Speaking of Tennessee womens basketball
Women's college hoops took a nose dive after Pat Summit had to retire. All time.winningest coach (Geno will replace her eventually, if he hasn't already) and an ambassador to women's basketball. She was the women's version of Bob Knight--fierce, even ardent, strict, and unflappable in demeanor. Everyone thought she was a mean witch, but I don't see it that way.
Low-key women's hoops stay having their hest coaches die Young
. Kay Yow and the Pat Summit. Vivian Stringer just had to take a leave of absense because of health concerns. Women's game was lit as fukk in the 2000s-- Pat Summit and the lady vols going back to back with Candance Parker; ND repeated final fours; Sue Byrd/ Diana taurasi/Maya Moore; Vivian Stringer taking the Rutgers women's team to the final four, only to be called Nappy Headed hoes by Don Imus
; those great LSU teams and their rivalry with Tennessee, ultimately dismantled because Pookie Chapman was fukking her players
; and then you had Tara Vandemeer at Stanford still holding those 90s Stanford championships over everyone's heads but not being able to beat her contemporaries when it mattered--last but nice least Mike Patrick losing his shyt during the Women's tournament. Low-key everyone hated Mike Patrick in the 2000s, as he was dry as dry could be, almost the college sports version of Larry merchant (
), but he brought a lot of liveliness and quirkyness to the game and made it not so life/death. T hat convivial disposition of college sports died when college football kept having scandals and recruiting issues, and college basketball instituted the one and done. Now college sports is about the pros, the money, the exposure. shyt, y'all notice that in college basketball they don't announce the players majors anymore?
, not do they give us fun facts about them like they used to. Nostalgia is always a step behind, but it's good to rememeber
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