Volunteers fans want Summitt to step down

There are calls in Knoxville for iconic Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt to step down.

It's a surreal notion, borderline irreverent even.

But my guess is, some part of Summitt, maybe even a large part of her, is proud, proud that Lady Vols fans care so deeply about the program she birthed, nurtured and molded into a national treasure that they are willing to do whatever it takes to keep up with the Joneses.

And that includes cutting ties with her, a woman with an unparalleled resume in sports. Summitt has been the head coach at Tennessee for 38 years. She's rolled up 1,097 victories, eight national championships and 31 Southeastern Conference regular season or tournament titles along the way.

Just as important, Summitt's legacy will also be defined by her ability to turn a sport that struggles every single day for relevancy in most circles into a religion in the state of Tennessee.

There are thousands upon thousands of people down there who follow the Lady Vols as intently as they do the Tennessee football team or the men's basketball team, if not more so.

And that's why they want Summitt, who was at Allstate Arena on Monday as Tennessee handed DePaul a 63-48 loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, to leave.

They want her to leave in the most dignified and celebrated way, of course, but they want her to do what they believe is right for the program and ride off into the sunset.

“It's time to build a 100-foot-tall monument to Coach Summitt in front of (Thompson-Boling Arena), and move on,” suggested VOLunTEAR, who submitted one of 85 on-line posts on a Knoxville News Sentinel story last month about Summitt and the future of the program.

“I believe that it is probably time for Pat to retire. I can't believe I said that,” OwensboroVol wrote on the same thread. “No one has made a larger contribution to the University of Tennessee athletic department than Pat Summitt.”

Lady Vols fans love Summitt; always have, always will. But they hate the disease that is crippling Summitt and, in turn, their beloved program, which recently lost the commitment of a key recruit who cited Summitt's health and the uncertainty of her future as a concern.

Last August, Summitt announced that she had been diagnosed with early onset dementia, Alzheimer's type. At the time, Summitt vowed to fight her condition and the disease itself, and to continue on as Tennessee's head coach.

But it is obvious the disease is taking a toll on Summitt.

At Allstate, she wasn't the same Summitt I've watched and admired for years. And, frankly, it was heartbreaking.

Summitt didn't prowl the sidelines with that infamous icy stare of hers. She also didn't yell at the officials or lead the timeout huddles.

Assistant coach Holly Warlick, who also has been running practices and handling press conferences all season, was in charge.

Summitt barely spoke and rarely left her seat during the games at Allstate. And although she seemed to be following the action on the court closely, the expression on her face looked vacant at times.

Although they lovingly cheer Summitt before and after games, fans worry that prized recruits are seeing exactly what I saw.

Forward Kaela Davis, a high school junior out of Georgia who committed to Tennessee in 2010, announced last month that she is reopening her recruitment. Davis, the No. 2 ranked player in the Class of 2013 by ESPN's HoopGurlz, is concerned about Summitt's status for the future and how that is impacting Tennessee's standing out on the recruiting trail.

On the Knoxville News Sentinel thread about Summitt and Davis, The Voice said that a new coach needs to be selected as soon as possible and that “things are beginning to get out of hand.”

Although it would be beyond strange to see a new coach plugged into Summitt's slot, journalists from Knoxville tell me they'd be shocked if Summitt continues beyond this season. Names such as LSU head coach Nikki Caldwell, who played at Tennessee in the early 1990s, and Kentucky head coach Matthew Mitchell, who was an assistant coach at Tennessee under Summitt, are being floated. Some think Warlick, who has been an assistant at Tennessee for 27 years, should be rewarded for her loyalty.

Either way, many Tennessee fans are beginning to think beyond Summitt.

“Nothing lasts forever,” Jerry3210 wrote on the News Sentinel thread. “Bear Bryant had his run. John Wooden had his run. Michael Jordan and the Bulls had their run, but all runs come to an end, including this earth we live upon. Thanks Pat. It's been a great run.”

Of course, it's a gut-wrenching shame that Summitt won't get to end this run on her own terms.

She deserves that much.

But knowing the competitor in Summitt, she'll proudly take one for the team that she built so masterfully from the ground up.

pbabcock@dailyherald.com