Pat Summitt used fans to motivate Lady Vols in SEC Tournament | Adams

John Adams
Knoxville News Sentinel

South Carolina has become what Tennessee once was in SEC women’s basketball. But Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley’s success makes you appreciate even more what former UT coach Pat Summitt did.

In Staley’s 14th season at South Carolina, the No. 1-ranked Gamecocks (27-1) will be a heavy favorite to win the SEC Tournament, which begins Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Recent history and talent are in their favor. They have won six of the past seven SEC Tournaments.

Summitt won 16 SEC Tournament championships. But what she achieved in the conference, which also included 17 regular-season championships, was overshadowed by her national accomplishments – eight national titles and 22 Final Fours.

Even though her program was defined by what it did nationally, her teams rarely overlooked the conference tournament. Debby Jennings, Summitt’s longtime media relations director, said UT fans had something to do with that.

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They served as motivation for the SEC Tournament.

“Pat always told her players before the tournament, ‘You’ve got such a great following,’ ” Jennings said. ‘You’ve got the best fans in the country. The tournament is some people’s vacation. It’s some people's Christmas present.

“ ‘They came here to see you play. It’s your responsibility not to let them down.’ ”

Perhaps, Staley's teams find motivation from the same source. South Carolina is on pace to lead women’s basketball in attendance for an eighth consecutive season. And its fans aren’t averse to travel.

The Lady Vols' great following under Summitt was apparent at the SEC Tournament, where their fans didn’t wait for Tennessee to take the court before they took a seat. In some early sessions of the tournament, UT fans outnumbered those from either of the competing teams.

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“The SEC still needs to send a thank-you to Tennessee fans for supporting women’s basketball better than anyone else,” Jennings said. “Pat not only made her players students of the game, but fans became students of the game.

“She would encourage fans to go out and support the game. And if Pat said it, they did it.”

Staley also has won over her fan base by winning at a high level for many years. So, it’s no wonder the SEC will play its next three women’s tournaments in Greenville, South Carolina. When Tennessee was the league’s marquee program, Chattanooga became a popular location for the tournament. It hosted the tournament seven times in eight years from 1993 through 2000.

In an ideal SEC women’s basketball world, you would have two great programs with great fan bases flourishing at the same time. Proximity would be a bonus.

Greenville is the perfect meeting place for the Gamecocks and Lady Vols. Nashville is about the same distance from Knoxville, but Tennessee has an excuse not to make the trip when its team opens play in the tournament Friday.

After an 18-1 start, which revived Final Four optimism, the Lady Vols (22-7) have lost six of their past 10 games and aren’t at full strength. Jordan Horston, UT’s most productive player, is out for the tournament with a fractured dislocation of her left elbow.

But that won’t deter all of its fans from attending.

Thanks to Summitt, they didn’t just become fans of the Lady Vols. They became fans of the sport.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.