A Salute To Pat Summitt...

[Replicant]

It's a sad day for women's basketball to consider we may have just watched the last game of a living legend.

It's also a shame things devolved to the extent they did between the UConn & Tenn programs. No one was well served - not the universities or the sport. But tonight and at long last, all is forgotten and forgiven. To quote Gandhi..."It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business".​

Coach Summitt is a treasure of the game, will never be forgotten and this humble UConn fan thanks her for being a great and formidable adversary. She made my Huskies even better than we knew we could by the challenge she presented.

God bless.

 

[Kevin G]

It's a sad day for women's basketball to consider we may have just watched the last game of a living legend.

It's also a shame things devolved to the extent they did between the UConn & Tenn programs. No one was well served - not the universities or the sport. But tonight and at long last, all is forgotten and forgiven. To quote Gandhi..."It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business".​

Coach Summitt is a treasure of the game, will never be forgotten and this humble UConn fan thanks her for being a great and formidable adversary. She made my Huskies even better than we knew we could by the challenge she presented.

God bless.

Well said. God Bless

 

[Dairyair]

It's a sad day for women's basketball to consider we may have just watched the last game of a living legend.

It's also a shame things devolved to the extent they did between the UConn & Tenn programs. No one was well served - not the universities or the sport. But tonight and at long last, all is forgotten and forgiven. To quote Gandhi..."It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business".​

Coach Summitt is a treasure of the game, will never be forgotten and this humble UConn fan thanks her for being a great and formidable adversary. She made my Huskies even better than we knew we could by the challenge she presented.

God bless.

Well said, indeed...

 

[VAUConnFan]

Very well said.

 

[HuskyNan]

Nice job.

 

[01Neaggrad02]

Why is it...because she is sick... we all feel the need to treat her like a God.... when we all have other opinions in our mind that we try to keep to ourselves. I think it totally acceptable to say it is sad that she is sick, and that it is going to be a new day in Tennessee... yadda yadda yadda... and that we respect her. But we should point out that she cancelled the match between our two schools... that she made accusations against Geno in public that potentially damaged his reputation, and her demeanor at that time.... when healthy... was unbecoming of a "legend".

Stop trying to be PC... I wish Pat well with her health... but other than that... I am not sad to see her leave the game. This year was a shame how she sat on the sideline more as a figure head rather than a coach. I think it was a disservice to her team and the game.

 

[alexrgct]

Why is it...because she is sick... we all feel the need to treat her like a God.... when we all have other opinions in our mind that we try to keep to ourselves. I think it totally acceptable to say it is sad that she is sick, and that it is going to be a new day in Tennessee... yadda yadda yadda... and that we respect her. But we should point out that she cancelled the match between our two schools... that she made accusations against Geno in public that potentially damaged his reputation, and her demeanor at that time.... when healthy... was unbecoming of a "legend".

Stop trying to be PC... I wish Pat well with her health... but other than that... I am not sad to see her leave the game. This year was a shame how she sat on the sideline more as a figure head rather than a coach. I think it was a disservice to her team and the game.

Discontinuing the Tennessee-UConn is a footnote in her career...and Geno's for that matter. You're seriously going to trivialize a 38-year career, one of the most important in women's sports, by pointing out one relatively minor decision she made?

Furthermore, how can you say her role this year was a disservice to anyone? Would the 1997 Pat Summitt had more of a impact? Of course. Without her, would this LV team made the Elite Eight? I have no idea. And neither do you.

Additionally, although you're certainly entitled to your opinion, was it necessary to express it on this specific thread?

Bottom line, Pat raised the bar. No one other than Geno has been able to reach the level Pat got her program to and kept it at for three decades. She is an icon, a pioneer, and someone worthy of the utmost respect.

 

[JS]

Why is it...because she is sick... we all feel the need to treat her like a God.... when we all have other opinions in our mind that we try to keep to ourselves. * * * Stop trying to be PC...

You've stated your opinion, unwelcome as it may be to most in this thread who want to travel a different road.

Kindly just leave it at that and refrain from questioning others' motives and sincerity.

 

[AllAmerRedHeads]

A Legend. Pure and simple. Meeting her and sitting at a table with her, Jody Conradt and others last summer was certainly a pinnacle moment for me.

Aside from being a great coach, I found her to be very gracious. Her son is on my fb and leaves inspiring quotes from the bible virtually everyday.

I may be a UConn fan, yet I would be honored to have people like Pat and Tyler at my dinner table.

God Bless her and her family and whatever decision she comes to

 

[Icebear]

The OP uses one of my favorite quotes. Thank you Replicant for bringing it forward. It is a reminder that we have a choice always before us. How do we respond when we have been hurt? We can forgive and reach out to touch and attempt to heal. When in that effort our hand is knocked away we still have a choice, to still forgive. The challenge in life is to learn to let the time between each be shortened until the time between hurt, forgiving, touching, and forgiving become immeasurably so small that there is no time for anger, frustration and adding to the harm.

Consider the time lost to the last because for all parties the forgiveness and healing did not come soon enough between Geno and Pat and any others involved.

We, all of us, still have a choice to shorten that time and to give no more space to things that harm. May there be peace in Pat's life, in Geno's life and in every life where forgiveness and the touch of healing is needed. Most of all because time is passing may Pat and Tyler and all who love them enjoy every moment and every memory that time allows. We all have a choice.

 

[justML]

If we could have seen foreseen what would happen in Pat Summitt's life personally and professionally in the years that followed her ending our rivalry, could we have mustered up even half the anger we felt back then?

Just think about the incredibly good things that have happened for Geno and our team in the ensuing years and compare that to Pat's life and the TN program. Anger? Bitterness? No way. All I can muster up is a feeling of utter sadness.

 

[Phil]

Why is it...because she is sick... we all feel the need to treat her like a God....

Treating her with the respect she deserves is not the same as treating her like a god.

 

[HuskyNan]

No one is treating PHS like a god. Geez.

As for your beef against her, re: the complaint and her comments, did you ever consider her actions were the result of the onset of her illness?

 

[Icebear]

Nan, I think you quote of Phil makes it sound like he was the one who said she was being treated like a god. I sure that was not your intent.

 

[ctfjr]

Treating her with the respect she deserves is not the same as treating her like a god.

+1

I'm with you Phil. She has certainly earned it, just look at her accomplishments.

 

[LMGMM]

I’m a Tennessee grad and long time fan of the lady Vols and a great admirer of Summitt…Her first year on campus was my last…interestingly enough I got to know her, became a supporter, purchased season tickets and have had them for over 30 years, lived 2 houses down from her for a while…she’s my favorite coach…she’s an icon to me and I have very few of those…

But with all that said there’s lots of things about her I either don’t agree with her on or differ…. she’s not perfect as a coach or as a person…she’s human and she’s flawed…there are aspects of her game I don’t agree with….I find her willingness to ‘throw’ players under the bus distasteful…I’m a pretty driven person but don’t think I could have played for her, nor would I have wanted my daughter to play for her….I’ve ‘had a beer’ with her and while it was pleasant and I enjoyed it I think if I had the opportunity I’d much prefer having one with Geno…I love his humor and personality…. I wish she hadn’t cancelled the series with UConn….I don’t agree with her politics….and I could go on and on but no matter what my feelings about her the positives greatly outweigh the negatives…the most important thing to remember is that she’s genuine….she’s real, and she’s done a lot of positive things for women’s basketball, women in athletics, and women in general…

 

[UcMiami]

LMGMM - really nice post. It is hard for some people to separate professional accomplishments from personality, politics, etc. Even icons are human and no human is perfect. I personally suspect that some of the least attrative aspects of the past few years with respect to Pat may have been early manifestations of this terrible hand she was dealt. But even if that is not the case, I can look at the whole of her career and respect and admire her accomplishments.
(And as you say, given a choice between 'god' and the 'devil', the devil would make for a better drinking companion!!! )

 

[huskybill]

(And as you say, given a choice between 'god' and the 'devil', the devil would make for a better drinking companion!!! )

In my opinion you can cross out the drinking.

 

[rocky rococo]

did you ever consider her actions were the result of the onset of her illness?

It was my immediate reaction, the very minute I heard the sad news about her condition, "Oh, that explains a whole lot of stuff that happened."

 

[Icebear]

It was my immediate reaction, the very minute I heard the sad news about her condition, "Oh, that explains a whole lot of stuff that happened."

As did I rocky.

 

[Zorro]

No one is treating PHS like a god. Geez.

As for your beef against her, re: the complaint and her comments, did you ever consider her actions were the result of the onset of her illness?

That seems extremely likely.

 

[speedoo]

No one is treating PHS like a god. Geez.

As for your beef against her, re: the complaint and her comments, did you ever consider her actions were the result of the onset of her illness?

I am actually convinced that is the case.. Her behavior started changing shortly before that, as I recall, and the seemingly advanced state of her disease today does not jibe with what has been stated publicly about the time of onset. Of course I am not any kind of MD so my view does not carry any weight. But as a fan of WCBB, my opinion is that her last actions toward UConn were influenced by her disease.

 

[Phil]

But as a fan of WCBB, my opinion is that her last actions toward UConn were influenced by her disease.

And exacerbated by bad advice coming from people close to her who didn't serve her well.

 

[speedoo]

And exacerbated by bad advice coming from people close to her who didn't serve her well.

That is certainly likely. Do you want to say who you think those "people close to her" were?

 

[HuskyNan]

That is certainly likely. Do you want to say who you think those "people close to her" were?

Let's not turn what started as a nice thread into a shouting match with Them.