2013 Class of FIBA Hall of Fame: profile of Pat Summitt (USA)

MIES (FIBA Hall of Fame) - On Monday 27 May, FIBA announced the 2013 Class of Inductees of the FIBA Hall of Fame. Over the next three weeks (weekdays from 28 May to 12 June), we will profile all 12 of the inductees. Today we look at United States Citizen's Pat Summitt.

Pat Summitt turned the University of Tennessee into the most dominant program in American college basketball and also led United States teams to the top of the podium at both an Olympics and a FIBA World Championship for Women.

Now the legendary coach is being honored as a member of the 2013 Class for the FIBA Hall of Fame.

Summitt shot to fame as the head coach of the Lady Vols in Knoxville from 1974 to 2012.

The native of Tennessee steered the university to eight NCAA women's titles from 1987 to 2008, and 16 Southeastern Conference championships overall.

Summitt's teams never missed playing in the post-season in her 38 years at the helm.

Seven times, Summitt scooped the award as the NCAA Coach of the Year.

The honor of Naismith Coach of the 20th Century has also been bestowed upon her.

Her 1,098 wins at Tennessee rank number one in Division I basketball.

Tennessee were not the only ones to benefit from her motivational skills and tactical acumen.

Summitt also guided the United States national team to glory.

In 1979, her American side won the FIBA World Championship for Women in Seoul.

It was the first time the USA women won the world title since 1957, and it took an amazing last day to pull off the feat.

Summitt's squad had four victories in their first five games and needed to win decisively against Canada to capture gold.

The Canadians went into the encounter 5-0 and would have clinched gold if they had avoided losing by more than 13.

Led by Carol Blazejowski's 25 points, the USA prevailed, 77-61.

Summitt's team then travelled to Taiwan and won the William Jones Cup before ending the year with a silver medal at the Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The American side coached by Summitt that included Cheryl Miller finished with a silver medal at the 1983 World Championship after an 84-82 defeat to the Soviet Union.

One year later and Summitt’s USA squad routed the competition at the Los Angeles Olympics to win gold, winning all six of their games by an average of 32.7 points per contest.

Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000, Summitt was quite a player herself.

She helped the USA win Pan American Games gold in 1975 and Olympic silver in 1976.

So revered is Summitt in her home state that she has streets and arenas named after her at both her alma mater, the University of Tennessee at Martin, and in Knoxville where she coached for so many years.

Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, Summitt’s achievements will now be there for all to see in the FIBA Hall of Fame.

FIBA