Summitt reaches summit, achieves 1,00th career wins

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Pat Summitt didn’t bother to brush the glittering specks left by the orange and white streamers from her hair.

Her voice wavered as she thanked her players, coaches, administrators and fans for all their support over the decades.

The coach known for her searing glare could only smile. She had reached 1,000 victories, an unprecedented height even she finds dizzying.

“Wow,” the Tennessee coach said. “This may be a little hard for me.”

Summitt became the first Division I basketball coach — men’s or women’s — to win 1,000 career games Thursday night as her 12th-ranked Lady Vols beat Georgia 73-43. It was their second chance in four days at giving their coach her latest and one of her greatest milestones.

And she’s got a new contract to go along with it.

These baby Lady Vols (17-5, 6-2 Southeastern Conference), with seven freshmen on the roster, are nothing like the squads that brought Summitt her seventh and eighth national championships in the previous two seasons. This is an inexperienced group that had Summitt joking about whether they would even be up to the task of winning the 17 games she needed to reach 1,000 this season.

“It’s a time to reflect on a number of things, the administration saying yes to women’s basketball and giving us an opportunity to play on the biggest stage in the women’s game. I appreciate that,” she said.

The landmark win came on the court named for Summitt, 56, who just keeps racking up achievements for others to chase. All the fans in the arena began standing with about a minute left, and they clapped to “Rocky Top” as orange and white streamers fell from the ceiling.

Summitt gave Georgia coach Andy Landers a hug on the sideline. Landers said it meant something to be the first to congratulate her on a remarkable accomplishment.

“You just don’t see the bar go that high and stay that high very often in anything. Think about it a minute. They’ve been able to do that for 35 years. Holy cow,” Landers said.

The Lady Vols were given T-shirts with “1000” on the front in orange, which they pulled on before a celebration on the court. School officials gave her a bracelet, necklace and painting to commemorate this historic win. They also announced Summitt had signed a contract extension through 2014 earlier this week and earned a $200,000 bonus with this win.

Summitt became emotional as she talked.

“I feel like I’ve been extremely blessed, and I thank God for the many opportunities I’ve had to be your coach and work with these young ladies, and so I want to thank all of you. I want to thank every person who’s been a part of my staff. ... They gave their absolute best,” Summitt said.

She wanted to win 1,000 on this court, especially with a road trip to No. 11 Florida on Sunday.