Guru’s End of the Decade Series: Pat Summitt and UConn Coverage Were the Dominant News

(Guru note: Updated to include the Lauren Hill remembrance after the first two items.)

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

To complete the Guru’s review of the 2019 decade in women’s basketball, primarily the collegiate game, what’s needed is a list of stories and of course the standout individuals on the court and sidelines.

We’re staying away from inside the WNBA, a very good love note column by Rob Knox has already been posted, but we will not stay away totally in terms of adding perspective.

Also, the main criteria is the attraction as news, the same way the Associated Press members judge stories of the year from different venues.

But the Guru’s own sense of things is also involved in that this is his picks, right?

Thus in the top two cases, there is not as much a top story as also a top topic, such was the nature of 2010s, and, no,  April 23, 2010, the Guru’s last day of employment at The Inquirer, ending a 40.5 years era is not on the list since he did not move on to other endeavors.

That said, when it comes to dominance, the first two entries are not singular stories but rather are topics in which a bunch of stories are bundled.

So, No. 1 should be unchallenged – it’s the late Tennessee legendary coach Pat Summitt.

Now, the Guru understands many of you would automatically assume her passing from causes related to early onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type, would be the top story.

But the Guru feels in the timeline of events, rather than her passing, the day the then 60-year-old Summitt announced in the late summer of 2011 on Aug. 23 that she had been diagnosed had a greater impact in terms of what stemmed from that moment.

Other than her family and other closest friends and  associates, until that day, which occurred, strangely,  the same time a rare set of earth tremors struck the Northeast, Summitt was seen to be virtually invincible with a life on  the sidelines not expected to end any time soon.

True, when the previous season ended, she had appeared a bit out of sorts after Notre Dame had upset the Lady Vols, but, then again, when you have experienced a life of success and world-wide admiration, an unforeseen ending with a loss at the moment could be disconcerting.

Even as she broke the news, it appeared that she might be at the earliest stage of the disease in that she vowed “no pity party” and to be coaching quite sometime into the future.

It didn’t take long, however, to realize as TV cameras focused on Summitt during the 2011-12 season, that the situation was more advance. 

Plus, there were adjustments as to what had been the norm in the past, especially in dealing with the media.

Closest colleagues who were getting to Knoxville to visit as well as former players were indicating they ran into unexpected situations.

And of course, as was to be repeated, every time from that moment and when other developments broke, sparked a review of her history and the success of the Tennessee women.

The uplifting side, however, was the determination to add beyond the sport legacy by battling the disease the way Summitt would prepare to deal with opposing teams, an intensity that resulted in 1,098 victories and eight NCAA titles, plus several records gained from being ranked in The Associated Press women’s poll, some of which still stand such as appearing with a Vols ranked team 618 weeks – missing only 14 at the time of her retirement.

Many tributes were established in her name.

 At the 2012 Women’s Final Four, the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) presented her with its women’s Most Courageous Award, and also established for future recipients the honor would bear her name.

 As Summitt led the off-court battle, more people became educated to the nature of the disease, two organizations formed – The Pat Summitt Foundation, which has since and continues to raise large sums of money to aid the medical fight and other endeavors – and The Pat Summitt Leadership to carry her legacy in areas she inspired prior to the need to fight the disease.

So either way, within this bundle or of all the events in the decade this would be the number one story.

But in terms of the ranking within, then, yes, the news of her passing on June 28, 2016, is second, because the world of women’s basketball would feel a little different moving forward. 

Until then, what was saluted was Summitt’s spirit and success, would now include honoring her memory.

And there was the reaction to her passing to be reported, as there was reaction to be reported on the initial announcement in 2011.

The third moment would be April 19, 2012, the day Summitt announced her retirement and that longtime associate head coach Holly Warlick would succeed her, a moment meaning all the lofty numbers achieved in her name in terms of wins, tournament appearances, etc., would now belong to someone else.

As for the rest of it, individually, they might be interspersed  lower, but as part of the bundle and because the roots stem to Summitt, came the sudden decline of the program, the end of a 565-week, 31-consecutive season appearance in The Associated Press women’s poll, the rise of others in the Southeastern Conference, and then last season, the first time, long time losing streaks occurred.

Within those years after Summitt revealed her diagnosis, came the battle drawn by actions inside the Tennessee athletic department seeking to breakup the Lady Vols brand.

And ultimately, after last season ended, the move to not replace Warlick with former Lady Vol and at that moment Mississippi State coach Kellie Harper.

What happens next belongs to the new decade and those of you reading this, if you think something else should fit within the bundle, feel free suggest an update.

So now, as we move to second, it is also easier to do this as a bundle, and had not Summitt’s situation occurred, this might be number one, but, since we don’t know, Lady Vol nation is free to speculate if the previous bundle was not necessary, this one off the competitive field might be less daunting.

All Things UConn

Of course, the only way to say it from a standpoint of success, 2010s in women’s basketball was all things UConn under Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma. 

From an AP standpoint, the Huskies went wire-to-wire spending all 194 voting weeks in the decade in the Top 5, and within that group, 111 of them number one, leading to an all-time runaway total of 244 No. 1 appearances in the 44-year ranking history,

Consider this: Before the Huskies’ first-ever ranking, Tennessee led UConn. 85-0 in No. 1 appearances. 

Since then, its 244-27 and after those two teams, Louisiana Tech, no longer a dominant Division I power, is third at 83 No. 1 listings, followed by still nationally relevant programs in terms of the penthouse districts in Baylor and Texas, tied with 47 times at the top.

In a few weeks, Connecticut will join Tennessee as the only two programs with 500 or more consecutive rankings, this is week 777 by the way in the poll history.

The Huskies also finished seven times No. 1, once No. 2, twice No. 3 in all the final polls within the decade.

As for NCAA stuff, there’s five NCAA titles, making it 11 overall, the ten decade Final Four appearances, and there’s the one win streak that was best at the time that reached 90, and then the other that reached 111, so, yes, even when they lost, it was big news —the end of the 90 by Stanford, and, probably, the best story in terms of a result, the unexpected semifinal overtime upset at the buzzer by Mississippi State, in 2017, that ended the 111-win record.

And then the following year, Notre Dame with the buzzer-beater by Arike Ogunbowale in a semifinal, and packing that whole weekend outside this, Mississippi State’s win over Louisville in the other semifinal, at the end, and then Ogunbowale’s repeat act in the championship.

On the winning side, UConn in 2010 completed a back-to-back unbeaten NCAA titles within the 90-game streak.

Auriemma became the first women’s coach for now, to guide USA to two Olympic gold medals, coming in the 2012 Games in London and 2016 Games in Brazil.

His Huskies assistant, associate head coach Chris Dailey, and longtime Tennessee assistant Mickey DeMoss became the first assistants to gain induction into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville.

Both Olympic squads were stuffed with players from Huskies teams, not because they played for Auriemma, but because their talent ruled and then, by the way, they happen to be Huskies.

UConn stars  won five USBWA national players of the year awards in three from Breanna Stewart, one from Maya Moore, and one from Tina Charles.

Stefanie Dolson, Kaleena Mosqueda Lewis, Brea Hartley, Moriah Jefferson, Katie Lou Samuelson, Gabby Williams, and Napheesa Collier, join those five for a total of 12 making USBWA squads in the decade.

Many times when Auriemma had something to say, the  quotes would resonate for weeks in news stories, depending when stated and what the topic was. 

Yes, others did, too, but since this is a bundle, one size fits all.

Again, the asides for WNBA addressed at the beginning, Maya Moore became part of four title teams with the Minnesota Lynx and Stewart and Mosqueda-Lewis were on the 2018 Seattle team.

There were others, and we’ll just mention Diana Taurasi (Phoenix) and Sue Bird (Seattle) on title teams but their careers stem from the previous decade.

Even as we are about to dip to individual stories and other remembrances beyond here, UConn became twice part of the conference membership identity shakeup leaving the old powerful Big East for the American Athletic Conference where the Huskies never lost a game to date and then the announcement of the forthcoming move back to the re-configured Big East starting next season.

At this point, the Guru knows those of you up in the Northeast can’t get enough of the just addressed topic, while many in the rest are saying, enough already.

So we move on to what was certainly a special moment to lead the rest of the decade narrative.

The Courage of Lauren Hill

 There may have been no more singular moment than the story that emerged in the fall of 2014 of Lauren Hill, the Division III Mount St. Joseph’s player who had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer but so expressed her love of the game in wanting to live just long enough to play the season opener against Hiram.

“Play for 22” became an immediate cause for all women’s basketball with the NCAA making the precedent setting move allowing the game to move up two weeks to Nov. 2 and Xavier University stepped in and volunteered to have the game relocated from the tiny gym to its 10,000 seat Cintas Center in Cincinnati and it was sold out in advance in less than hour, even quicker than the preseason NBA game featuring the return of Lebron James to Ohio on the Cleveland Cavaliers.

FOX televised the game live on all its affiliates except other places that got it tape delayed in places that had NFL coverage that Sunday afternoon and the nation saw Hill score a layup seconds after the opening tip..

At halftime Hill received from your Guru the USBWA Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award, which is normally presented at the Women’s Final Four. 

Summitt, herself, made a special trip for the ceremony which also included former Lady Vol great Tamika Catchings.

Given a life expectancy of no more than early December at best, Hill made it to early April soon after the 2014-15 season concluded and since then donations have continued to pour in to fight pediatric cancer to find a cure.

Conference Musical Chairs

Since it was just mentioned, though football driven, the women’s basketball world was certainly affected by the big conference shakeup early in the decade – the Guru had to change and adjust some 35 all-time ranked appearance teams with their new conference membership in The AP Women’s Poll database history.

Some examples, as mentioned, the breakup of the old Big East, which saw Notre Dame, Louisville, Syracuse, and Boston College go to the Atlantic Coast Conference, while Rutgers went to the Big Ten, which also welcomed Maryland from the ACC.

 West Virginia went from the old Big East to the Big 12, which lost Texas A&M and Missouri to the Southeastern Conference.

Electric Elena

Elena Delle Donne, followed by news organizations out of Wilmington, Del., in the previous decade from her formative years, became a singular story, fighting to stay on the court battling Lyme Disease, while also her exploits after forgoing Connecticut (last decade) and after a year of volleyball, joining the nearby Delaware team in the athletic department and making the Blue Hens nationally prominent for two seasons.

And her senior year, along with Baylor’s Brittany Griner and Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins, becoming part of the three-to-see promotion and of course as seniors going 1-2-3 in the WNBA draft.

 Delle Donne, in the WNBA led Chicago, her first pro team, to a title round, and then, last fall, became part of a champion with the Washington Mystics. She also was on the Olympic squads.

Kelsey Plum setting the NCAA career scoring record with the Washington Huskies, and Sabrina Ionescu, the double double queen with Oregon, which became a first-time Final Four squad in the decade last season, and previously were Final Four newbies Syracuse, Oregon State, Mississippi State, and South Carolina.

Dawn Doing It All 

Dawn Staley, now as a coach, reaching two Women’s Final Fours with South Carolina, and winning it in 2017 belongs on the list.

 In another role from her lifetime as an international player, she became the next USA coach after Auriemma and has a World Championship under her belt with her first Olympics part of the next decade drill this summer.

 Already in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame at that point, she became a Naismith honoree in Springfield, Mass., in 2013.

Upset City

In 2011, in a rarity, the teams that finished 1-2 in the final AP poll lost on the same day with Notre Dame beating Connecticut, then Texas A&M topping Stanford, and then the Aggies beating Notre Dame giving longtime coach Gary Blair an NCAA title.

Baylor won two titles, including a thrilling one-point win over Notre Dame last April, giving Kim Mulkey three overall.

Grand Career Totals

Joining Summitt in the 1,000th victory club this decade was Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer three seasons ago on  Feb., 2017, North Carolina’s Sylvia Hatchell and Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma on the same day on Dec. 19, 2017, Division II Bentley’s several weeks later on Jan. 17, 2018, and last season, Rutgers’ C. Vivian Stringer on Nov. 13, 2018.

We Remember

Besides Summitt’s passing, former longtime Penn State coach and Immaculata star Rene Portland succumbed to cancer in the summer of 2018, former Boston College coach Cathy Inglese died soon after suffering injuries in a fall last summer at her latest job which was having been hired on the staff at Hofstra.

Perfect Besides Smart

The 2015 season saw former Princeton coach Courtney Banghart guide the Tigers, who she made nationally relevant besides an Ivy power, to an unbeaten run into the NCAA tourney and first-round victory.

The next season Princeton became the first NCAA at-large women’s entry from the Ivies and Banghart before moving to guide North Carolina this year led the Tigers to eight of ten overall NCAA entries out of the ancient eight.

Changing Faces and Places

Longtime head coaches gone from the sidelines in those jobs for various reasons or now on the staffs of other head coaches: North Carolina’s Sylvia Hatchell, Georgia’s Andy Landers, Chattanooga’s Jim Foster, who’s longest stays were at Ohio State and Vanderbilt, after his first stop at Saint Joseph’s.

Theresa Grentz, Women’s Hall of Famer and former Immaculata star who coached longest at Rutgers, came back briefly at Lafayette; Van Chancellor, who coached a long time at Mississippi and then led Houston to the first four WNBA titles in previous decades, retired from LSU in this one.

 Vanderbilt’s Melanie Balcomb, Texas’ Gail Goestenkoers, who had been at Duke a longtime the previous decade, left the Longhorns in 2012, Lindsay Gottlieb this past year became an assistant NBA coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers, joining the female-precedent-setting trend begun by former WNBA star Becky Hammon, who is with the San Antonio Spurs, and several others from the women’s game.

Locally, longtime Villanova coach Harry Perretta announced his retirement, though its effective this spring; longtime Delaware coach Tina Martin is now on the staff of Karen Barefoot at UNCW.

In 2014, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association saw a change with Beth Bass stepping down and Danielle Donohew becoming executive director.

Naismith Gives The Call

  Inductees from the women’s game this decade to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., include: Cynthia Cooper-Dyke; Tara VanDerveer, Teresa Edwards, Katrina McClain, Lidia Alexeeva (Russian Olympic coach), the All-American Red Heads, Dawn Staley, Sylvia Hatchell, the 1972-74 era Immaculata Mighty Macs from suburban Philadelphia, Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Muffet McGraw, Rebecca Lobo, Katie Smith, Tina Thompson, and this past fall, the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens and Teresa Weatherspoon.

And that’s your events of the decade. Feel free to add with a note whatever you feel significant.

We’ll be back in 24 hours with the picks, though they should be obvious, for the individuals of the decade.