ShareThisKNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Hints that something was wrong popped up throughout Tennessee's 2010-11 women's basketball season.
You could see it in legendary Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt's gait and her complexion.
You could hear it in her answer to a postgame question.
More than one visiting sportswriter asked me about Summitt's health.
Maybe the signs would have gone unnoticed with someone else. But when you see Summitt, you don't just see the person. You see the image.
The image is powerful, vibrant and unchanging. It's 1,071 victories and eight national championships in the making.
The image doesn't miss a step, forget a name or have an off day. The image is infallible.
The person and coach only seem to be.
The medical diagnosis of "early onset dementia, Alzheimer's type," would have been staggering for any 59-year-old. It's unthinkable when the 59-year-old is Pat Summitt.
She revealed the details of her condition and the troublesome weeks that preceded her diagnosis in an interview with my colleague Dan Fleser of the News Sentinel and Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post on Monday night. Twitter-size accounts of her condition were all over the Internet by Tuesday afternoon.
"Obviously, there's some shock involved," Lady Vols junior Taber Spani told Fleser on Tuesday. "You never look at someone like Pat and think anything can happen to her."
That's the image. It wasn't made overnight or just on the court.
My wife, Melinda, was introduced to Summitt a few years ago at the Southeastern Conference spring meetings. A year later, when Summitt called her by name, my wife was flabbergasted.
There's something about the name that doesn't register or is easily transformed into something else. It becomes Belinda or Linda or -- most likely -- Melissa.
A year later, Summitt called her Melinda.
Most coaches talk about being focused. Summitt is focused. That's evident in a game, an interview or a casual conversation with someone she just met.
But in postgame press conferences last season, Summitt's answers didn't always fit the question as precisely as they did in the past. That would go unnoticed with many coaches, who are apt to miss the thrust of a question, dodge it intentionally, or ramble on incoherently until the question has been forgotten by even the person who asked it. With Summitt, you noticed.
Since she was taking medication for rheumatoid arthritis, you couldn't help but wonder if that was a factor. Now we know there was more to it.
Summitt has since changed medications for the arthritis and is taking two medications for the onset of dementia.
It all sounds overwhelming. Rheumatoid arthritis alone is daunting enough, but Summitt also must battle another disease and deal with whatever side effects come with the medication.
Yet no one should be surprised that Summitt plans to keep coaching. Dr. Ronald Petersen, the Mayo Clinic's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, told her she could. Even if he hadn't, do you really think she would have given it up without a try?
This isn't just about effort, of course. Managing her disease will require as much strategy as her game preparation. She has the advantage of an experienced, competent staff. Moreover, as authoritative a figure as she might be, she has never been averse to delegating. She trusts and values her assistant coaches.
Their worth will increase under these extraordinary circumstances. So will that of the players and fans.
Summitt has admittedly struggled to motivate her last few teams. That shouldn't be a problem this season. And the coach shouldn't have to raise her voice. Just show up.
Don't underestimate the role of the Lady Vols fans in this venture, either. Every game will be an opportunity for them to show their adoration and admiration for the coach whose name is spelled out on the Thompson-Boling Arena floor. They likely will do it in record-setting numbers.
As certain as you can be about Summitt's determination and her support system, you can't be sure how or when this will end. But I believe she will know when the job is too much for her.
As intertwined as she and the program have become after 37 years, she can still separate the two. She will do what's best for the program, even if that means stepping aside. Then, she will sing a chorus of "Rocky Top," wave her thanks to the fans and leave the program Summitt strong.
(Contact Knoxville News-Sentinel senior columnist John Adams at adamsj(at)knoxnews.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/johnadamskns.)
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