By Chris Cannon
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A group of University of Tennessee students gathered Monday night to watch the Lady Volunteers play in what could have been coach Pat Summitt's last game.
"It's kind of setting in that it's probably kind of inevitable," said UT student Matt Herriman.
He and a group of friend watched the Monday Elite Eight game at Jed's Sports Bar on the West End, and they said it was a bittersweet night.
"She's iconic. They said earlier she was the Woodson for the womens sport. But she's that for the mens sport too, she's the winningest for mens and womens," explained UT student Julianna Deyo.
Summitt holds the record at all-time winningest coach in NCAA history with 1,098 victories. She has been coach the Lady Vols since 1974 and helped take the team to eight national championship games.
A diagnosis of dementia last year put Summitt's future at the University of Tennessee in question. She has not announced if she will return as head coach next season.
"You know, for a lot of Vols fans, that's kind of hard to swallow, the fact that Pat Summitt won't be the head coach of the Lady Vols anymore," Herriman said.
While no official announcement has been made, many fans are looking ahead to the future of the Lady Vols basketball program. They say, no matter what, it will continue to be a success.
"I think it'll transition really easily. I mean we've been to 18 final fours and eight national championships," Deyo said.
Baylor beat the Lady Vols 77-58. Summitt did not attend Monday night's post-game news conference in Des Moines.
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