Pat Summitt's legacy extends across pro, college ranks

Pat Summitt's legacy extends across pro, college ranks

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:13 a.m. ET

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Pat Summitt's rich legacy in women's basketball can be seen on the sidelines and in front offices throughout the college and professional ranks. At the time Summitt ended her illustrious, 38-season coaching career at Tennessee in 2012, 78 people who were mentored by her were coaching basketball or working in administrative positions associated with the game. Four years later, Summitt's coaching tree remains fruitful.

Here's a sampling of current or former college head coaches who have ties to Summitt:

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Jody Adams-Birch: She was the starting point guard on Tennessee's 1991 national championship team and played for the Lady Vols from 1990-93. Adams-Birch has been Wichita State's head coach the last eight seasons, leading the Shockers to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2013-15.

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Jane Albright: A graduate assistant at Tennessee from 1981-83, Albright has a 501-455 record in 32 seasons as a coach, including the last eight at Nevada. She previously coached at Northern Illinois, Wisconsin and Wichita State.

Greg Brown: He worked on Summitt's staff first as a graduate assistant and later as an assistant coach in 2003-04. Brown has been Lipscomb's head coach for the last four seasons.

Niya Butts: She played for Tennessee from 1996-2000 and was a member of the Lady Vols' 1997 and 1998 national championship teams. Butts coached Arizona the last eight seasons and now is an assistant at Kentucky.

Nancy Darsch: After working on Summitt's staffs at Tennessee from 1978-85, Darsch was Ohio State's head coach from 1986-97. She posted a 234-125 record with seven NCAA Tournament berths in 12 seasons, including a championship game appearance in 1993.

Mickie DeMoss: She was a Tennessee assistant from 1985-2003 and from 2010-12. DeMoss was a head coach at Florida (1979-83) and Kentucky (2003-07). She joined Nikki Fargas' staff at LSU earlier this year.

Tonya Edwards: She played for Tennessee from 1986-90 and coached Alcorn State from 2008-15. Edwards was hired in March as an assistant coach with the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks.

Angel Elderkin: Now the head coach at Appalachian State, Elderkin worked at Tennessee from 2005-07. She had the titles of graduate assistant and video coordinator during her stint with the Lady Vols.

Sharon Fanning: After working as a graduate assistant at Tennessee in 1975, Fanning posted a 608-457 record in a 36-year head-coaching career that included stops at Chattanooga, Kentucky and Mississippi State. She retired after the 2011-12 season.

Nikki Fargas: When she was known as Nikki Caldwell, Fargas won national titles both as a player (1991) and assistant (2007, 2008) at Tennessee. She has a 165-97 record with six NCAA Tournament appearances in eight seasons as a head coach, first at UCLA and now at LSU.

Stephanie Glance: Glance already had worked as an interim head coach at North Carolina State before working as an assistant on Tennessee's staff from 2009-10. After leaving Tennessee, she coached three seasons at Illinois State and two more at Columbia before stepping down to become executive director of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

Tanya Haave: The Metropolitan State University of Denver head coach played for Tennessee from 1980-84. She has spent the last six seasons in her current job.

Kellie Harper: When she was known as Kellie Jolly, she played on three national championship teams for Tennessee in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Harper has a 223-171 record in 12 seasons as a head coach, including the last three at Missouri State. She has reached the NCAA Tournament with Missouri State, North Carolina State and Western Carolina.

Sylvia Hatchell: This Women's Basketball Hall of Famer was a graduate assistant at Tennessee in 1974 and 1975 as Summitt was beginning her coaching career. Hatchell has gone on to win over 700 games in an illustrious head coaching career at North Carolina that includes a 1994 national title and Final Four appearances in 2006 and 2007.

Matthew Mitchell: He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Tennessee in 2000. He owns a 249-118 record in a nine-season tenure at Kentucky that includes three appearances in the regional finals. His staff at Kentucky includes former Tennessee players Niya Butts and Kyra Elzy.

Carolyn Peck: She worked as a Tennessee assistant from 1993-95. Peck later led Purdue to the 1999 national title and also worked as a head coach at Florida and with the WNBA's Orlando Miracle. She just took a new job last month as an associate coach on Stephanie White's staff at Vanderbilt.

Semeka Randall: Randall played for Tennessee from 1997-2001 and was a key performer on the 1998 national championship team that went undefeated. She was a head coach at Ohio from 2008-13 and at Alabama A&M from 2013-16 before taking her current job as a Wright State assistant.

Trish Roberts: After playing for Tennessee in 1976-77, Roberts had head coaching stints at Maine, Michigan, Stony Brook and with the WNBA's Atlanta Glory. She now is the head coach at Agnes Scott.

Tyler Summitt: Pat Summitt's only child spent much of his youth watching Lady Vols practices and games. He played for the Tennessee men's team and was a student assistant with the women's program. He was an assistant at Marquette before getting hired as Louisiana Tech's head coach in 2014 at the age of 23. He stepped down in April after two seasons following an inappropriate relationship.

Heidi VanDerveer: The UC San Diego head coach worked as a graduate assistant at Tennessee from 1986-88. VanDerveer has an 82-37 record in four seasons at UC San Diego.

Holly Warlick: She played for Tennessee and then worked as an assistant on Summitt's staff for 27 seasons before replacing her as the Lady Vols' coach. Warlick has a 108-34 record with three NCAA regional final appearances in her first four seasons.

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