Legendary Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summit announced today that she is stepping down nearly a year after learning she suffers from early onset dementia. Summitt leaves the sport as the all-time winningest coach in college basketball history in 38 seasons in Knoxville, where she will continue to serve as coach emeritus. "I feel really good about my decision," Summitt said. "I think this is going to be a win-win situation for everybody.
"None of us will ever have the impact Pat Summitt has" on women's basketball, Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey said. "She's our John Wooden." It's a perfect comparison: Summit's eight national titles are the most of any coach in the history of women's basketball and are second all-time to Wooden's 10 national titles as UCLA's men's basketball coach. And like Wooden's athletes, "Every player who has completed her eligibility either has earned a degree or is on schedule to earn a degree," says Yahoo! Sports' Eric Adelson. "Think about that."