USBWA Reaction and Guru Coverage Plans on Summitt News

By Mel Greenberg

After a brief catch-up to you the Guru is posting the United States Basketball Writers Association reaction statement that will be at their website and also has been sent to AP and the Tennessee paper.

The Guru is writing a retrospective on Summitt for fullcourt.com. Mike Siroky, who was the original beat writer before Dan Fleser is also writing but more of the emphasis will be Holly Warlick.

The Guru is just getting under way, having kept his commitment to attend the St. Joseph's postseason women's dinner after having fallen asleep Tuesday afternoon at home and managing to miss the Drexel event. The Guru apologizes to the Dragons.

Coverage here will include react from local coaches as well as national react from emails sent to the Guru and also from scanning the wires. There will also be a history of local teams against Tennessee and a piece on Summitt's final AP poll numbers. Next season Georgia's Andy Landers becomes at the top of the list of active coaches in terms of total poll appearances.

Coverage will be ongoing the next several days.

The Guru is up at Fedex headquarters and can be reached by cell phone (currently recharging) or email notification to get back to whoever is seeking the Guru.

USBWA Statement on Tennessee Announcement

Now here is the USBWA react statement, which is actually the pre-edited version. The edited one will become one and the same possibly. :)

U.S. Basketball Writers Association Statement on Pat Summitt’s move to Coach Emeritus.

Pat Summitt may not have won that last NCAA title she and her players were after but the legend from Tennessee is moving to the new position of Coach Emeritus of the Lady Vols still very much at the top of her game.

Over the last several decades rarely did a post-season arrive without Tennessee picking up USBWA women’s honors for either player or coach of the year or all-Americans because of the performances continuously delivered by Pat’s program.

Most recently at the Women’s Final Four in Denver, Holly Warlick, who will move from Associate Head Coach to Head Coach, accepted the annual USBWA most courageous award on behalf of Pat for her ongoing fight against early onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type.

It was also announced that future winners of the honor will receive the Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award from USBWA as a tribute to the Hall of Famer not only for her own determination but also for instilling others to become their very best even in times of adversity to which Pat was always sensitive.

As Tennessee for the first time in what will be 39 years moves to a change on the sidelines, USBWA wishes both Pat and Holly well in ensuring the rich tradition of the Lady Vols continues to endure.

-- Mel