Candace Parker, former basketball player, recently reflected back on her time with her coach Pat Summitt. Summit, who passed away in 2016, was coached by Summit during her time with the Tennessee Volunteers from 2004 to 2008. Despite playing under the legendary coach for only four years, Parker has taken the lessons from that period far beyond her college basketball days.
Quite recently, Parker appeared on ‘Storytime with Lefkoe’ and took a walk down memory lane, heaping praises on her late coach, Pat Summitt, who was awarded the ‘Naismith Coach of the 20th Century’ in 2020, four years after her death. Parker revealed the most important thing that she learnt from Summit.
“I would say eye contact is really really really important. And she was the first person that made me really truly look at her when she would talk and now when I’m home and I’m parenting my son, my son says, ‘look at me, look at me’ all the time. You’re gonna get me emotional, but she had this crystal blue stare that she could get you to wanna run through walls, and so being able to carry on her legacy is truly important. I’m going to get you, you got me crying.” Candace Parker said on ‘Storytime with Lefkoe’.
Candace Parker gets emotional telling a story about Pat Summitt and her influence. It’s worth a minute of your time.
Coaches are so important. pic.twitter.com/Ofa9XnHDxk
— Bri Lewerke (@brilewerke) March 12, 2025
Candace Parker was properly molded by coach Pat Summitt during her years with the Tennessee Volunteers. In 2008, Parker turned out to be the first overall pick in the very first round of the WNBA draft, and was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks. Parker stayed with the Sparks from 2008 to 2023.
Candace Parker’s College Basketball Team Suffer Abysmal Defeat In SEC Playoffs
While Candace Parker’s college basketball team, the Tennessee Volunteers, may have been in their best shape under Coach Pat Summitt’s guidance, the same cannot be said for their current condition.
In this college basketball season, Tennessee finished eighth in the SEC with an 8-8 conference score and 22-9 overall. The team finished seven spots below the ruling Texas Longhorns who completed their season with a 15-1 conference score and 31-3 overall.
The Tennessee Volunteers took on the Georgia Bulldogs for their final game of the season and lost, 72-69. In the SEC Tournament, Tennessee had a remarkable first game, that being against the Texas A&M Aggies with an impressive 77-37 final score. However, they lost their very next game in the finals of the SEC Tournament to the Vanderbilt Commodores, 84-76.
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through [email protected]. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
