Family of former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt ‘preparing for worst’
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Former Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt is struggling with early onset dementia, and her family is “preparing for the worst,” according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Family and former players were with Summitt on Saturday at the retirement center she has lived at since January, and preparations are being made to issue public statements about her condition if necessary.
Quoting an unnamed source, the News Sentinel reports that those close to Summitt are unsure how much longer she will live.
A statement concerning her condition was released by the Pat Summitt Foundation on Sunday.
“On behalf of Pat Summitt’s family, we acknowledge the past few days have been difficult for Pat as her early onset dementia, ‘Alzheimer’s Type,’ progresses. She is surrounded by those who mean the most to her and during this time, we ask for prayers for Pat and her family and friends, as well as your utmost respect and privacy. Thank you.”
• Vault: Pat Summitt’s intensity was like a force of nature
Summitt is among the most successful coaches in the history of college basketball, winning 1,098 games over a career that spanned five decades.
The Lady Vols won eight national championships during her career, the last in 2008, and claimed the SEC title 16 times.
Summitt was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000.
