A view of the Summitt

Many, many moons ago, a new sports writer got the bright idea to push girls basketball in our newspaper. I started doing features on, not just local kids, but I watched college games on TV and introduced some of those players to my readers.
I got that idea when I did an article on Kimberly Wilson, a player from near-by Hampton, who was a stand-out at the University of Arkansas. Wilson was considered as a local girl so it wasn't difficult to get an phone interview with her college coach. But, I wanted to do more so, just for the heck of it, I flipped through the media guide and found phone numbers for other schools. On a whim, I dialed one of the numbers.
"Hello, this is Pat."
I was so surprised, I nearly swallowed my gum and I wasn't even chewing any.
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt stepped down today after about 38 years on the job. She's labeled a legend only because there isn't a stronger word to describe her impact in basketball and women's sports in general.
I must admit, I wasn't a Lady Vols fan. I rooted against them consistently, mainly because of their relentless and almost ruthless style of play. They were physically dominant and just pounded opponents on the glass and beat them down defensively.
It wasn't pretty to watch. That's a big reason I wasn't a fan.
It was effective, though.
Summitt put women's basketball on the map. Yeah, Louisiana Tech and Old Dominion and even Cheryl Miller and USC did their part, too. But, Tennessee was the program that every other school aimed at. The Lady Vols were the gold standard that the rest of the country had to reach.
What impressed me about Summitt was her willingness to bring other programs to her level. I remember back in the days when very few women's games were on TV. I watched Tennessee travel to Storrs, Connecticut to play a program I didn't know existed.
There was no Sue Bird or Diana Taurasi or even Rebecca Lobo. Thinking back, I'm not even sure if Kerry Bascom was there.
I just remember Summitt giving an up-and-coming program some much-needed national TV exposure. Sometimes I wonder if Geno Auriemma remembers that, too.
Summitt won a whole bunch of games at Tennessee. I wasn't offering a standing ovation for any of them.
But, what she did for women's basketball deserves everyone's applause. She put her sport on the map. She let it be known to girls everywhere that it was okay to be big, strong, aggressive and even nasty at times. That's not playing like a boy. That's just playing ball.
Summitt could've been content standing alone at the top of the heap. Instead, she reached down and brought other folks up with her. Anything she could do for women's basketball, she did. Whether it was going on the road to help a no-name coach build a program or spending a few minutes on the phone with a no-name sports writer.
Pat Summitt IS women's basketball.

Let's go Hog fans

I really hope it's just a rumor that someone is making death threats toward Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long. Please, don't be true because if it is true, Razorback fans just stormed past Happy Valley as the biggest football dopes in the country.
As much as I enjoy watching Arkansas win on the football field, Bobby Petrino left Long no choice. He simply had to fire the man.
I said from the beginning, if there was any possible way for the university to keep Petrino, they were going to do so.
It's not the cheating.
It's not even just about the lying.
You simply cannot give a $55,000 job to your girlfriend when there are almost 150 other applicants.
Damn Sam, how stupid you be?
Anyway, Long had no choice but to fire Petrino at the worst possible time. There are no outstanding unemployed coaches out there, right now. It's in the middle of spring practice. It's also recruiting season not to mention the Razorbacks are poised to make a national run next year.
You think Long wanted to fire the man?
Why anyone would blame the athletic director for the mess in Fayetteville ... well, I guess anyone dumb enough to blame him would probably be insane enough to threaten to kill him.
Okay, I get it.It makes sense now.
Wooo! Pig Sooie!

What if I got to watch the game?

One of the primary reasons I stayed home last night was so I could watch the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship game between Notre Dame and Baylor. I don't get excited often anymore about basketball games at any level.
I'm old. I've seen it all.
But, I wanted to watch this game because I've felt all season these were probably the two best teams. This was the correct matchup for the final game of the season.
Unfortunately, a storm blew through town around tip-off time. The game was close when my satellite signal was lost. By the time the game came back on, Baylor was celebrating as the final seconds ticked away.
I should've gone to work.
I watched Brittany Griner's highlights and listened to the experts discuss Baylor's chances for a repeat next year. The Lady Bears could easily win it again.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, lost in the finals for the second year in a row. Stanford is still ringless despite five straight trips to the Final Four.
What if Skyler Diggins had chosen Stanford over her hometown team Notre Dame? The Cardinal, from what I understand, was in the running for her services out of high school.
What if Diggins had gone out west to Stanford, which has been the mecca for frontcourt players over the past seven years or so. The Cardinal annually has the biggest, most skilled frontline in the country. And, the weakest, most fragile backcourt.
What if Diggins had gone to Stanford?
1. Notre Dame wouldn't have been to two Final Fours, must less title games.
2. Texas A&M would not have its national championship.
3. The Cardinal might be in the middle of a two, possibly three-year title run.
4. UConn's winning streak might be considerably shorter.
5. Condoleeza Rice would actually smile while watching the games.
Obviously, this is off the top of my head. No research has gone into this column. But, in my opinion, the entire landscape of women's college basketball would be turned upside down if this one player had changed her mind in high school.
The thing is, you could say the same thing about Griner. What if she had gone to Texas instead of Baylor? We'd have one less coaching change, that's for sure.
What if Elena Delle Donne had stayed at Connecticut? Those damn Huskies might have a decade-long winning streak.
What if Tennessee's Shekinna Stricklen, Baylor's Jordan Madden, Ohio State's Ashley Adams and Oklahoma's Morgan Hook had stayed in-state and gone to Arkansas?
What if my dadgum satellite hadn't gone out and I actually got to watch the game?
Recruiting is such a delicate yet crucial part of college sports. Coaches get so much credit but in the end, if you sign Brittany Griner or Skyler Diggins out of high school, you have a better chance of cutting down the nets than if you don't.