters (sans Monica McNutt). Their defense will keep them in every game.
10. LSU (19-13)
The Skinny: New coach Nicki Caldwell built up UCLA very quickly and now heads to LSU where she has returning talent (senior forward LaSondra Barrett and junior guard Adrienne Webb) and a major recruit in 6-foot-4 forward Krystal Forthan. Watch out for this program the next two years.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Kelley Cain passes on senior season
Tennessee redshirt junior Kelley Cain, who is scheduled to graduate this semester with a degree in marketing, will forego her final year of eligibility with the Lady Vols, coach Pat Summitt announced Tuesday.
The 6-foot-6 center from Atlanta was a prolific shot-blocker at Tennessee, totaling 228 in 92 games spanning three seasons. Cain led the Southeastern Conference in blocks for the past two seasons.
As a redshirt sophomore in 2009-10, Cain set a Tennessee single-season record with 113 blocks, including a Lady Vols single-game record of 12 against LSU on Feb. 22, 2010.
Cain redshirted the 2007-08 season after having right knee surgery. She had another procedure on the knee in 2009.
"We appreciate all that Kelley brought to our Lady Vol basketball program," Summitt said in a statement. "It's truly unfortunate that her career was cut short, but her health and well-being must come first. Kelley was a great teammate and oftentimes had to push through a great deal of pain to play.
"She is a winner who concludes her UT career with a degree in hand, and we wish her continued success in life."
For her career, Cain averaged 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and shot 60.6 percent from the field. Her field goal percentage is the third-best in Tennessee history behind Cindy Noble's 62.5 mark set from 1978 to 1981, and Trish Roberts' 1976-77 percentage of 64.7.
"It has been my pleasure and privilege to be a part of the Lady Vols for the past four years," Cain said. "After numerous months of prayer, doctors' visits and treatments, I have accepted the fact that I am currently unable to meet the demands of playing collegiate basketball. My family and I must now focus on my quality of life."
The 6-foot-6 center from Atlanta was a prolific shot-blocker at Tennessee, totaling 228 in 92 games spanning three seasons. Cain led the Southeastern Conference in blocks for the past two seasons.
As a redshirt sophomore in 2009-10, Cain set a Tennessee single-season record with 113 blocks, including a Lady Vols single-game record of 12 against LSU on Feb. 22, 2010.
Cain redshirted the 2007-08 season after having right knee surgery. She had another procedure on the knee in 2009.
"We appreciate all that Kelley brought to our Lady Vol basketball program," Summitt said in a statement. "It's truly unfortunate that her career was cut short, but her health and well-being must come first. Kelley was a great teammate and oftentimes had to push through a great deal of pain to play.
"She is a winner who concludes her UT career with a degree in hand, and we wish her continued success in life."
For her career, Cain averaged 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and shot 60.6 percent from the field. Her field goal percentage is the third-best in Tennessee history behind Cindy Noble's 62.5 mark set from 1978 to 1981, and Trish Roberts' 1976-77 percentage of 64.7.
"It has been my pleasure and privilege to be a part of the Lady Vols for the past four years," Cain said. "After numerous months of prayer, doctors' visits and treatments, I have accepted the fact that I am currently unable to meet the demands of playing collegiate basketball. My family and I must now focus on my quality of life."
Monday, April 04, 2011
Notre Dame upsets UConn 72-63, heads to title game
It’s not often Maya Moore meets her match. Skylar Diggins was up to the task and Notre Dame will play for a national championship because of it.
The sensational sophomore guard scored 28 points and hot-shooting Notre Dame upset UConn 72-63 on Sunday night, ending the brilliant career of Moore and the Huskies’ quest for a third straight national championship.
Ten years after their last title, the Irish will be playing for another one Tuesday night against Texas A&M, which beat Stanford 63-62 in the first semifinal.
Notre Dame was 0-3 against its Big East rival this season but the Irish had all the answers this time for the Huskies, who lost for just the second time in three seasons. Notre Dame had already beaten Tennessee in the NCAA tournament, ending a 20-game skid against the Volunteers.
Now the Irish (31-7) have knocked out the two-time defending champions.
Moore finished with 36 points, including 12 straight as she tried to rally the Huskies from a 12-point deficit in the final 6 minutes, but it wasn’t enough for UConn (36-2).
The four-time All-American and AP player of the year was overshadowed by Diggins, the South Bend native who felt right at home in Conseco Fieldhouse, where she led her high school to three straight championships.
Calmly directing her offense and fearlessly driving into the lane to create chances for herself and her teammates, Diggins now has a chance to add a NCAA championship to that list.
“We had to be poised, I mean, we had to try to make Maya take tough shots, and I think she did,” Diggins said. “And at the end we said, ‘We have to stay poised on defense and we have to execute on offense.’ We showed a lot more poise than we did in the first three games against Connecticut.”
Trailing 34-26 early in the second half, Diggins’ three-point play started a 15-4 run by the Irish. Devereaux Peters’ added her own three-point play that gave Notre Dame a 38-37 advantage—its first lead since midway through the first half.
Diggins capped the burst with another three-point play that made it 41-38 with 13:17 left and brought the pro-Irish crowd to its feet and left Geno Auriemma’s team reeling.
The Irish extended their lead to 47-40 a few minutes later before UConn cut the deficit to four on Bria Hartley’s 3-pointer.
Brittany Mallory and Natalie Novosel hit consecutive 3-pointers to make it a 12-point game with just over 7 minutes left. Moore did her best to try to rally her young team, but the Huskies fell short.
Moore started her flurry with a three-point play and then a hit a deep 3-pointer. After Novosel hit a layup Moore hit another 3-pointer that made it 63-60 with 2:26 left. That’s as close as the Huskies would get as Diggins and the Irish were too much for them down the stretch.
As the clock ran out, Diggins and the Notre Dame players rushed the floor and danced, knowing they had pulled off the monumental victory.
Notre Dame was making its first trip to the Final Four since winning a national title in 2001 after knocking out UConn in the semifinals that year. The Irish faced a 16-point first half deficit in that game but rallied to the victory.
A half-dozen members of that team were among the 30 former Irish players at the game Sunday night.
Irish coach Muffet McGraw had said leading up to the game that her team would try and draw inspiration from Texas A&M, which lost three games to Baylor in the regular season before beating the Lady Bears in the regional final.
Now the two No. 2 seeds will play with a championship at stake. It’s the first time since 1994 that no top-seed made it to the championship game.
The Irish were the second straight team to play in a Final Four game in their home state. Baylor reached the national semifinals last season in Texas, but also lost to UConn.
The sensational sophomore guard scored 28 points and hot-shooting Notre Dame upset UConn 72-63 on Sunday night, ending the brilliant career of Moore and the Huskies’ quest for a third straight national championship.
Ten years after their last title, the Irish will be playing for another one Tuesday night against Texas A&M, which beat Stanford 63-62 in the first semifinal.
Notre Dame was 0-3 against its Big East rival this season but the Irish had all the answers this time for the Huskies, who lost for just the second time in three seasons. Notre Dame had already beaten Tennessee in the NCAA tournament, ending a 20-game skid against the Volunteers.
Now the Irish (31-7) have knocked out the two-time defending champions.
Moore finished with 36 points, including 12 straight as she tried to rally the Huskies from a 12-point deficit in the final 6 minutes, but it wasn’t enough for UConn (36-2).
The four-time All-American and AP player of the year was overshadowed by Diggins, the South Bend native who felt right at home in Conseco Fieldhouse, where she led her high school to three straight championships.
Calmly directing her offense and fearlessly driving into the lane to create chances for herself and her teammates, Diggins now has a chance to add a NCAA championship to that list.
“We had to be poised, I mean, we had to try to make Maya take tough shots, and I think she did,” Diggins said. “And at the end we said, ‘We have to stay poised on defense and we have to execute on offense.’ We showed a lot more poise than we did in the first three games against Connecticut.”
Trailing 34-26 early in the second half, Diggins’ three-point play started a 15-4 run by the Irish. Devereaux Peters’ added her own three-point play that gave Notre Dame a 38-37 advantage—its first lead since midway through the first half.
Diggins capped the burst with another three-point play that made it 41-38 with 13:17 left and brought the pro-Irish crowd to its feet and left Geno Auriemma’s team reeling.
The Irish extended their lead to 47-40 a few minutes later before UConn cut the deficit to four on Bria Hartley’s 3-pointer.
Brittany Mallory and Natalie Novosel hit consecutive 3-pointers to make it a 12-point game with just over 7 minutes left. Moore did her best to try to rally her young team, but the Huskies fell short.
Moore started her flurry with a three-point play and then a hit a deep 3-pointer. After Novosel hit a layup Moore hit another 3-pointer that made it 63-60 with 2:26 left. That’s as close as the Huskies would get as Diggins and the Irish were too much for them down the stretch.
As the clock ran out, Diggins and the Notre Dame players rushed the floor and danced, knowing they had pulled off the monumental victory.
Notre Dame was making its first trip to the Final Four since winning a national title in 2001 after knocking out UConn in the semifinals that year. The Irish faced a 16-point first half deficit in that game but rallied to the victory.
A half-dozen members of that team were among the 30 former Irish players at the game Sunday night.
Irish coach Muffet McGraw had said leading up to the game that her team would try and draw inspiration from Texas A&M, which lost three games to Baylor in the regular season before beating the Lady Bears in the regional final.
Now the two No. 2 seeds will play with a championship at stake. It’s the first time since 1994 that no top-seed made it to the championship game.
The Irish were the second straight team to play in a Final Four game in their home state. Baylor reached the national semifinals last season in Texas, but also lost to UConn.
UConn and Stanford Both Go Down!
Stanford & UConn going down tonight is the best thing that could've happened for the women's game. Looking forward to ND-Texas A&M final. :)
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
On a day when Coach Pat Summitt was calling out her teammates, guard Shekinna Stricklen was named to the USBWA All-America team
The junior from Arkansas played all over the floor for the SEC champs and still averaged almost 13 points and over seven rebounds a game.
Stricklen was the only SEC player on the 10 member team.
Here is more from the University of Tennessee:
The awards and accolades keep rolling in for Lady Vol junior Shekinna Stricklen, as the do-it-all forward/guard was named to the USBWA All-America Team on Wednesday.
A native of Morrilton, Ark., Stricklen averaged 12.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg and shot 48.9 percent from the floor this season, while playing point guard, on the wing and in the post for the SEC regular season and tournament champions.
Stricklen helped lead Tennessee to a No. 4 final national ranking in both the Associated Press poll and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and the program's 24th Elite Eight appearance. UT bowed out of the NCAA Tournament against Note Dame in the Dayton Regional Final on Monday night and finished with a 34-3 record.
Along the way, Stricklen picked up numerous honors, including the SEC Player of the Year award from the league's coaches, First Team All-SEC from the coaches and the media, Third-Team AP All-America accolades and WBCA All-Region team membership.
She also captured All-Tournament honors from the NCAA Tournament Dayton Regional and the SEC Tournament, as well as earning SEC Tournament MVP accolades after scoring 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting against No. 16 Kentucky in the 90-65 championship game win.
Stricklen had 11 double-doubles and a season-high scoring mark of 26 points, including six three-pointers, at Arkansas on Jan. 30. She became the 35th Lady Vol to score 1,000 career points on Dec. 22 versus ETSU, and will head into her senior season ranked No. 23 on the all-time Big Orange scoring chart with 1,343 points. She has started all 104 games of her career.
Stricklen is one of 10 members selected for the prestigious All-America team. Joining her on the 2010-11 squad are Danielle Adams (Texas A&M), Brittney Griner (Baylor), Amber Harris (Xavier), Shenise Johnson (Miami), Jantel Lavender (Ohio State), Maya Moore (Connecticut), Nnemkadi Ogwumike (Stanford), Jeanette Pohlen (Stanford) and Courtney Vandersloot (Gonzaga).
Moore was named the USBWA Player of the Year, while Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey captured Coach of the Year and Baylor's Odyssey Sims nabbed Freshman of the Year.
Stricklen was the only SEC player on the 10 member team.
Here is more from the University of Tennessee:
The awards and accolades keep rolling in for Lady Vol junior Shekinna Stricklen, as the do-it-all forward/guard was named to the USBWA All-America Team on Wednesday.
A native of Morrilton, Ark., Stricklen averaged 12.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg and shot 48.9 percent from the floor this season, while playing point guard, on the wing and in the post for the SEC regular season and tournament champions.
Stricklen helped lead Tennessee to a No. 4 final national ranking in both the Associated Press poll and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and the program's 24th Elite Eight appearance. UT bowed out of the NCAA Tournament against Note Dame in the Dayton Regional Final on Monday night and finished with a 34-3 record.
Along the way, Stricklen picked up numerous honors, including the SEC Player of the Year award from the league's coaches, First Team All-SEC from the coaches and the media, Third-Team AP All-America accolades and WBCA All-Region team membership.
She also captured All-Tournament honors from the NCAA Tournament Dayton Regional and the SEC Tournament, as well as earning SEC Tournament MVP accolades after scoring 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting against No. 16 Kentucky in the 90-65 championship game win.
Stricklen had 11 double-doubles and a season-high scoring mark of 26 points, including six three-pointers, at Arkansas on Jan. 30. She became the 35th Lady Vol to score 1,000 career points on Dec. 22 versus ETSU, and will head into her senior season ranked No. 23 on the all-time Big Orange scoring chart with 1,343 points. She has started all 104 games of her career.
Stricklen is one of 10 members selected for the prestigious All-America team. Joining her on the 2010-11 squad are Danielle Adams (Texas A&M), Brittney Griner (Baylor), Amber Harris (Xavier), Shenise Johnson (Miami), Jantel Lavender (Ohio State), Maya Moore (Connecticut), Nnemkadi Ogwumike (Stanford), Jeanette Pohlen (Stanford) and Courtney Vandersloot (Gonzaga).
Moore was named the USBWA Player of the Year, while Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey captured Coach of the Year and Baylor's Odyssey Sims nabbed Freshman of the Year.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Diggins helps Irish stun Lady Vols, 73-59
Skylar Diggins scored 24 points and second-seeded Notre Dame made up for 28 years of beatings at the hands of Tennessee, upsetting the top-seeded Lady Vols 73-59 Monday night to earn a spot in the Final Four.
The Fighting Irish (30-7) came in 0-20 all-time against the Lady Vols. But the operative number on this night was 3-0—Notre Dame’s record in regional championship games.
Natalie Novosel added 17 points and Becca Bruszewski—who didn’t practice Sunday and was listed as questionable to even play with a knee injury—had 13 for the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame advanced to the play the winner of top-ranked Connecticut (35-1) and second-seeded Duke (32-3). They play on Tuesday night in Philadelphia.
Taber Spani and Shekinna Stricklen had 13 points for the Lady Vols (34-3). Glory Johnson added 12.
The Fighting Irish (30-7) came in 0-20 all-time against the Lady Vols. But the operative number on this night was 3-0—Notre Dame’s record in regional championship games.
Natalie Novosel added 17 points and Becca Bruszewski—who didn’t practice Sunday and was listed as questionable to even play with a knee injury—had 13 for the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame advanced to the play the winner of top-ranked Connecticut (35-1) and second-seeded Duke (32-3). They play on Tuesday night in Philadelphia.
Taber Spani and Shekinna Stricklen had 13 points for the Lady Vols (34-3). Glory Johnson added 12.
Change in lineup planned to counter Notre Dame
Game info: 7:00 pm EDT Mon Mar 28, 2011 (ESPN)
After meeting with her assistants Sunday morning, UT coach Pat Summitt added a little upheaval by rearranging the starting lineup against the Fighting Irish (29-7). Alyssia Brewer and Taber Spani will start against the Fighting Irish in place of Kelley Cain and Angie Bjorklund, respectively, as the Lady Vols revert to the starters they utilized at the SEC tournament.
After meeting with her assistants Sunday morning, UT coach Pat Summitt added a little upheaval by rearranging the starting lineup against the Fighting Irish (29-7). Alyssia Brewer and Taber Spani will start against the Fighting Irish in place of Kelley Cain and Angie Bjorklund, respectively, as the Lady Vols revert to the starters they utilized at the SEC tournament.
Irish won't be discussing 0-20 mark vs. Lady Vols
The teams are different. These players have never met before. That was all in the distant past.
But still, Tennessee is 20-0 against Notre Dame heading into their regional championship game on Monday night. That's got to count for something, right?
The Fighting Irish's Muffet McGraw and the Lady Vols' Pat Summitt swear they're coaches and not historians. They are aware of the old meetings but won't make a big deal out of them.
"That would be really silly of me to bring that up I think," McGraw said of Notre Dame's drought against Tennessee, which dates to 1983 and includes an 0-3 mark in the NCAA tournament. "This team is a team that hasn't played Tennessee. The seniors played them once in Oklahoma City in the regional semifinal. That's the only time we've played them. So certainly we're not going to be talking about the past."
Second-seeded Notre Dame (29-7) and top-seed Tennessee (34-2) haven't met on the court since two engagements three years ago. The score was 87-63 in South Bend, Ind., on Jan. 5, and 74-64 in the Sweet 16 in Oklahoma City. Of course, Tennessee won both.
Summitt expects McGraw and the Fighting Irish to use the 0-20 mark as fuel to add to the fire.
"Absolutely. If I was in their situation, I would do the same," she said.
Her players, riding a 25-game winning streak, also figure that it will serve as motivation for Notre Dame to finally try to stamp out all that orange-tinged domination.
"It would be important to any team to be the first to beat Tennessee," said Shekinna Stricklen, who led the way with 20 points in the Lady Vols' 85-75 victory over Ohio State in Saturday's semifinal. "For them to not beat us, we need to buckle down and play great defense and play as a team."
The Fighting Irish are unbothered by the lopsided nature of the series.
"Me, personally, I haven't been a part of any of those 20 games. But we know the history between the two programs," sophomore guard Skylar Diggins said. "Two hall-of-fame coaches, and it's just going to be a great game. Teams that haven't met up with each other. We're obviously looking to break that (losing streak)."
Besides, both sides have enough to worry about dealing with the next 40 minutes on the court instead of 28 years of baggage.
The numbers for both teams are almost identical through 36 games apiece this season: Tennessee is scoring 79.9 points and allowing 55.9 points a game, while Notre Dame is putting up 77.5 points and giving up 55.4 a game.
The Lady Vols come at teams in waves, with nine players scoring against Ohio State in the first half alone and Summit going as deep as 13 players in some games. But at the same time, they have been erratic of late. The team had a players-only meeting early last week after struggling before subduing Marquette 79-70 in Knoxville, Tenn., in the second round.
Then the Lady Vols were outplayed in the opening half on Saturday — although they trailed just 42-40 at the break — leading Summitt to give a roaring halftime speech to shock her team out of its funk.
"She is one of the greatest motivators in sports," forward Taber Spani said. "After that speech we came out and played a lot different in the second half. We needed to."
Summitt, who is replacing Kelley Cain with Alyssia Brewer in the starting lineup to make her starters "more mobile," said it was a pivotal moment for her squad.
"At that time, our coaching staff was desperate to get this team to step up and do what they had to do," she said.
Notre Dame had no such problems in its semifinal, jumping on sixth-seeded Oklahoma early and coasting to a 78-53 win. The Fighting Irish aren't stocked with stars, but they've got terrific balance. Natalie Novosel leads in scoring at 14.9 points a game, with Diggins right behind at 14.2. Five others hit for at least 7 a game.
In case you were wondering, the Lady Vols have seven players averaging 7 a game, too.
So the intensity should be white hot with so many skilled performers playing without regard to foul trouble or weariness.
"It's going to be a fight between two teams that have the will to come out with the win," Brewer said. "It's whoever has the biggest heart."
The Fighting Irish could be without co-captain Becca Bruszewski, who has a sore knee. She was not cleared for Sunday's practice but McGraw said she hoped that she would be permitted to play against the Lady Vols.
But still, Tennessee is 20-0 against Notre Dame heading into their regional championship game on Monday night. That's got to count for something, right?
The Fighting Irish's Muffet McGraw and the Lady Vols' Pat Summitt swear they're coaches and not historians. They are aware of the old meetings but won't make a big deal out of them.
"That would be really silly of me to bring that up I think," McGraw said of Notre Dame's drought against Tennessee, which dates to 1983 and includes an 0-3 mark in the NCAA tournament. "This team is a team that hasn't played Tennessee. The seniors played them once in Oklahoma City in the regional semifinal. That's the only time we've played them. So certainly we're not going to be talking about the past."
Second-seeded Notre Dame (29-7) and top-seed Tennessee (34-2) haven't met on the court since two engagements three years ago. The score was 87-63 in South Bend, Ind., on Jan. 5, and 74-64 in the Sweet 16 in Oklahoma City. Of course, Tennessee won both.
Summitt expects McGraw and the Fighting Irish to use the 0-20 mark as fuel to add to the fire.
"Absolutely. If I was in their situation, I would do the same," she said.
Her players, riding a 25-game winning streak, also figure that it will serve as motivation for Notre Dame to finally try to stamp out all that orange-tinged domination.
"It would be important to any team to be the first to beat Tennessee," said Shekinna Stricklen, who led the way with 20 points in the Lady Vols' 85-75 victory over Ohio State in Saturday's semifinal. "For them to not beat us, we need to buckle down and play great defense and play as a team."
The Fighting Irish are unbothered by the lopsided nature of the series.
"Me, personally, I haven't been a part of any of those 20 games. But we know the history between the two programs," sophomore guard Skylar Diggins said. "Two hall-of-fame coaches, and it's just going to be a great game. Teams that haven't met up with each other. We're obviously looking to break that (losing streak)."
Besides, both sides have enough to worry about dealing with the next 40 minutes on the court instead of 28 years of baggage.
The numbers for both teams are almost identical through 36 games apiece this season: Tennessee is scoring 79.9 points and allowing 55.9 points a game, while Notre Dame is putting up 77.5 points and giving up 55.4 a game.
The Lady Vols come at teams in waves, with nine players scoring against Ohio State in the first half alone and Summit going as deep as 13 players in some games. But at the same time, they have been erratic of late. The team had a players-only meeting early last week after struggling before subduing Marquette 79-70 in Knoxville, Tenn., in the second round.
Then the Lady Vols were outplayed in the opening half on Saturday — although they trailed just 42-40 at the break — leading Summitt to give a roaring halftime speech to shock her team out of its funk.
"She is one of the greatest motivators in sports," forward Taber Spani said. "After that speech we came out and played a lot different in the second half. We needed to."
Summitt, who is replacing Kelley Cain with Alyssia Brewer in the starting lineup to make her starters "more mobile," said it was a pivotal moment for her squad.
"At that time, our coaching staff was desperate to get this team to step up and do what they had to do," she said.
Notre Dame had no such problems in its semifinal, jumping on sixth-seeded Oklahoma early and coasting to a 78-53 win. The Fighting Irish aren't stocked with stars, but they've got terrific balance. Natalie Novosel leads in scoring at 14.9 points a game, with Diggins right behind at 14.2. Five others hit for at least 7 a game.
In case you were wondering, the Lady Vols have seven players averaging 7 a game, too.
So the intensity should be white hot with so many skilled performers playing without regard to foul trouble or weariness.
"It's going to be a fight between two teams that have the will to come out with the win," Brewer said. "It's whoever has the biggest heart."
The Fighting Irish could be without co-captain Becca Bruszewski, who has a sore knee. She was not cleared for Sunday's practice but McGraw said she hoped that she would be permitted to play against the Lady Vols.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Lady Vols beat Ohio State 85-75
Shekinna Stricklen scored 20 points and touched off a critical 11-3 second-half run to power top-seeded Tennessee past Ohio State 85-75 Saturday in a NCAA regional semifinal.
The Lady Vols (34-2) won their 25th consecutive game, but trailed for much of it and only took control with their charge in the final minutes.
Meighan Simmons added 18 points and Kelley Cain had 16 for Tennessee, pursuing a ninth NCAA title. The Lady Vols meet either Notre Dame or Oklahoma in the regional championship game on Monday night, with a trip to the Final Four in Indianapolis on the line.
Samantha Prahalis had 22 points, Jantel Lavender 19, Brittany Johnson 16 and Tayler Hill 12 for Ohio State (24-10), which had won its last 11.
The Lady Vols (34-2) won their 25th consecutive game, but trailed for much of it and only took control with their charge in the final minutes.
Meighan Simmons added 18 points and Kelley Cain had 16 for Tennessee, pursuing a ninth NCAA title. The Lady Vols meet either Notre Dame or Oklahoma in the regional championship game on Monday night, with a trip to the Final Four in Indianapolis on the line.
Samantha Prahalis had 22 points, Jantel Lavender 19, Brittany Johnson 16 and Tayler Hill 12 for Ohio State (24-10), which had won its last 11.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Tennessee beats Marquette 79-70 to head to Dayton
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt doesn’t like to overwork her players during postseason practices. She hopes Marquette has convinced the Lady Volunteers to try a little bit harder though.
The top-seeded Lady Vols survived a scrappy match with eighth-seeded Marquette to advanced to the NCAA regional semifinals with a 79-70 victory Monday night. They will face No. 4 Ohio State next in Dayton, Ohio.
“I think that we’ve had some good practices but not great practices, and the last couple have not been at the level of intensity (necessary),” Summitt said. “This is probably a good wake-up call.”
Tennessee will be making its 29th appearance in the round of 16 and is aiming for a Final Four berth after back-to-back disappointing ends to the postseason. The Lady Vols suffered their first and only first-round loss in 2009 to Ball State and lost in the 2010 regional semifinals to Baylor, despite having a No. 1 seed and playing in Memphis.
Marquette never led, but every time the Lady Vols (33-2) built a lead, the Golden Eagles fought back. It was Tennessee’s narrowest margin in a NCAA win on its home court since a 69-65 victory over Auburn in 1991 and second narrowest second-round victory.
The Lady Vols, who are now 50-0 in NCAA games played in Knoxville, led by as many as 11 points in the second half and had a 62-55 lead when Marquette’s Tatiyiana McMorris sank a 3-pointer and Angel Robinson hit two long jumpers to cut it to 63-62 with 6:15 left.
“That stretch was about making stops,” Marquette coach Terri Mitchell said. “We threw in some random traps. We started switching, doing a little more doubling inside, we got some stops and we pushed it. We were better when we were pushing it and attacking.”
Tennessee answered by scoring the next six points to make it 69-62 with 4:53 left and kept Marquette at bay by clamping down on defense and hitting six of their next eight foul shots.
Meighan Simmons led Tennessee with 18 points. Glory Johnson scored 16 points, Alicia Manning sank 11 and Shekinna Stricklen scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Tennessee, which shot 51.7 percent, also built an eight-point lead midway through the first half, but the Golden Eagles used a 7-0 run to cut it to 28-27 with 5:18 before halftime.
The Golden Eagles, led by six seniors, had spent extra time in the offseason working out in hopes of reaching their first NCAA tournament in four seasons. Marquette has reached the second round four times now but never won.
Angel Robinson led Marquette (24-9) with 19 points. McMorris added 15 points, Jasmine Collins 14 and Fiedorowicz 12.
The Golden Eagles were smaller than the Lady Vols but managed to frustrate them in the paint at both ends of the court. Marquette matched Tennessee’s 32 points in the paint and kept the Lady Vols from hitting as many layups as they would have liked.
“When they have physical guards and their whole team is physical, we have to be physical back,” Johnson said. “We can’t let them throw us around in the paint, and that’s something that we struggled with for the majority of the game.”
Both teams turned the ball over 11 times, but the Lady Vols scored nine more points off of giveaways.
Marquette shot 40.3 percent and hit eight 3s but seemed to lose what little advantage it had inside when starting forward Paige Fiedorowicz fouled out with 5:25 left to play.
“There were two good teams out there on the floor, and good teams make runs,” Robinson said. “We were back and forth with making our runs. We stopped them, and they stopped us. The outcome is who scores the most points. Everybody up here said we left everything out there. We played until the buzzer buzzed.”
The top-seeded Lady Vols survived a scrappy match with eighth-seeded Marquette to advanced to the NCAA regional semifinals with a 79-70 victory Monday night. They will face No. 4 Ohio State next in Dayton, Ohio.
“I think that we’ve had some good practices but not great practices, and the last couple have not been at the level of intensity (necessary),” Summitt said. “This is probably a good wake-up call.”
Tennessee will be making its 29th appearance in the round of 16 and is aiming for a Final Four berth after back-to-back disappointing ends to the postseason. The Lady Vols suffered their first and only first-round loss in 2009 to Ball State and lost in the 2010 regional semifinals to Baylor, despite having a No. 1 seed and playing in Memphis.
Marquette never led, but every time the Lady Vols (33-2) built a lead, the Golden Eagles fought back. It was Tennessee’s narrowest margin in a NCAA win on its home court since a 69-65 victory over Auburn in 1991 and second narrowest second-round victory.
The Lady Vols, who are now 50-0 in NCAA games played in Knoxville, led by as many as 11 points in the second half and had a 62-55 lead when Marquette’s Tatiyiana McMorris sank a 3-pointer and Angel Robinson hit two long jumpers to cut it to 63-62 with 6:15 left.
“That stretch was about making stops,” Marquette coach Terri Mitchell said. “We threw in some random traps. We started switching, doing a little more doubling inside, we got some stops and we pushed it. We were better when we were pushing it and attacking.”
Tennessee answered by scoring the next six points to make it 69-62 with 4:53 left and kept Marquette at bay by clamping down on defense and hitting six of their next eight foul shots.
Meighan Simmons led Tennessee with 18 points. Glory Johnson scored 16 points, Alicia Manning sank 11 and Shekinna Stricklen scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Tennessee, which shot 51.7 percent, also built an eight-point lead midway through the first half, but the Golden Eagles used a 7-0 run to cut it to 28-27 with 5:18 before halftime.
The Golden Eagles, led by six seniors, had spent extra time in the offseason working out in hopes of reaching their first NCAA tournament in four seasons. Marquette has reached the second round four times now but never won.
Angel Robinson led Marquette (24-9) with 19 points. McMorris added 15 points, Jasmine Collins 14 and Fiedorowicz 12.
The Golden Eagles were smaller than the Lady Vols but managed to frustrate them in the paint at both ends of the court. Marquette matched Tennessee’s 32 points in the paint and kept the Lady Vols from hitting as many layups as they would have liked.
“When they have physical guards and their whole team is physical, we have to be physical back,” Johnson said. “We can’t let them throw us around in the paint, and that’s something that we struggled with for the majority of the game.”
Both teams turned the ball over 11 times, but the Lady Vols scored nine more points off of giveaways.
Marquette shot 40.3 percent and hit eight 3s but seemed to lose what little advantage it had inside when starting forward Paige Fiedorowicz fouled out with 5:25 left to play.
“There were two good teams out there on the floor, and good teams make runs,” Robinson said. “We were back and forth with making our runs. We stopped them, and they stopped us. The outcome is who scores the most points. Everybody up here said we left everything out there. We played until the buzzer buzzed.”
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Tennessee cruises to 99-34 NCAA win over Stetson
Even Pat Summitt will have a hard time finding fault with Tennessee’s start to the NCAA tournament.
Glory Johnson had 14 points and 10 rebounds as the top-seeded Lady Vols cruised to a 99-34 win over Stetson on Saturday in the opening round of the Dayton region.
Tennessee (32-2) has its sights set on a return to the Final Four after two seasons of frustration in the tournament, and the 16th-seeded Hatters (20-13) were little more than a warm-up act. The Lady Volunteers nearly tied their largest margin of victory in a first-round game, which came during an NCAA-record 111-37 victory over North Carolina A&T in 1994.
The Lady Vols have scored an average 23.6 points more than their opponents this season and previously had their best offensive game of the year in a 90-65 win against Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference tournament championship. They hit a school-record 16 3-pointers and shot 70.4 percent in the second half in that game.
Still, Summitt had been unhappy with her team’s defensive and rebounding efforts in the SEC tournament. After two weeks of grueling practices, the Lady Vols outrebounded the Hatters 63-31 and limited them to just 18.2 percent shooting.
The two-week layoff between tournaments didn’t seem to slow Tennessee, either, as it shot 55.7 percent and hit eight 3s against the Hatters.
Stetson managed to hit a few early shots to keep up with Tennessee, which led 10-9 with 15:13 left in the first half. The Lady Vols’ size and shooting became too much for the Hatters, though, and a 23-0 run put the game away early.
The Hatters hit no field goals and only five free throws during an 11:11 stretch before halftime. Tennessee shot 57.9 percent and had a 34-13 rebounding margin at the break.
Tierra Brown, Victoria McGowan and Natasha Graboski each scored seven points for the Hatters (20-13), who shot just 21.2 percent in the first half.
Summitt had emptied her bench by that point, 13 players deep, and when Briana Bass hit a lane-driving layup with 53 seconds left in the game, every Lady Vol had scored a basket.
Shekinna Stricklen scored 15 points, Angie Bjorklund had 13 and Alyssia Brewer added 10 for the Lady Vols, who scored 52 points in the paint.
Stetson went through a 15:37 scoring drought in the second half as Tennessee expanded its lead on nearly every trip down the floor. The drought ended when McGowan hit one final layup with 29 seconds left to play.
Atlantic Sun tournament champion Stetson had surprised a lot of fans just by reaching the NCAA tournament for the second time in program history. The Hatters had been picked to finish 10th of 11 in the conference, and needed a 55-foot shot from McGowan at the buzzer for a 69-50 victory over Belmont in the A-Sun semifinals.
By contrast, Tennessee has played in all 30 NCAA tournaments. The Lady Vols’ only defeat in the first or second rounds came two seasons ago at the hands of Ball State, a loss that has stuck with them for two seasons.
Glory Johnson had 14 points and 10 rebounds as the top-seeded Lady Vols cruised to a 99-34 win over Stetson on Saturday in the opening round of the Dayton region.
Tennessee (32-2) has its sights set on a return to the Final Four after two seasons of frustration in the tournament, and the 16th-seeded Hatters (20-13) were little more than a warm-up act. The Lady Volunteers nearly tied their largest margin of victory in a first-round game, which came during an NCAA-record 111-37 victory over North Carolina A&T in 1994.
The Lady Vols have scored an average 23.6 points more than their opponents this season and previously had their best offensive game of the year in a 90-65 win against Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference tournament championship. They hit a school-record 16 3-pointers and shot 70.4 percent in the second half in that game.
Still, Summitt had been unhappy with her team’s defensive and rebounding efforts in the SEC tournament. After two weeks of grueling practices, the Lady Vols outrebounded the Hatters 63-31 and limited them to just 18.2 percent shooting.
The two-week layoff between tournaments didn’t seem to slow Tennessee, either, as it shot 55.7 percent and hit eight 3s against the Hatters.
Stetson managed to hit a few early shots to keep up with Tennessee, which led 10-9 with 15:13 left in the first half. The Lady Vols’ size and shooting became too much for the Hatters, though, and a 23-0 run put the game away early.
The Hatters hit no field goals and only five free throws during an 11:11 stretch before halftime. Tennessee shot 57.9 percent and had a 34-13 rebounding margin at the break.
Tierra Brown, Victoria McGowan and Natasha Graboski each scored seven points for the Hatters (20-13), who shot just 21.2 percent in the first half.
Summitt had emptied her bench by that point, 13 players deep, and when Briana Bass hit a lane-driving layup with 53 seconds left in the game, every Lady Vol had scored a basket.
Shekinna Stricklen scored 15 points, Angie Bjorklund had 13 and Alyssia Brewer added 10 for the Lady Vols, who scored 52 points in the paint.
Stetson went through a 15:37 scoring drought in the second half as Tennessee expanded its lead on nearly every trip down the floor. The drought ended when McGowan hit one final layup with 29 seconds left to play.
Atlantic Sun tournament champion Stetson had surprised a lot of fans just by reaching the NCAA tournament for the second time in program history. The Hatters had been picked to finish 10th of 11 in the conference, and needed a 55-foot shot from McGowan at the buzzer for a 69-50 victory over Belmont in the A-Sun semifinals.
By contrast, Tennessee has played in all 30 NCAA tournaments. The Lady Vols’ only defeat in the first or second rounds came two seasons ago at the hands of Ball State, a loss that has stuck with them for two seasons.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Tennessee draws on support of fans in NCAA tourney
Fans of the Lady Volunteers travel so well that Tennessee forward Glory Johnson says if they played on another planet at least one carload would show up.
“We’d make it there … and everyone would be wearing an orange shirt,” Johnson said.
She won’t have to worry about that now, at least not in the first round of the NCAA tournament—that’ll be more of a concern for Stetson, Marquette and Texas.
The No. 1-seeded Lady Vols (31-2) will be playing in front of thousands of their own fans on their home court named “The Summitt” in honor of their coach. They’ve won 34 straight there and have never lost a first- or second-round NCAA game in Knoxville in 36 tries.
No. 16 seed Stetson hopes to interrupt those streaks Saturday. Eighth-seeded Marquette and ninth-seeded Texas meet later that day for a chance of possibly facing the Lady Vols in the second round on Monday.
Stetson coach Lynn Bria warned her players not to get too caught up in Tennessee’s tradition. After all, the only Lady Vols team the Hatters are playing is the 2010-11 version.
But senior guard Tierra Brown enjoys the idea of going against a team that has eight national championships.
“I came in just wanting to take in the whole experience and take in Tennessee,” she said. “I grew up being a Tennessee fan. I think it’s better for me to come in and look at the (championship) banners and look at all the history. To just have the opportunity to beat the No. 1 team, it gets me a little more pumped up for the game.”
Stetson (20-12) earned its spot in the tournament after winning the Atlantic Sun tournament. The Hatters were nearly done in the semifinals until Victoria McGowan hit a 55 footer as the clock expired, sending them to a 48-46 win over Belmont.
The Hatters had been picked to finish second from last in the conference but beat Jacksonville 69-50 in the championship, so they don’t have a problem as the underdog.
“Certainly nobody thinks we’re going to win” against Tennessee, Bria said. “We’re used to it This isn’t a position we haven’t been in all year. We had confidence before (McGowan’s shot), but for her to even take that shot showed that we believe we can win if there’s time on the clock.”
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt doesn’t want to think about the prospect of her team losing an NCAA tournament game at home. She’s only lost one first-round game before—in 2009 to Ball State—and doesn’t want to be in that position again.
She’s got a lot to be confident about with the Lady Vols coming off an undefeated Southeastern Conference season and an SEC tournament championship that saw her team shot 70.4 percent in the second half of a 90-65 victory against Kentucky in the championship game.
“I’m just trying to hold onto the positives and think about what we have to do to prepare,” Summitt said. “It would not be a pretty scene. I have a lot of confidence in the maturity of our team.”
Marquette is happy to be back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2006-07 season. After a trip to the NIT last season, this year’s senior class pledged to work harder. The Golden Eagles (23-8) finished fifth in the Big East this season and believe their tough conference games have prepared them for Texas and any team they might face, should they win.
“It makes us tougher emotionally, mentally and physically to play in the Big East,” Marquette coach Terri Mitchell said. “As we prepare for Texas, we have said to our players, ‘They run like this team. They do this like this team.’ It’s given them familiarity with Texas by using Big East names.”
Texas (19-13) is also glad to be playing in the tournament after a difficult Big 12 season. The Longhorns finished seventh in the conference and were holding their breath when the NCAA brackets were announced.
Coach Gail Goestenkors didn’t actually hear Texas’ name called, but felt the sense of relief from her players as they screamed and hugged when they drew their spot in the Dayton region.
“There was that joy, but once you are in you want to make a statement,” the coach said. “You want to prove you deserve to be here.”
“We’d make it there … and everyone would be wearing an orange shirt,” Johnson said.
She won’t have to worry about that now, at least not in the first round of the NCAA tournament—that’ll be more of a concern for Stetson, Marquette and Texas.
The No. 1-seeded Lady Vols (31-2) will be playing in front of thousands of their own fans on their home court named “The Summitt” in honor of their coach. They’ve won 34 straight there and have never lost a first- or second-round NCAA game in Knoxville in 36 tries.
No. 16 seed Stetson hopes to interrupt those streaks Saturday. Eighth-seeded Marquette and ninth-seeded Texas meet later that day for a chance of possibly facing the Lady Vols in the second round on Monday.
Stetson coach Lynn Bria warned her players not to get too caught up in Tennessee’s tradition. After all, the only Lady Vols team the Hatters are playing is the 2010-11 version.
But senior guard Tierra Brown enjoys the idea of going against a team that has eight national championships.
“I came in just wanting to take in the whole experience and take in Tennessee,” she said. “I grew up being a Tennessee fan. I think it’s better for me to come in and look at the (championship) banners and look at all the history. To just have the opportunity to beat the No. 1 team, it gets me a little more pumped up for the game.”
Stetson (20-12) earned its spot in the tournament after winning the Atlantic Sun tournament. The Hatters were nearly done in the semifinals until Victoria McGowan hit a 55 footer as the clock expired, sending them to a 48-46 win over Belmont.
The Hatters had been picked to finish second from last in the conference but beat Jacksonville 69-50 in the championship, so they don’t have a problem as the underdog.
“Certainly nobody thinks we’re going to win” against Tennessee, Bria said. “We’re used to it This isn’t a position we haven’t been in all year. We had confidence before (McGowan’s shot), but for her to even take that shot showed that we believe we can win if there’s time on the clock.”
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt doesn’t want to think about the prospect of her team losing an NCAA tournament game at home. She’s only lost one first-round game before—in 2009 to Ball State—and doesn’t want to be in that position again.
She’s got a lot to be confident about with the Lady Vols coming off an undefeated Southeastern Conference season and an SEC tournament championship that saw her team shot 70.4 percent in the second half of a 90-65 victory against Kentucky in the championship game.
“I’m just trying to hold onto the positives and think about what we have to do to prepare,” Summitt said. “It would not be a pretty scene. I have a lot of confidence in the maturity of our team.”
Marquette is happy to be back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2006-07 season. After a trip to the NIT last season, this year’s senior class pledged to work harder. The Golden Eagles (23-8) finished fifth in the Big East this season and believe their tough conference games have prepared them for Texas and any team they might face, should they win.
“It makes us tougher emotionally, mentally and physically to play in the Big East,” Marquette coach Terri Mitchell said. “As we prepare for Texas, we have said to our players, ‘They run like this team. They do this like this team.’ It’s given them familiarity with Texas by using Big East names.”
Texas (19-13) is also glad to be playing in the tournament after a difficult Big 12 season. The Longhorns finished seventh in the conference and were holding their breath when the NCAA brackets were announced.
Coach Gail Goestenkors didn’t actually hear Texas’ name called, but felt the sense of relief from her players as they screamed and hugged when they drew their spot in the Dayton region.
“There was that joy, but once you are in you want to make a statement,” the coach said. “You want to prove you deserve to be here.”
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year Finalists Announced
Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma and Tennessee’s Pat Summitt, who together have claimed 11 Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year awards, lead the group of four finalists for the 2011 honor, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today. Joining them on the final ballot are Baylor’s Kim Mulkey and Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer, who won the award in 1990.
The finalists were determined by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s National Voting Academy, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country. The academy based its criteria on coaching performances this season. The vote was tabulated and certified by the accounting firm of Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, LLP. HA&W is the largest independent accounting firm in Georgia and one of the top 50 firms in the United States.
The Naismith Award is the most prestigious national award presented annually to the women’s college basketball coach of the year. The winner will be announced in early April.
“There is obviously a correlation between the success of these coaches and the fact that their programs each earned a No. 1 seed in the upcoming tournament,” said Eric Oberman, Atlanta Tipoff Club executive director. “Each has done a remarkable job of coaching this season, which is reflective of their entire careers. Each is very deserving of this prestigious award and we’re excited to crown a winner after the season.”
ABOUT THE FINALISTS
Geno Auriemma: In his 26th season at the helm, Auriemma, the BIG EAST Coach of the Year, has led UCONN to a 32-1 record. The Huskies captured the BIG EAST Regular Season and BIG EAST Tournament championships along the way, for the fourth straight season and 15th time overall. Connecticut is a No. 1 seed in the 2011 NCAA Women’s Division I Championship for the 14th time, and the fifth year in a row. Auriemma, with a career mark of 767-123, aims to win his eighth NCAA title. He has previously won the Naismith Award in 2009.
Kim Mulkey: Mulkey led the Lady Bears to a 31-2 record and captured both the 2011 regular-season and tournament Big 12 titles. She picked up the Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year honors and the team was ranked No. 1 in the country for a good part of the season. Baylor is a No. 1 seed for the first time and playing at home to start this year's NCAA women's tournament. They host SWAC tournament champion Prairie View (21-11) on Sunday at the Ferrell Center, where Baylor is 19-0 this season. Mulkey has a career mark of 295-78.
Pat Summitt: Summitt, already the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history (men or women), has eight NCAA Championships in the trophy case including her most recent back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008. She has enjoyed one of her better coaching jobs in her 37th season, going 31-2 thus far. Over her four-decade career, the Lady Vols have gone 1,068-198. In addition, the team has won eight NCAA titles, as well as 31 Southeastern Conference tournament and regular season championships. Tennessee has made an unprecedented 30 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament with 21 number one seeds. They enter the 2011 NCAA Women’s Division I Championship as a No. 1 seed in the Dayton Region, hosting Stetson on Saturday.
Tara VanDerveer: This season VanDerveer guided the Cardinals to the program's 20th Pac-10 regular season title, and 11th in a row, while Stanford finished a perfect 18-0 in Pac-10 play for the second straight year and sixth time overall. For her efforts, VanDerveer was named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year, marking the seventh time since the 2001-02 season and 11th time overall that she has taken home the conference's top coaching honor. VanDerveer joined the elite 800-win club back on Dec. 22 with a victory at San Francisco. Stanford (29-2) is the top seed in the Spokane Region of the 2011 NCAA Women’s Division I Championship against UC-Davis.
Last year, Connie Yori of the University of Nebraska claimed the Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year award, the first ever for a Big 12 Conference school.
The finalists were determined by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s National Voting Academy, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country. The academy based its criteria on coaching performances this season. The vote was tabulated and certified by the accounting firm of Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, LLP. HA&W is the largest independent accounting firm in Georgia and one of the top 50 firms in the United States.
The Naismith Award is the most prestigious national award presented annually to the women’s college basketball coach of the year. The winner will be announced in early April.
“There is obviously a correlation between the success of these coaches and the fact that their programs each earned a No. 1 seed in the upcoming tournament,” said Eric Oberman, Atlanta Tipoff Club executive director. “Each has done a remarkable job of coaching this season, which is reflective of their entire careers. Each is very deserving of this prestigious award and we’re excited to crown a winner after the season.”
ABOUT THE FINALISTS
Geno Auriemma: In his 26th season at the helm, Auriemma, the BIG EAST Coach of the Year, has led UCONN to a 32-1 record. The Huskies captured the BIG EAST Regular Season and BIG EAST Tournament championships along the way, for the fourth straight season and 15th time overall. Connecticut is a No. 1 seed in the 2011 NCAA Women’s Division I Championship for the 14th time, and the fifth year in a row. Auriemma, with a career mark of 767-123, aims to win his eighth NCAA title. He has previously won the Naismith Award in 2009.
Kim Mulkey: Mulkey led the Lady Bears to a 31-2 record and captured both the 2011 regular-season and tournament Big 12 titles. She picked up the Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year honors and the team was ranked No. 1 in the country for a good part of the season. Baylor is a No. 1 seed for the first time and playing at home to start this year's NCAA women's tournament. They host SWAC tournament champion Prairie View (21-11) on Sunday at the Ferrell Center, where Baylor is 19-0 this season. Mulkey has a career mark of 295-78.
Pat Summitt: Summitt, already the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history (men or women), has eight NCAA Championships in the trophy case including her most recent back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008. She has enjoyed one of her better coaching jobs in her 37th season, going 31-2 thus far. Over her four-decade career, the Lady Vols have gone 1,068-198. In addition, the team has won eight NCAA titles, as well as 31 Southeastern Conference tournament and regular season championships. Tennessee has made an unprecedented 30 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament with 21 number one seeds. They enter the 2011 NCAA Women’s Division I Championship as a No. 1 seed in the Dayton Region, hosting Stetson on Saturday.
Tara VanDerveer: This season VanDerveer guided the Cardinals to the program's 20th Pac-10 regular season title, and 11th in a row, while Stanford finished a perfect 18-0 in Pac-10 play for the second straight year and sixth time overall. For her efforts, VanDerveer was named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year, marking the seventh time since the 2001-02 season and 11th time overall that she has taken home the conference's top coaching honor. VanDerveer joined the elite 800-win club back on Dec. 22 with a victory at San Francisco. Stanford (29-2) is the top seed in the Spokane Region of the 2011 NCAA Women’s Division I Championship against UC-Davis.
Last year, Connie Yori of the University of Nebraska claimed the Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year award, the first ever for a Big 12 Conference school.
Lady Vols have maturity needed to chase NCAA title
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt had to wait for her talented Lady Volunteers to develope into championship contenders.
And Summitt isn’t a patient woman when it comes to winning.
“It was at times very frustrating for our coaching staff,” Summitt said. “At the same time, we knew it would be a process for them to get in the gym.”
The work has paid off. The players who were a part of Tennessee’s 2009 first-round loss and last year’s regional semifinal loss as a No. 1 seed have grown up. Now they understand what it takes to reach a Final Four and chase Tennessee’s ninth national championship.
“I think the real key to it is the maturity,” Summitt said. “As freshmen it was very, very challenging. As sophomores, they grew, but they still weren’t at the level where every game you knew they were going to bring our ‘A’ game and the opponent was going to get our best shot. We couldn’t fast forward that process.”
The Lady Vols (31-2) again earned a No. 1 seed this season after an undefeated run through the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament. Their attempt to reach the national semifinals in Indianapolis begins Saturday in Knoxville with 16th-seeded Stetson.
The team is anchored by their junior class, a group of McDonald’s high school All-Americans who were expected to fill the shoes of Candace Parker, Nicky Anosike and others who won back-to-back national championships in 2007-08.
Those players clearly had the talent but did not seem to listen to Summitt when she told them as freshmen that they couldn’t just put on the Tennessee uniform and expect to win championships.
“As a freshman, I just kind of did what I wanted to with my game,” junior forward Glory Johnson said. “I didn’t really put in too much extra time. I just felt like I could do this with talent, and clearly it didn’t work. You have to put in extra work outside of practice. You have to take your game seriously all of the time.”
That lesson started immediately after the first-round loss to Ball State in the 2009, the first time a Lady Vols team had ever lost on the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. Summitt was so angry she forced the team to return to practice as soon as they returned to Knoxville.
The message? Spend some more time in the gym working on your game.
“It took them a couple of years to buy into that concept and kind of embrace the game for themselves,” Summitt said. “Going into this junior year, it’s been a tremendous difference in what the players are willing to invest.”
The team has spent the past two offseasons going through grueling workouts with strength and conditioning coach Heather Mason and now use their free time during the season getting extra shots in at the practice gym.
That committment has helped the team develop the depth and extra skills that helped the Lady Vols go undefeated in Southeastern Conference play this season and win the SEC tournament championship.
“I think the thing about this team is if someone is not having a good game or is in foul trouble, our depth is really key,” Summitt said. “I think it really brings a lot of confidence throughout the team to know that we have a lot of options.”
The confidence also comes from the bond the players have developed through the ups and downs of their career. The Lady Vols have found they can talk frankly with each other about their struggles, mistakes and losses while managing to stay positive about the team.
“It sounds really cliche, but we definitely are like sisters,” junior forward Alyssia Brewer said. “We do anything and everything—movies, bowling, go-karting, whatever. Most of us live with each other. It’s like you have your own family here.”
Despite the maturity and confidence, the Lady Vols still occasionally have some lapses. Turnovers have frequently been a problem, and sometimes player resort to taking bad shots instead of focusing on defense to get the job done.
Every so often there’s a lapse in the Lady Vols’ effort and attitude during practice, but it doesn’t take quite as much for Summitt to get the team back on track.
“It works a whole lot better when they have leadership and make other people accountable,” she said. “We’ve been pretty good at that all year, we just had a couple of lapses.”
And Summitt isn’t a patient woman when it comes to winning.
“It was at times very frustrating for our coaching staff,” Summitt said. “At the same time, we knew it would be a process for them to get in the gym.”
The work has paid off. The players who were a part of Tennessee’s 2009 first-round loss and last year’s regional semifinal loss as a No. 1 seed have grown up. Now they understand what it takes to reach a Final Four and chase Tennessee’s ninth national championship.
“I think the real key to it is the maturity,” Summitt said. “As freshmen it was very, very challenging. As sophomores, they grew, but they still weren’t at the level where every game you knew they were going to bring our ‘A’ game and the opponent was going to get our best shot. We couldn’t fast forward that process.”
The Lady Vols (31-2) again earned a No. 1 seed this season after an undefeated run through the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament. Their attempt to reach the national semifinals in Indianapolis begins Saturday in Knoxville with 16th-seeded Stetson.
The team is anchored by their junior class, a group of McDonald’s high school All-Americans who were expected to fill the shoes of Candace Parker, Nicky Anosike and others who won back-to-back national championships in 2007-08.
Those players clearly had the talent but did not seem to listen to Summitt when she told them as freshmen that they couldn’t just put on the Tennessee uniform and expect to win championships.
“As a freshman, I just kind of did what I wanted to with my game,” junior forward Glory Johnson said. “I didn’t really put in too much extra time. I just felt like I could do this with talent, and clearly it didn’t work. You have to put in extra work outside of practice. You have to take your game seriously all of the time.”
That lesson started immediately after the first-round loss to Ball State in the 2009, the first time a Lady Vols team had ever lost on the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. Summitt was so angry she forced the team to return to practice as soon as they returned to Knoxville.
The message? Spend some more time in the gym working on your game.
“It took them a couple of years to buy into that concept and kind of embrace the game for themselves,” Summitt said. “Going into this junior year, it’s been a tremendous difference in what the players are willing to invest.”
The team has spent the past two offseasons going through grueling workouts with strength and conditioning coach Heather Mason and now use their free time during the season getting extra shots in at the practice gym.
That committment has helped the team develop the depth and extra skills that helped the Lady Vols go undefeated in Southeastern Conference play this season and win the SEC tournament championship.
“I think the thing about this team is if someone is not having a good game or is in foul trouble, our depth is really key,” Summitt said. “I think it really brings a lot of confidence throughout the team to know that we have a lot of options.”
The confidence also comes from the bond the players have developed through the ups and downs of their career. The Lady Vols have found they can talk frankly with each other about their struggles, mistakes and losses while managing to stay positive about the team.
“It sounds really cliche, but we definitely are like sisters,” junior forward Alyssia Brewer said. “We do anything and everything—movies, bowling, go-karting, whatever. Most of us live with each other. It’s like you have your own family here.”
Despite the maturity and confidence, the Lady Vols still occasionally have some lapses. Turnovers have frequently been a problem, and sometimes player resort to taking bad shots instead of focusing on defense to get the job done.
Every so often there’s a lapse in the Lady Vols’ effort and attitude during practice, but it doesn’t take quite as much for Summitt to get the team back on track.
“It works a whole lot better when they have leadership and make other people accountable,” she said. “We’ve been pretty good at that all year, we just had a couple of lapses.”
Monday, March 14, 2011
Tennessee nabs 21st No. 1 seed in NCAA tourney
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt is still a little upset about her team bowing out of the NCAA tournament early two years in a row. A trip to the Final Four or national championship might help her forget, though.
The Lady Volunteers (31-2) earned their 21st No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament on Monday night and will host Stetson on Saturday in Knoxville in the first round of the Dayton region.
After eight national championships, anything less than a trip to the Final Four is a disappointment for Summitt. In 2009, the fifth-seeded Lady Vols suffered the only opening-round loss in program history to Ball State, and in 2010, top-seeded Tennessee lost in the regional semifinals to Baylor.
“They’ve heard about it a whole lot,” Summitt said of the 2009 loss. “Ball State, it happened, but we learned a lot from it and we’ve improved obviously every year.”
Tennessee’s Dayton region draw puts it in position for a possible Final Four matchup with fellow No. 1 seed Connecticut, the team Summitt dropped from the regular season schedule after the 2006-07 season. Summitt and Geno Auriemma’s teams haven’t met since, despite strategic bracket arrangement by the NCAA selection committee.
Summitt isn’t talking about a potential matchup with the Huskies yet or about second-seeded Notre Dame, fourth-seeded Ohio State, sixth-seeded Oklahoma or any other Dayton region team for that matter.
“Our focus right now is on Tennessee and Stetson and finding out as much as we can about them and what we need to do to make our preparation the best it can be,” Summitt said. “I have all the confidence in the world.”
The Lady Vols have four all-time wins against Stetson, most recently a 83-33 victory in Knoxville on Nov. 20, 2005. The Hatters (20-12) earned an automatic bid after winning the Atlantic Sun Championship.
Tennessee ran through the Southeastern Conference undefeated and tacked on a tournament championship a week ago, cruising through those three games. Three other SEC teams earned NCAA bids: No. 4 seed Kentucky and No. 10 seed Vanderbilt in the Spokane region and No. 6 seed Georgia in the Dallas region.
Even with the SEC accolades and No. 1 seed, the Lady Vols feel like they’re a bit under the radar with plenty of attention going to Connecticut and Baylor.
“After they got done (announcing the brackets), we all looked at each other and said, ‘Wow, they didn’t say anything about us,”’ junior forward Shekinna Stricklen said. “That’s OK. We have been down a little bit, but we feel like this is the year for us. We’ve got a lot of proving to do, proving to people that we can get to the Final Four.”
The Lady Volunteers (31-2) earned their 21st No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament on Monday night and will host Stetson on Saturday in Knoxville in the first round of the Dayton region.
After eight national championships, anything less than a trip to the Final Four is a disappointment for Summitt. In 2009, the fifth-seeded Lady Vols suffered the only opening-round loss in program history to Ball State, and in 2010, top-seeded Tennessee lost in the regional semifinals to Baylor.
“They’ve heard about it a whole lot,” Summitt said of the 2009 loss. “Ball State, it happened, but we learned a lot from it and we’ve improved obviously every year.”
Tennessee’s Dayton region draw puts it in position for a possible Final Four matchup with fellow No. 1 seed Connecticut, the team Summitt dropped from the regular season schedule after the 2006-07 season. Summitt and Geno Auriemma’s teams haven’t met since, despite strategic bracket arrangement by the NCAA selection committee.
Summitt isn’t talking about a potential matchup with the Huskies yet or about second-seeded Notre Dame, fourth-seeded Ohio State, sixth-seeded Oklahoma or any other Dayton region team for that matter.
“Our focus right now is on Tennessee and Stetson and finding out as much as we can about them and what we need to do to make our preparation the best it can be,” Summitt said. “I have all the confidence in the world.”
The Lady Vols have four all-time wins against Stetson, most recently a 83-33 victory in Knoxville on Nov. 20, 2005. The Hatters (20-12) earned an automatic bid after winning the Atlantic Sun Championship.
Tennessee ran through the Southeastern Conference undefeated and tacked on a tournament championship a week ago, cruising through those three games. Three other SEC teams earned NCAA bids: No. 4 seed Kentucky and No. 10 seed Vanderbilt in the Spokane region and No. 6 seed Georgia in the Dallas region.
Even with the SEC accolades and No. 1 seed, the Lady Vols feel like they’re a bit under the radar with plenty of attention going to Connecticut and Baylor.
“After they got done (announcing the brackets), we all looked at each other and said, ‘Wow, they didn’t say anything about us,”’ junior forward Shekinna Stricklen said. “That’s OK. We have been down a little bit, but we feel like this is the year for us. We’ve got a lot of proving to do, proving to people that we can get to the Final Four.”
UConn, Tennessee, Baylor and Stanford No. 1 seeds
Connecticut’s path to a third straight national championship could include a renewal of the most heated rivalry in women’s college basketball.
The Huskies earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament Monday night.
For Geno Auriemma to match Tennessee coach Pat Summitt with an eighth national championship he might have to go through her Lady Vols, who earned the top seed in the Dayton region. If both come through their regions, UConn and Tennessee could meet again in the national semifinals at Indianapolis.
Auriemma’s Huskies didn’t have to face Tennessee during its record 90-game winning streak that was ended by Stanford on Dec. 30. The two pre-eminent teams in the sport broke off their annual matchup in 2007 in a testy split.
First up for UConn is former star Jen Rizzotti and her Hartford Hawks, who won the America East title. The two teams have played each other over the last six years but didn’t meet this season. Hartford is winless in 11 meetings against UConn.
Baylor and Stanford were the other two No. 1 seeds. It was the second straight No. 1 seed for the Cardinal, who fell to UConn in the title game last season.
The Huskies will be trying for their third consecutive title, matching their run from 2002-04 and Tennessee’s from 1996-98. UConn is one of a record nine Big East teams in the field. The Big East got 11 men’s teams in their field announced Sunday.
Unlike the men’s bracket that expanded to 68 teams this year, the women decided to stick with 64. Indianapolis will host the Final Four on April 3 and 5.
The last time the Final Four was in Indianapolis, Baylor won the championship as a No. 2 seed.
The Lady Bears, led by sophomore center Brittney Griner, will face No. 16 Prairie View in their opener on Sunday in the Dallas region. No. 8 Houston will play No. 9 West Virginia, No. 5 Wisconsin-Green Bay takes on No. 12 Arkansas-Little Rock, and No. 4 Michigan State plays No. 13 Missouri Valley champion Northern Iowa.
In the other part of the bracket, No. 6 Georgia takes on No. 11 Middle Tennessee State, which is still dealing with the death of Tina Stewart. Her Blue Raiders teammates played, and lost, their lone game in the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
No. 2 Texas A&M meets No. 15 McNeese State, No. 7 Rutgers plays No. 10 Louisiana Tech and No. 3 Florida State plays No. 14 Samford.
If the seeds hold, the Aggies and Lady Bears will meet for the fourth time this season. Baylor beat Texas A&M by a total of 15 points in their three meetings—including a three-point win in the Big 12 title game.
Stanford, which opens against UC Davis, could also face UCLA for a fourth time this year. The Cardinal swept the No. 3 seed in Spokane three times, but the Bruins had a late lead in the Pac-10 title game on Saturday.
Tennessee will open at home in the Dayton region against No. 16 Stetson, which needed a 55-footer at the buzzer to advance to the Atlantic Sun tournament championship game. No. 8 Marquette will play No. 9 Texas in the other game in Knoxville.
No. 5 Georgia Tech will play No. 12 Bowling Green and No. 4 Ohio State faces No. 13 Central Florida. The Buckeyes have had a roller-coaster season, winning their first seven games before dropping seven of the next nine. They righted themselves and have won their last nine games capped by a Big Ten tournament title.
No. 2 Notre Dame plays No. 15 Utah and No. 7 Arizona State meets No. 10 Temple. Rounding out that part of the bracket, No. 3 Miami plays No. 14 Gardner-Webb and No. 6 Oklahoma plays No. 11 James Madison. The Sooners have made the Final Four the last two seasons.
In the Spokane region, No. 8 Texas Tech takes on No. 9 St. John’s. Fifth-seeded North Carolina plays No. 12 Fresno State, and No. 4 Kentucky faces No. 13 Hampton.
No. 2 Xavier plays No. 15 South Dakota State, and No. 7 Louisville faces No. 10 Vanderbilt. Xavier lost to Stanford last season in the regional finals when the Musketeers missed two layups with the clock running down and the Cardinal hit a shot at the buzzer. No. 6 Iowa plays 11th-seeded Gonzaga while No. 3 UCLA takes on No. 14 Montana.
In the Philadelphia region, No. 8 Kansas State plays Purdue; fifth-seeded Georgetown takes on No. 12 Princeton; and No. 4 Maryland faces No. 13 Saint Francis, Pa. No. 2 Duke hosts 15th-ranked Tennessee-Martin, and No. 7 Iowa State plays 10th-seeded Marist. Finally, No. 6 Penn State hosts No. 11 Dayton and third-seeded DePaul faces No. 14 Navy.
The Huskies earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament Monday night.
For Geno Auriemma to match Tennessee coach Pat Summitt with an eighth national championship he might have to go through her Lady Vols, who earned the top seed in the Dayton region. If both come through their regions, UConn and Tennessee could meet again in the national semifinals at Indianapolis.
Auriemma’s Huskies didn’t have to face Tennessee during its record 90-game winning streak that was ended by Stanford on Dec. 30. The two pre-eminent teams in the sport broke off their annual matchup in 2007 in a testy split.
First up for UConn is former star Jen Rizzotti and her Hartford Hawks, who won the America East title. The two teams have played each other over the last six years but didn’t meet this season. Hartford is winless in 11 meetings against UConn.
Baylor and Stanford were the other two No. 1 seeds. It was the second straight No. 1 seed for the Cardinal, who fell to UConn in the title game last season.
The Huskies will be trying for their third consecutive title, matching their run from 2002-04 and Tennessee’s from 1996-98. UConn is one of a record nine Big East teams in the field. The Big East got 11 men’s teams in their field announced Sunday.
Unlike the men’s bracket that expanded to 68 teams this year, the women decided to stick with 64. Indianapolis will host the Final Four on April 3 and 5.
The last time the Final Four was in Indianapolis, Baylor won the championship as a No. 2 seed.
The Lady Bears, led by sophomore center Brittney Griner, will face No. 16 Prairie View in their opener on Sunday in the Dallas region. No. 8 Houston will play No. 9 West Virginia, No. 5 Wisconsin-Green Bay takes on No. 12 Arkansas-Little Rock, and No. 4 Michigan State plays No. 13 Missouri Valley champion Northern Iowa.
In the other part of the bracket, No. 6 Georgia takes on No. 11 Middle Tennessee State, which is still dealing with the death of Tina Stewart. Her Blue Raiders teammates played, and lost, their lone game in the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
No. 2 Texas A&M meets No. 15 McNeese State, No. 7 Rutgers plays No. 10 Louisiana Tech and No. 3 Florida State plays No. 14 Samford.
If the seeds hold, the Aggies and Lady Bears will meet for the fourth time this season. Baylor beat Texas A&M by a total of 15 points in their three meetings—including a three-point win in the Big 12 title game.
Stanford, which opens against UC Davis, could also face UCLA for a fourth time this year. The Cardinal swept the No. 3 seed in Spokane three times, but the Bruins had a late lead in the Pac-10 title game on Saturday.
Tennessee will open at home in the Dayton region against No. 16 Stetson, which needed a 55-footer at the buzzer to advance to the Atlantic Sun tournament championship game. No. 8 Marquette will play No. 9 Texas in the other game in Knoxville.
No. 5 Georgia Tech will play No. 12 Bowling Green and No. 4 Ohio State faces No. 13 Central Florida. The Buckeyes have had a roller-coaster season, winning their first seven games before dropping seven of the next nine. They righted themselves and have won their last nine games capped by a Big Ten tournament title.
No. 2 Notre Dame plays No. 15 Utah and No. 7 Arizona State meets No. 10 Temple. Rounding out that part of the bracket, No. 3 Miami plays No. 14 Gardner-Webb and No. 6 Oklahoma plays No. 11 James Madison. The Sooners have made the Final Four the last two seasons.
In the Spokane region, No. 8 Texas Tech takes on No. 9 St. John’s. Fifth-seeded North Carolina plays No. 12 Fresno State, and No. 4 Kentucky faces No. 13 Hampton.
No. 2 Xavier plays No. 15 South Dakota State, and No. 7 Louisville faces No. 10 Vanderbilt. Xavier lost to Stanford last season in the regional finals when the Musketeers missed two layups with the clock running down and the Cardinal hit a shot at the buzzer. No. 6 Iowa plays 11th-seeded Gonzaga while No. 3 UCLA takes on No. 14 Montana.
In the Philadelphia region, No. 8 Kansas State plays Purdue; fifth-seeded Georgetown takes on No. 12 Princeton; and No. 4 Maryland faces No. 13 Saint Francis, Pa. No. 2 Duke hosts 15th-ranked Tennessee-Martin, and No. 7 Iowa State plays 10th-seeded Marist. Finally, No. 6 Penn State hosts No. 11 Dayton and third-seeded DePaul faces No. 14 Navy.
Sunday, March 06, 2011
No. 4 Tennessee downs No. 16 Kentucky in SEC final
Angie Bjorklund scored 23 points, including seven 3-pointers, and No. 4 Tennessee hit a school- and tournament-record 16 3-pointers to beat No. 16 Kentucky 90-65 Sunday in the Southeastern Conference championship game.
The Lady Vols (31-2), who were unbeaten in the SEC, won their 15th tournament title overall. This one was a bit special because it marked only the third time Tennessee went undefeated in winning the regular-season title before winning the conference tournament. Tennessee also did that in 1994 and 1998.
Kentucky (24-8) goes home still looking for its first SEC tournament title since 1982.
Shekinna Stricklen scored 19 points for Tennessee, Meighan Simmons added 16, and Alicia Manning had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Victoria Dunlap and Bernisha Pinkett each had 15 points for Kentucky.
The Lady Vols (31-2), who were unbeaten in the SEC, won their 15th tournament title overall. This one was a bit special because it marked only the third time Tennessee went undefeated in winning the regular-season title before winning the conference tournament. Tennessee also did that in 1994 and 1998.
Kentucky (24-8) goes home still looking for its first SEC tournament title since 1982.
Shekinna Stricklen scored 19 points for Tennessee, Meighan Simmons added 16, and Alicia Manning had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Victoria Dunlap and Bernisha Pinkett each had 15 points for Kentucky.
Saturday, March 05, 2011
No. 4 Tennessee beats Georgia 82-58 in SEC tourney
Meighan Simmons scored 18 points and No. 4 Tennessee beat Georgia 82-58 on Saturday in the Southeastern Conference tournament semifinals.
The Lady Volunteers (30-2) will play in their 20th conference championship against No. 16 Kentucky or Vanderbilt.
Tennessee scored the first nine points of the game and never trailed. A 3-pointer by Taber Spani gave the Lady Vols a 16-2 lead with 13:51 left in the first half.
The Lady Bulldogs missed their first 14 shots from the field. Khaalidah Miller broke the drought when she hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key just before the shot clock expired to cut the margin to 16-5 with 9:55 to go before halftime.
Georgia scored the next seven points to pull to 16-9 but wouldn’t get any closer with Tennessee shooting 48.4 percent for the game.
Jasmine Hassell led the fourth-seeded Lady Bulldogs (21-10) with 20 points.
The Lady Volunteers (30-2) will play in their 20th conference championship against No. 16 Kentucky or Vanderbilt.
Tennessee scored the first nine points of the game and never trailed. A 3-pointer by Taber Spani gave the Lady Vols a 16-2 lead with 13:51 left in the first half.
The Lady Bulldogs missed their first 14 shots from the field. Khaalidah Miller broke the drought when she hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key just before the shot clock expired to cut the margin to 16-5 with 9:55 to go before halftime.
Georgia scored the next seven points to pull to 16-9 but wouldn’t get any closer with Tennessee shooting 48.4 percent for the game.
Jasmine Hassell led the fourth-seeded Lady Bulldogs (21-10) with 20 points.
Friday, March 04, 2011
No. 4 Tennessee beats Florida 92-75 in SEC tourney
Glory Johnson shied away from the TV cameras, hiding behind teammate Kelley Cain, even though she’d just had one of the best games of her career.
She didn’t want to take any credit away from her fellow Lady Vols.
Johnson scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as No. 4 Tennessee beat eighth-seeded Florida 92-75 Friday in the Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinals. .
“Being a post player, you have to get your touches from the guards,” Johnson said. “I’m not trying to take all the credit. I have off games. There’s times where I’m not hitting shots and pulling rebounds. That’s why I rely on my teammates.”
Shekinna Stricklen added 20 points for the Lady Volunteers (29-2), who are now 8-0 against Florida in the SEC tournament. They’ll meet fourth-seeded Georgia in Saturday’s semifinals.
Tennessee won the regular-season meeting with the Lady Bulldogs 77-44 on Feb. 21.
The Lady Vols had a 38-36 halftime edge, but Johnson hit a long-range jumper, a shot in the paint and a fast-break layup in the first 1:25 of the second half to give them a 44-36 lead. She finished the game 11 of 16 from the free-throw line.
“We knew they were going to come out at halftime and come out on a run,” Florida guard Deana Allen said. “When Glory was scoring back to back to back, it deflated us in a way. We knew we had to answer.”
Jordan Jones hit a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the margin to five, but it was as close as the Gators (18-14) would get.
The Lady Vols shot 69.2 percent in the second half and hit 17 of 25 from the free-throw line after halftime. The Lady Vols scored 50 points in the paint, got 28 points off 18 Florida turnovers and turned a 40-32 rebounding advantage into 18 second-chance points.
Lanita Bartley led Florida with 14 points. Ndidi Madu and Allen each scored 13, Jaterra Bonds had 12 and Jones scored 10.
“I told the team in the locker room there were a lot of things we could have done better but there’s no way we could have fought any harder than we did,” Florida coach Amanda Butler said. “However, we didn’t come here to put up a good fight.”
Tennessee won the SEC regular-season title after an undefeated run through conference play. The Lady Vols beat their SEC foes during the regular season by an average 24.1 points per game.
The Lady Vols hadn’t had too much trouble with the Gators in their two regular-season meetings. Tennessee limited Florida to 15 first-half points in its 83-40 win on Jan. 13 in Gainesville, and the Gators hit just 25 percent of their shots and scored their fewest points of the season in Tennessee’s 61-39 win on Feb. 10 in Knoxville.
But the Gators entered the game having won four straight and had warmed up for the Lady Vols with a 68-59 victory against ninth-seeded Arkansas in Thursday’s first-round game. Florida led the Lady Razorbacks by as many as 17 points and shot 60.7 percent in the first half and scored the final nine points to win.
This time against Tennessee, Florida led 16-14 when Stricklen hit a 3-pointer from the wing and Angie Bjorklund followed with another from the corner as part of a 10-2 run by Tennessee. Glory Johnson hit six free throws and a layup over a 2:56 period that helped the Lady Vols build to a 35-24 lead with 5:41 before halftime.
The Gators fought back with a 10-0 run that included four points by Bartley and a 3-pointer by Allen, getting within 35-34 with 2:38 in the first half, and the Lady Vols entered halftime with a 38-36 lead.
“You can tell they spent a lot of time on their offensive game,” Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. “The ball didn’t get stuck in players’ hands. I thought they were really aggressive. They’re tough.”
Florida actually shot better than Tennessee in the first half—48.4 percent to 41.9 percent—but Tennessee had four more points at the free-throw line.
Johnson had 10 points at halftime and surpassed her previous career high of 22 points, set on Jan. 23 in a win against Mississippi State, when she hit a pair of free throws with 5:49 left in the game to make it 74-61.
“Florida is a physical team,” Johnson said. “I don’t know if it looked like it or not, but they were giving me an extremely hard time.”
She didn’t want to take any credit away from her fellow Lady Vols.
Johnson scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as No. 4 Tennessee beat eighth-seeded Florida 92-75 Friday in the Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinals. .
“Being a post player, you have to get your touches from the guards,” Johnson said. “I’m not trying to take all the credit. I have off games. There’s times where I’m not hitting shots and pulling rebounds. That’s why I rely on my teammates.”
Shekinna Stricklen added 20 points for the Lady Volunteers (29-2), who are now 8-0 against Florida in the SEC tournament. They’ll meet fourth-seeded Georgia in Saturday’s semifinals.
Tennessee won the regular-season meeting with the Lady Bulldogs 77-44 on Feb. 21.
The Lady Vols had a 38-36 halftime edge, but Johnson hit a long-range jumper, a shot in the paint and a fast-break layup in the first 1:25 of the second half to give them a 44-36 lead. She finished the game 11 of 16 from the free-throw line.
“We knew they were going to come out at halftime and come out on a run,” Florida guard Deana Allen said. “When Glory was scoring back to back to back, it deflated us in a way. We knew we had to answer.”
Jordan Jones hit a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the margin to five, but it was as close as the Gators (18-14) would get.
The Lady Vols shot 69.2 percent in the second half and hit 17 of 25 from the free-throw line after halftime. The Lady Vols scored 50 points in the paint, got 28 points off 18 Florida turnovers and turned a 40-32 rebounding advantage into 18 second-chance points.
Lanita Bartley led Florida with 14 points. Ndidi Madu and Allen each scored 13, Jaterra Bonds had 12 and Jones scored 10.
“I told the team in the locker room there were a lot of things we could have done better but there’s no way we could have fought any harder than we did,” Florida coach Amanda Butler said. “However, we didn’t come here to put up a good fight.”
Tennessee won the SEC regular-season title after an undefeated run through conference play. The Lady Vols beat their SEC foes during the regular season by an average 24.1 points per game.
The Lady Vols hadn’t had too much trouble with the Gators in their two regular-season meetings. Tennessee limited Florida to 15 first-half points in its 83-40 win on Jan. 13 in Gainesville, and the Gators hit just 25 percent of their shots and scored their fewest points of the season in Tennessee’s 61-39 win on Feb. 10 in Knoxville.
But the Gators entered the game having won four straight and had warmed up for the Lady Vols with a 68-59 victory against ninth-seeded Arkansas in Thursday’s first-round game. Florida led the Lady Razorbacks by as many as 17 points and shot 60.7 percent in the first half and scored the final nine points to win.
This time against Tennessee, Florida led 16-14 when Stricklen hit a 3-pointer from the wing and Angie Bjorklund followed with another from the corner as part of a 10-2 run by Tennessee. Glory Johnson hit six free throws and a layup over a 2:56 period that helped the Lady Vols build to a 35-24 lead with 5:41 before halftime.
The Gators fought back with a 10-0 run that included four points by Bartley and a 3-pointer by Allen, getting within 35-34 with 2:38 in the first half, and the Lady Vols entered halftime with a 38-36 lead.
“You can tell they spent a lot of time on their offensive game,” Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. “The ball didn’t get stuck in players’ hands. I thought they were really aggressive. They’re tough.”
Florida actually shot better than Tennessee in the first half—48.4 percent to 41.9 percent—but Tennessee had four more points at the free-throw line.
Johnson had 10 points at halftime and surpassed her previous career high of 22 points, set on Jan. 23 in a win against Mississippi State, when she hit a pair of free throws with 5:49 left in the game to make it 74-61.
“Florida is a physical team,” Johnson said. “I don’t know if it looked like it or not, but they were giving me an extremely hard time.”
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Lady Vols Sweep SEC Awards
After going undefeated in 2011 Southeastern Conference basketball play, the University of Tennessee Lady Vols swept the trifecta of SEC Coach of the Year, Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors, announced the conference office on Tuesday.
Lady Vol Coach Pat Summitt collected her eighth SEC Coach of the Year award, while junior forward/guard Shekinna Stricklen (Morrilton, Ark.) was named the 2011 SEC Player of the Year and guard Meighan Simmons (Cibolo, Texas) was tabbed as the 2011 SEC Freshman of the Year. Additionally, UT junior post Glory Johnson (Knoxville, Tenn.) was also selected to the eight player SEC First Team and was also placed on the SEC All-Defensive squad in a vote by the league's 12 coaches.
This marks the second time Tennessee has swept the top three conference awards after Summitt was named the 1998 SEC Coach of the Year, Chamique Holdsclaw was the 1998 SEC Player of the Year and Tamika Catchings was honored as the 1998 SEC Freshman of the Year.
"I am so excited for, and proud of, Shekinna, Glory and Meighan," Summitt said. "They have impacted our success in SEC play all season long and are very deserving of this recognition."
In her 37th season at the helm of the UT program, Summitt has accumulated 1,065 wins - more than any other Division I coach in the history of men's or women's college basketball. In addition to her eight NCAA Titles, eight SEC Coach of the Year Awards, seven NCAA Coach of the Year Awards and 18 NCAA Final Four appearances, the Henrietta, Tenn., native has coached 19 Kodak All-Americans, has a 100% graduation rate for student-athletes who exhaust their eligibility in Lady Vol uniforms and boasts two basketball courts and a gymnasium that bear her name.
"Anytime you are recognized by your peers it's a great compliment," said Summitt. "Those are the people for whom I have the utmost respect. I received this award because of this team and their commitment to being competitive and playing together game-in and game-out. I am fortunate to have a great staff that can teach and contribute in many ways to the success of our team and our program."
A junior for the Big Orange, Stricklen led her 2011 team in SEC scoring (13.8 ppg) while playing four positions on the floor. Asked to play inside, she grabbed 8.4 rebounds per game in SEC contests. Need help at guard? She buried 43 percent of her three-pointers (25-57) while dishing almost two assists per game. Stricklen is the first Lady Vol to garner the award since Candace Parker in 2007.
"Wow! This is a tremendous honor," Stricklen remarked. "I am surprised and blessed at the same time. I have to thank all of my teammates and our coaching staff for all of their help and support."
In addition to POY, Stricklen earned All-SEC First Team honors for the first time after placing on the Second Team in 2009 and 2010 and All-Freshman team in 2009.
"Shekinna has been a multiple threat for us this season," Summitt said. "I challenged her at the start of SEC play and she has really stepped up her game and played like an All-American."
Stricklen is joined on the All-SEC First Team by Johnson who is making her very first appearance since earning 2009 SEC All-Freshman honors. The 6'3" leaper was also named to the six player 2011 SEC All-Defensive Team. This season, Johnson was selected as the 2011 SEC Player of the Week four times and was UT's second leading scorer in SEC games at 13.7 ppg while posting 10.3 rpg.
"There hasn't been a better rebounder than Glory Johnson, night-in and night-out, in SEC play this year," Summitt said. "I think her 10.3 rpg speaks to her commitment to controlling the glass."
Simmons has been a dynamo for the Lady Vols all season. The overall scoring leader at 13.8 ppg, she was third on the UT team in SEC scoring at 11.3 ppg while dishing 3.4 helpers per game.
"Meighan has not played like a freshman for our team and has been an impact player from day one," Summitt said.
Simmons was selected as the 2010-11 SEC Freshman of the Week three times. In addition to her Freshman of the Year honors and SEC All-Freshman Team selection, she also earned a place on the All-SEC Second Team.
"I am so honored," said Simmons. "Our league has so many great players and teams, I feel so blessed to have been selected. This award is a direct reflection on my teammates and coaches - they have helped me so much this season."
The top-seeded Lady Vols (28-2, 16-0 SEC) open play in the 2011 SEC Tournament at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., on Fri., Mar. 4 at noon CT (SportSouth). Tennessee will take on the winner of no. 8 seeded Florida (17-13, 7-9 SEC0 and no. 9 seeded Arkansas (18-10, 6-10 SEC) who play in opening round action on Mar. 3.
The complete 2011 SEC Women's Basketball Postseason Awards:
First Team All-SEC
Tierney Jenkins, Alabama
Alli Smalley, Auburn
Porsha Phillips, Georgia
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
LaSondra Barrett, LSU
Shekinna Stricklen, Tennessee
Glory Johnson, Tennessee
Jence Rhoads, Vanderbilt
Second Team All-SEC
C'eira Ricketts, Arkansas
Sarah Watkins, Arkansas
Jasmine James, Georgia
A'dia Mathies, Kentucky
Kayla Melson, Ole Miss
Mary Kathryn Govero, Mississippi State
Iesia Walker, South Carolina
Meighan Simmons, Tennessee
All-Freshman Team
Kaneisha Horn, Alabama
Jaterra Bonds, Florida
Khaalidah Miller, Georgia
Bernisha Pinkett, Kentucky
Valencia Mcfarland, Ole Miss
Meighan Simmons, Tennessee
Jasmine Lister, Vanderbilt
Stephanie Holzer, Vanderbilt
All-Defensive Team
Tierney Jenkins, Alabama
Meredith Mitchell, Georgia
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
A'dia Mathies, Kentucky
Katherine Graham, LSU
Glory Johnson, Tennessee
Coach of the Year
Pat Summitt, Tennessee
Player of the Year
Shekinna Stricklen, Tennessee
Freshman of the Year
Meighan Simmons, Tennessee
Defensive Player of the Year
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
6th Woman of the Year
Stephanie Holzer, Vanderbilt
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Mary Kathryn Govero, Mississippi State
Lady Vol Coach Pat Summitt collected her eighth SEC Coach of the Year award, while junior forward/guard Shekinna Stricklen (Morrilton, Ark.) was named the 2011 SEC Player of the Year and guard Meighan Simmons (Cibolo, Texas) was tabbed as the 2011 SEC Freshman of the Year. Additionally, UT junior post Glory Johnson (Knoxville, Tenn.) was also selected to the eight player SEC First Team and was also placed on the SEC All-Defensive squad in a vote by the league's 12 coaches.
This marks the second time Tennessee has swept the top three conference awards after Summitt was named the 1998 SEC Coach of the Year, Chamique Holdsclaw was the 1998 SEC Player of the Year and Tamika Catchings was honored as the 1998 SEC Freshman of the Year.
"I am so excited for, and proud of, Shekinna, Glory and Meighan," Summitt said. "They have impacted our success in SEC play all season long and are very deserving of this recognition."
In her 37th season at the helm of the UT program, Summitt has accumulated 1,065 wins - more than any other Division I coach in the history of men's or women's college basketball. In addition to her eight NCAA Titles, eight SEC Coach of the Year Awards, seven NCAA Coach of the Year Awards and 18 NCAA Final Four appearances, the Henrietta, Tenn., native has coached 19 Kodak All-Americans, has a 100% graduation rate for student-athletes who exhaust their eligibility in Lady Vol uniforms and boasts two basketball courts and a gymnasium that bear her name.
"Anytime you are recognized by your peers it's a great compliment," said Summitt. "Those are the people for whom I have the utmost respect. I received this award because of this team and their commitment to being competitive and playing together game-in and game-out. I am fortunate to have a great staff that can teach and contribute in many ways to the success of our team and our program."
A junior for the Big Orange, Stricklen led her 2011 team in SEC scoring (13.8 ppg) while playing four positions on the floor. Asked to play inside, she grabbed 8.4 rebounds per game in SEC contests. Need help at guard? She buried 43 percent of her three-pointers (25-57) while dishing almost two assists per game. Stricklen is the first Lady Vol to garner the award since Candace Parker in 2007.
"Wow! This is a tremendous honor," Stricklen remarked. "I am surprised and blessed at the same time. I have to thank all of my teammates and our coaching staff for all of their help and support."
In addition to POY, Stricklen earned All-SEC First Team honors for the first time after placing on the Second Team in 2009 and 2010 and All-Freshman team in 2009.
"Shekinna has been a multiple threat for us this season," Summitt said. "I challenged her at the start of SEC play and she has really stepped up her game and played like an All-American."
Stricklen is joined on the All-SEC First Team by Johnson who is making her very first appearance since earning 2009 SEC All-Freshman honors. The 6'3" leaper was also named to the six player 2011 SEC All-Defensive Team. This season, Johnson was selected as the 2011 SEC Player of the Week four times and was UT's second leading scorer in SEC games at 13.7 ppg while posting 10.3 rpg.
"There hasn't been a better rebounder than Glory Johnson, night-in and night-out, in SEC play this year," Summitt said. "I think her 10.3 rpg speaks to her commitment to controlling the glass."
Simmons has been a dynamo for the Lady Vols all season. The overall scoring leader at 13.8 ppg, she was third on the UT team in SEC scoring at 11.3 ppg while dishing 3.4 helpers per game.
"Meighan has not played like a freshman for our team and has been an impact player from day one," Summitt said.
Simmons was selected as the 2010-11 SEC Freshman of the Week three times. In addition to her Freshman of the Year honors and SEC All-Freshman Team selection, she also earned a place on the All-SEC Second Team.
"I am so honored," said Simmons. "Our league has so many great players and teams, I feel so blessed to have been selected. This award is a direct reflection on my teammates and coaches - they have helped me so much this season."
The top-seeded Lady Vols (28-2, 16-0 SEC) open play in the 2011 SEC Tournament at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., on Fri., Mar. 4 at noon CT (SportSouth). Tennessee will take on the winner of no. 8 seeded Florida (17-13, 7-9 SEC0 and no. 9 seeded Arkansas (18-10, 6-10 SEC) who play in opening round action on Mar. 3.
The complete 2011 SEC Women's Basketball Postseason Awards:
First Team All-SEC
Tierney Jenkins, Alabama
Alli Smalley, Auburn
Porsha Phillips, Georgia
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
LaSondra Barrett, LSU
Shekinna Stricklen, Tennessee
Glory Johnson, Tennessee
Jence Rhoads, Vanderbilt
Second Team All-SEC
C'eira Ricketts, Arkansas
Sarah Watkins, Arkansas
Jasmine James, Georgia
A'dia Mathies, Kentucky
Kayla Melson, Ole Miss
Mary Kathryn Govero, Mississippi State
Iesia Walker, South Carolina
Meighan Simmons, Tennessee
All-Freshman Team
Kaneisha Horn, Alabama
Jaterra Bonds, Florida
Khaalidah Miller, Georgia
Bernisha Pinkett, Kentucky
Valencia Mcfarland, Ole Miss
Meighan Simmons, Tennessee
Jasmine Lister, Vanderbilt
Stephanie Holzer, Vanderbilt
All-Defensive Team
Tierney Jenkins, Alabama
Meredith Mitchell, Georgia
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
A'dia Mathies, Kentucky
Katherine Graham, LSU
Glory Johnson, Tennessee
Coach of the Year
Pat Summitt, Tennessee
Player of the Year
Shekinna Stricklen, Tennessee
Freshman of the Year
Meighan Simmons, Tennessee
Defensive Player of the Year
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
6th Woman of the Year
Stephanie Holzer, Vanderbilt
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Mary Kathryn Govero, Mississippi State
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