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Message: [QUOTE="CL82, post: 4514351, member: 44"] This might be one of those thoughts which is better off not articulated, but …. I think the whole “Pat came to Connecticut, for the good of women’s college basketball” is an incredibly silly, though off repeated, narrative. Don’t get me wrong, I have tremendous respect for Pat Summitt as a coach. She made the Tennessee program the 800 pound gorilla of women’s basketball. But the notion of her sitting in a room and envisioning how playing a game in Connecticut would miraculously elevate women’s college basketball is some big time revisionism. If I’m not mistaken, even back in 1995, basketball teams play half their games on away courts. She was given an opportunity to give her program big time exposure, and she took it. That’s smart, but not altruistic. Yeah, I know, Hatcher turned it down, but that’s just her being gutless and shortsighted. Keep in mind, that, at the time, televised women’s games were not as ubiquitous as they are today and nationally televised, women’s games were virtually unheard of. This game was going to be a big deal and it was going to be played in against an up-and-coming and charismatic Connecticut team. The University of North Carolina was the original intended victim, uh I mean, opposing team, but when they turned it down Pat smartly picked it up. There are a ton of things to celebrate regarding Pat Summitt. She elevated her team by demanding excellence (and rebounding, lots of rebounding) and much like Geno chose to play a demanding out of conference schedule as a way to evaluate and elevate her team. She is the third winningest coach in women’s college basketball, and under her Tennessee earned the second most national championships. Those are all good things. Canonizing her for taking a road game? Not so much. Sigh, I feel better now. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach