Pat Summitt leaves legacy on young basketball players

by cc-admin · June 28, 2016

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (WKRN) – Tennessee leaders, former players and fans have been sharing stories and remembering Pat Summitt, but her impact stretches beyond those who wore orange.

Despite her death, many young basketball players still dream to one day have a chance to play for the beloved coach.

When you play AAU, basketball becomes everything and for many young women, Summitt is everything to basketball.

“You can go farther than college. If you have the right coach and the right people to lead you then you can be as great as you want,” said Janiah Sandifer.

In the Volunteer State, it is hard to find someone not touched by the death of the legendary coach.

“She wanted to see people do better and be better in life inside and outside of basketball,” explained east Nashville’s Erica Haynes-Overton.

From players to leaders on the sideline, the basketball world is remembering Summitt.

“I knew I wasn’t good enough to play for her but I knew that she had a lot of principles.”

From WNBA superstars to AAU basketball players, to even kids on the playground, Summit is leaving a legacy to everyone.

PHOTOS: The life and career of Pat Summitt

Catrice James is one of those AAU coaches in Nashville.

She told News 2 Summitt’s inspiration for her goes beyond the hardwood.

“I didn’t know where I was going to be at high school, but at that moment I knew I was going to go to UT and it was because of Pat Summitt,” said James.

On the court, James said she hopes she can teach similar lessons to her young players.

“School is important, life is important, you got to learn that, leadership and teamwork and hard work and determination and passion make you a better person.”

As a young player and woman, James says without Summitt, women’s college sports would not be where it is today.

“She was a great leader for women. She’s a driving force to make young girls dream big and to work hard,” she said.