Pat Summitt SI's sportswoman of the year?

[CL82]

Summitt and Krzyzewski as "transcendent figures."

"The voices of those who have been inspired by Pat Summitt and Mike Krzyzewski echo from everywhere and will continue for decades," The magazine said they joined UCLA's John Wooden in 1972 and North Carolina's Dean Smith in 1997 as the only college basketball coaches to receive the honor.
Does anyone else think that this is about more about feeling badly about Pat's diagnosis then anything else? That's not intended to trivialize Pat's contribution to WCBB. It's significant. But why now?...oh yeah...

 

[alexrgct]

Unfortunately, it's often the way of things that one's career or accomplishments in general are more formally cataloged and contextualized when there's reason to believe your career is drawing to a close. Doesn't explain Coach K (who I would have thought would have been a better candidate last year what with the fourth NC and the gold medal at the FIBA world championships), but it does explain some of the more active canonizing of Pat.

 

[sarals24]

I think Coach K's is also because he became the all-time winningest college coach this year.

It's nice symmetry, I guess, to have two college coaches, both who run clean programs and win consistently. I thought Maya had a pretty good year, so did Abby Wambach. Oh well.

 

[alexrgct]

Ah yes- good point regarding Coach K.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I think it is more of a career thing for both coaches.

This was the only way that Pat was going to beat Maya.

 

[mauconnfan]

I think it is more of a career thing for both coaches.

This was the only way that Pat was going to beat Maya.

The key words are "......of the Year"
Not at all good choices by SI.

 

[Ruffian75]

Unfortunately, it's often the way of things that one's career or accomplishments in general are more formally cataloged and contextualized when there's reason to believe your career is drawing to a close. quote]

It is kind of like giving Paul Newman a lifetime achievement Oscar after all his great performances came up empty.

 

[CL82]

It is kind of like giving Paul Newman a lifetime achievement Oscar after all his great performances came up empty.

...it would be like that if they'd given him best actor, even though he wasn't in a movie that year.

 

[sarals24]

Look, I dislike Pat and what she did by ending the series, but another way to look at it is that SI deemed her, the coach of a WCBB program, important enough to be on the cover of a widely read magazine. Regardless of the reasons, I think any positive coverage of the sport we all love is good. Face it, WCBB still isn't "there" yet. It's made huge strides, but when you can't even get a #1 vs #2 (ND vs Baylor) game on national TV when there is a freaking NBA strike on...well, let's just say we need more press.

And when Geno retires, I bet he picks up more than a few of these "awards".