Pat Summitt: A Tribute

The famed coach of the Tennessee Volunteers Women’s basketball program stepped down recently due to a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Her name lends itself to hundreds of sport-related puns, but none could give her the respect that she deserves as possibly the greatest basketball coach of all time.

John Wooden, Dean Smith, Mike Krzyzewski, Bob Knight, Geno Auriemma. These are the names of some of the greatest coaches in college basketball history. Coach Summitt belongs near or at the top of that list. She has the most victories in NCAA history. She has the most Final Four appearances. She has eight national championships. But the most amazing legacy she may leave behind is a 100% graduation rate. In this day and age, that is probably the most astonishing fact of Summitt’s career.

The men’s game obviously has a potential for leading to the NBA, while the WNBA is less popular and very low paying relative to its male counterpart. So, one may argue that academics are much more “important” for women athletes than men. I will concede that the monetary pressure is greater for male athletes, which means that there is more potential for violations and less pressure to perform academically (which we see way too much). However, men’s sports can take a hint or two from Coach Summitt’s stress for academic excellence. She has shown that academics do not have to take a hit to achieve athletic dominance.

That Summitt has been forced to step down due to early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease is more than unfortunate. Having seen the effects of Alzheimer’s first-hand, this disease is a struggle not only for the afflicted, but their families and friends as well. It is good to see that Summitt will stay on in some capacity and make the transition for players and coaches as smooth as possible.

In almost every society in the world, women are still de-valued and in the sports world, this is still very true. It is time to realize that Pat Summitt is not just the best women’s basketball coach of all time, but possibly the best college coach to every grace the hardwood. So please, stand and applaud.

The Dual Quarterback Conundrum (October 2011)

If you have watched “Sportscenter” over the last year, you will know that the state of college football is not great. Ohio State and Miami (Fl), among others, have had major issues with compliance and players have been suspended and coaches terminated. While the repetitiveness of offences suggests a flaw in the system, I am here to focus on another flaw in the system: dual quarterbacks.

As a native of Ohio, I grew up rooting for (the) Ohio State University football team. I floated along through the Cooper era until Tressel returned OSU to football glory. One constant on the teams that competed for a BCS bid every year was the presence of a capable quarterback. Troy Smith, Craig Krenzel, and Terrelle Pryor come to mind.

Now, Tressel and Pryor are gone, having been inked out for NCAA violations (tattoo pun). With Pryor’s exit, the quarterback battle was left wide open between 26-year old former minor league baseball player Joe Bauserman and much-hyped dual threat freshman Braxton Miller. Interim coach Luke Fickell decided from the first game that he would start Bauserman but bring in Miller for a few series at a time.

If you are reading this as either an OSU fan or the fan of a team that has been in this situation, you probably just cringed. While we do not see this in the NFL, we see it all too much at the college level. A program has just lost its incumbent starter, and has a freshman or unproven upperclassmen in the wings. Instead of just having them battle it out and declare a starter in the spring, the coach lets it linger and it becomes a dual quarterback system.

The quarterback position is probably the most important in football because the mistakes of the signal caller are magnified and the pressure to perform is more immense. When being put in a new situation, mistakes are expected, but adding to that the idea of another quarterback coming in is just plain silly. It does not allow for one quarterback to become comfortable in the face of adversity, nor does it allow for him to get in a flow, get loose, and get up to speed.

This is obviously not the recipe for success or building confidence. Neither quarterback feels comfortable and the bad performance by one adds pressure on the coach. This negative energy trickles down to all members of the team and hurts confidence for the next game. Many times, the fan base and media are calling for the young prospect, but the coach feels he is not ready, as in the case of Ohio State this year.

Once Bauserman struggled, fans called for his head. It had already been the roughest offseason in Ohio State history, so this was a throw-away season anyway and there was no reason not to play Braxton Miller. Now that coach Fickell has declared Miller the full-time starter (after Ohio State struggled under Bauserman), the Buckeyes are playing a little better. Though they are 3-3, Ohio State had a big lead on Nebraska before Miller got hurt and Bauserman came in and failed to keep the lead, showing that Miller was the right choice.

So, as an OSU fan, I can say that I have been frustrated with this season. Sure, the offseason drama did not help, but that was more digestible than a “Fickell” decision on the quarterback position at the beginning of the fall (I’m on a roll!).

Coaches beware: take heed of history when thinking that a dual quarterback situation is a good idea, or will benefit either player. Psychologically, this is a position that needs the backing of the coach, team, and fans, and trying to share that with someone else does not work. Make a strong decision, but evaluate constantly and then if a change is needed, stick with that. Your fans will thank you.