CPT Spirits in the Sky - A Giant Among Men - Tennessee Coach Pat Summitt dies today

.

Legendary women's basketball coach Pat Summitt has died at the age of 64.

Video by USA Today - double click for full screeen

Ms Summitt led the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers to eight national championships during her storied, 38-year career with the team.

She also had 1,098 career victories, the most in Division I college basketball history for both a men's or a women's coach, and led the women's national team to Olympic glory.

Her death comes five years after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.

Her son, Tyler Summitt, issued a statement saying his mother died peacefully at Sherrill Hill Senior Living in Knoxville, surrounded by family.

"Since 2011, my mother has battled her toughest opponent, early onset dementia, Alzheimer's Type, and she did so with bravely fierce determination just as she did with every opponent she ever faced," he said.

"Even though it's incredibly difficult to come to terms that she is no longer with us, we can all find peace in knowing she no longer carries the heavy burden of this disease."

---

'Pivotal figure in drive for equality'

Video by Associated Press - double click for full screen

Over the next four decades, no one would do more than Summitt to raise the profile of women's college basketball, taking it from a niche sport to one that outranks all but men's football and men's basketball in popularity.

With her death on Tuesday at age 64 from complications from early onset dementia, Alzheimer's type, the world has not just lost a great basketball coach but a pivotal figure in women's drive for equality in both sports and the world beyond.

Ms Summitt announced in 2011 she had been diagnosed with early-onset dementia at the age of 59.

She coached one more season before stepping down in 2012.

She was named NCAA Coach of the Year seven times, the Naismith Coach of the Century in 2000 and received a 2012 Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.

Ms Summitt also coached the 1984 US Women's Olympic team, which won a gold medal.

She also played for the US women's basketball team, which won the silver medal at the Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976.

Ms Summitt is survived by her mother Hazel Albright Head, son Ross "Tyler" Summitt, sister Linda, and brothers Tommy Charles and Kenneth.

A private funeral will be held in Middle Tennessee and a public memorial will be planned at the school's Thompson-Boling Arena at a later date.

Check out music I wrote that was recorded by my band Nashville Bound in Nashville, Tennessee

.

Here is band information.


http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=603354

Here are the songs.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_music.cfm?bandID=603354

Click on the song and then song info for detailed info and lyrics.

UConn Huskies and Storrs, CT now basketball Mecca of the Universe with 13 national titles

.

A little village in northeast Connecticut called Storrs with barely 10,000 population has slowly and surely become the basketball capital of America dominating the NCAA men's and women's programs for all of the 21st century.  Located in that quiet little village is mighty UConn, the University of Connecticut with 30,000 students, three times the population of the entire village.

So move over Kentucky, UCLA, Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, Tennessee and all the other basketball powerhouses for the past century there are new kids on the block and unlike their huge predecessors, UConn does not just dominate men's or women's basketball, they dominate both.

The UConn women set the standard under the guidance of Geno Auriemmce, the Italian born coach who last night passed the legendary Pat Summit of Tennessee by winning his 9th NCAA national championship at UConn, leaving him just one behind the dean of all college coaches, John Wooden of UCLA whose 1960's and '70's UCLA men's teams won 10 national titles.

This year marked the 10th anniversary since UConn won both the men's and women's championships the same year, 2004, becoming the first college in history to earn that honor and this year, 2014, the Huskies did it again.

In fact since Geno Auriemmce won his first championship in 1995, in the 21st century he has won 8 more while the men won their 1st in 1999 and have won 3 more in the 21st century.  The total the two programs have now won is 13 making it the college with the most NCAA basketball champions in history.

Before the double win this year UConn was tied with UCLA for most with 11 titles while Kentucky (men) and Tennessee (women) each have 8.  UConn now stands alone in the history of the NCAA national championship with 13 titles.  Not bad for a school that has won all of them in the past 20 years.

In woman's basketball the sometimes brash and sometimes lovable Geno is now on a pedestal by himself and not since Frank Sinatra has an Italian American captured the heart and soul of the 5 million Italian immigrants to America he represents, and just remember, Geno was born in Italy.

What has he done?  He is on the verge of becoming the coach with the most NCAA championships in history.  He has the l0ngest winning streak, 90, in history.  Then there are five perfect seasons.

Thanks to him UConn has won more basketball championships than any other college in history.  And he even brings his mother to basketball games.

What better example for the future women leaders of America than Geno's motto of "La famiglia è per sempre".

Then there is Kevin Ollie in just his second year as head coach taking over a program on suspension that could not even go to the tournament last year and leading them to the Promised Land the first chance he had as head coach.  His story could also be the stuff of legends.

Wake up America, the new basketball mecca is here and it goes by the unlikely name Storrs.

.