NEW YORK — Pat Summitt has said all season she wants the focus on her team and not her.
Yet at home or on the road, it seems a lot of people are rooting for the Hall of Fame coach and Tennessee this season since she announced in August she had been diagnosed with early onset Alzhemier’s
“We’ve received so much support from other teams and fans,” said Glory Johnson who scored 16 points to lead the seventh-ranked Lady Vols to an 84-61 win over No. 20 DePaul in the Maggie Dixon Classic on Sunday. “When you see that it gives us energy and motivates our team. We’re playing for coach and everyone with this disease.”
Summitt was honored during No. 1 Baylor’s 73-59 victory over St. John’s with the Maggie Dixon Courage award. Both the Lady Bears and Red Storm came out of their timeouts to applaud the winningest coach in college basketball.
“I think when you see the impact Pat’s had and when you go out and see fans wearing ‘We back Pat’ shirts. I was real excited that Pat got the award,” associate head coach Holly Warlick said. “We all know what Maggie stood for. Pat has a tremendous following and always will. She’s preached to our kids being a woman first and being self-sufficient.”