Commentary by David Climer | The Tennessean
If you've been around Pat Summitt very long, you realize she's unfailingly direct and unflinchingly blunt.
With that as background, I'll get right to the point:
Was Thursday night Summitt's last visit to Memorial Gym as coach of Tennessee's Lady Vols?
Face it: Her future as Lady Vols coach is the elephant in the room. We can attempt to ignore this sensitive situation or steer our conversations elsewhere, but it's not going away.
In the five-plus months since Summitt went public with her diagnosis of early onset dementia/Alzheimer's type, the question has been the same: How long can she be effective in this role?
Nobody knows the answer. Not even Pat Summitt.
This is a tough one. It's hard to envision Lady Vols basketball without Summitt. Few people are as synonymous with a sports program as Summitt is with UT women's basketball.
Still, there is no disputing that the Lady Vols program has a different feel these days. For decades, Summitt has controlled every decision, every move, every dribble. Whether with an iron fist or a velvet glove, her grip never wavered.
Until now. She has turned over much of the operation to her assistant coaches. Holly Warlick, who is in her 27th season on Summitt's staff, has taken a lead role during games. Assistants Mickie DeMoss and Dean Lockwood have taken on more responsibilities.
This is uncharted territory. Previously, no coach of a visible program has continued to work after receiving this kind of diagnosis -- irreversible brain disease that destroys recall and cognitive abilities over time.
That's why Summitt is under such scrutiny. And that's why it is fair -- not diplomatic, perhaps, but fair -- to wonder how much her condition has compromised her effectiveness.
The Lady Vols' game at Notre Dame on Jan. 23 was a flashpoint. Various camera shots of the UT bench showed Summitt appearing detached from the action on the court, where the Lady Vols were getting pummeled 72-44.
It was a telling scene. Her team was playing one of its worst games on her watch, but Summitt barely reacted. She took the loss sitting down.
Those close to the program say Summitt has good days and bad. Some speculate that her bad days are exacerbated by the medication she is taking for rheumatoid arthritis.
So where does it go from here?
There is strong sentiment that Summitt should go out on her own terms. She is, after all, the very heart of Lady Vols basketball. In 1974, at the age of 21, she took a sport that was treated like a stepchild by the university and eventually built it into a national brand.
The logic: It's her program so if she wants to keep coaching, so be it. After all she's done for the school and the sport, UT owes her that much.
But this is a tough one. Is one person bigger than the program, even when that person is Pat Summitt?
Those in leadership positions at UT are unwavering in their support of Summitt. She is under no pressure whatsoever to make a hasty decision.
But at season's end, some tough calls must be made.