Associated Press
The college basketball notebook …Back when Pat Summitt was 22 years old, driving the van to road games, doing the team laundry and guiding her Lady Vols in front of a few dozen fans, her ambition was just to make a career in coaching.
To say she reached her goal doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Tennessee’s next victory will be No. 1,000 for Summitt ó a number no college basketball coach has ever achieved. It could come Monday night against Oklahoma.
“I never thought about it. I never focused on numbers,” said Summitt, who won her first game on Jan. 10, 1975, against Middle Tennessee State. “I’ve always tried to get teams ready every year and win every game we can possibly win.”
To get an idea how amazing Summitt’s achievement is, consider that no Division I women’s team other than her Lady Vols has 1,000 wins, let alone a single coach. Second place goes to retired Texas coach Jody Conradt at 900.
On the men’s side, Bob Knight finished his storied coaching career with 902 victories. Only six NBA coaches have hit 1,000 wins ó and they play twice as many games a season as Summitt’s teams.
“It’s a pretty amazing number even for me. I’m like, ‘Wow,’ ” Summitt said. “Have I really been doing this for 35 years and where did the time go? I think about all the players that wore the orange uniform and made a commitment to winning.”
Now 56, her coaching achievements extend much further than just victories. She has 70 former players, assistant coaches, operations directors, graduate assistants or team managers coaching basketball.
FRIDAY’S TOP 25
INDIANAPOLIS ó Gordon Hayward scored 18 points, Willie Veasley had 13 and No. 13 Butler needed a spurt in the final six minutes to hold off Valparaiso 59-51 on Friday night.
Butler (19-1, 10-0 Horizon League) won its 11th in a row and matched the conference record with its 21st consecutive victory against a league foe.
VIRGINIACHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. ó Sean Singletary is the last men’s basketball player at Virginia that will ever wear jersey No. 44.
The school plans to retire the former four-year starting guard’s jersey at halftime of the Cavaliers’ game against Clemson on Feb. 15. He’ll share the honor with Jeff Lamp (3), Barry Parkhill (40), Ralph Sampson (50), Bryant Stith (20), Wally Walker (41) and Buzzy Wilkinson (14).
Singletary is the only player in ACC history with 2,000 points, 500 assists, 400 rebounds and 200 steals in a career.
He now plays for the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats.
RIOS UPDATEMIAMI ó Suspended Miami Hurricanes guard Eddie Rios helped steal more than $6,000 in property from other students in at least two separate robberies on the Coral Gables campus, according to a police report released Friday.
Rios helped steal four laptops, two Xbox game consoles and a credit card among other items, the report said. He was arrested and booked Wednesday on two counts of burglarizing an unoccupied dwelling, and two counts of grand theft.
MILLS OUT
MORAGA, Calif. ó Saint Mary’s guard Patty Mills will miss at least four weeks after breaking two bones in his right hand during the Gaels’ loss to Gonzaga on Thursday night.
Mills’ injury could be a tough setback for the Gaels (18-2, 5-1 West Coast), who are off to the best start in school history.