Iconic Tennessee women’s basketball coach Patt Summitt has been diagnosed with early onset dementia, but still plans to coach the Volunteers this season.

In a statement released by the University of Tennessee, the 59-year-old Summit said she may have some “limitations” in coaching the 2011-12 team. In an interview with the Knoxville News Sentinel, Summitt said, “There’s not going to be any pity party and I’ll make sure of that.”

“There was anger,” her son, Tyler, said. “‘Why me?’ was a question she asked more than once. But then, once she came to terms with it, she treated it like every other challenge she ever had, and is going to do everything she possibly can to keep her mind right and stay to coach.”

Summitt, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000, is the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history with 1,071 victories and eight national championships.

Leave a Reply