Summitt in league of her own

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Pat Summitt stands alone at the top of NCAA basketball.

The Tennessee coach broke Dean Smith’s career victory record Tuesday night, getting No. 880 in the Lady Vols’ 75-54 win over Purdue in the second round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament.

Summitt improved to 880-171, while Smith was 879-254 when he retired in 1997 after 36 years as head coach at the University of North Carolina.

“Obviously, to be in the company with Coach Smith, to think about all the people that were a part of these wins, I never thought I’d live this long,” Summitt said.

After the game, NCAA officials presented Summitt with the game ball and a plaque. And the university announced the court at Thompson-Boling Arena will be named “The Summitt.”

The 52-year-old Summitt waved to the crowd and hugged family members, who came down to the court to celebrate with her. The team posed for a picture with the players holding up newspaper pages with a huge 880 in orange on the front.