Saturday was a big day in Knoxville. Tennessee was hosting ESPN’s GameDay crew for a doubleheader — the Tennessee-Vanderbilt men’s game in the afternoon, and the same matchup between the women’s teams in the evening. Before coaching her team in the late game, Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt was a big part of ESPN’s telecast. She joined the pregame show, was with one of her players who accepted an award, and she was featured on camera all throughout the game.
Summitt was stationed courtside, opposite of the benches, in her usual seats when she’s able to make the games. Pat is no stranger to attending the men’s games — she tries to be there for as many as possible, especially with her son Tyler on the teams as a walk-on. And like a typical coach, Summitt’s instincts were kicking in late in the game; she kept putting her hands up to remind the Vols to play good defense and to rebound, supporting them to the end against one of their rivals.
Having Summitt around to improve the atmosphere is a blessing given Bruce Pearl’s status. Pearl was sitting out the game as part of his penalty for committing recruiting violations and lying to the NCAA about them. Assistant coach Tony Jones is serving as the head coach during the eight-game suspension, but many different coaches are helping out. And though it didn’t appear as if the players were looking over to Pat for guidance and direction, it sure doesn’t hurt having a coach who’s won over 1,000 games and eight national championships sitting courtside to help support the team.
Photo Credit: Adam Brimer/Knoxville News Sentinel
