10 Most Inspirational Quotes from Legendary Basketball Coach Pat Summitt
When you hear the name Pat Summitt, one word comes to mind: legend. Pat Summitt was the head coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Vols and is the all-time winningest coach in college basketball history for both men’s and women’s teams! She had 1,098 career wins and 8 NCAA championships during her 38 seasons with the Lady Vols. Throughout her coaching career, Summitt became known for her inspirational leadership. Here are some of her most inspirational quotes:
1. Goals
“It’s harder to stay on top than it is to make the climb. Continue to seek new goals.”
Whatever sport you play, it’s important to set new goals for yourself and always strive to be better.
2. Loyalty
“The absolute heart of loyalty is to value those people who tell you the truth, not just those people who tell you what you want to hear. In fact, you should value them most. Because they have paid you the compliment of leveling with you and assuming you can handle it.”
Loyalty is an important part of teamwork. You should value both your coach and your team members in order to build a strong relationship and work well together.
3. Attitude
“Attitude is a choice. What you think you can do, whether positive or negative, confidence or scared, will most likely happen.”
Attitude plays a big part in how you perform on the court. Go in to each practice and game with a positive and confident mindset, and you will perform better.
4. Commitment
“Quit? Quit? We keep score in life because it matters. It counts. Too many people opt out and never discover their own abilities, because they fear failure. They don’t understand commitment. When you learn to keep fighting in the face of potential failure, it gives you a larger skill set to do what you want to do.”
Don’t let the fear of failure keep you from playing the game. When you commit to your team and the sport, you will grow as a player and come out stronger in the end.
5. Confidence
“Confidence is what happens when you’ve done the hard work that entitles you to succeed.”
Once you’ve put in the hard work to get better, you’ll have more confidence in yourself and your ability. Confidence leads to success.
6. Change
“Change equals self improvement. Push yourself to places you haven’t been before.”
Don’t be afraid of change. Oftentimes change means self improvement. In both practice and games, always try to push yourself to places you haven’t been before.
7. Success
“Success is all a matter of perspective. It depends on where you start from, and where you want to end up.”
Success can be measured in a number of ways. Success doesn’t have to mean winning the game. It’s all about the goals you set for yourself and the steps you take to achieve them.
8. Winning
“Winning is fun … Sure. But winning is not the point. Wanting to win is the point. Not giving up is the point. Never letting up is the point. Never being satisfied with what you’ve done is the point.”
Winning isn’t everything. Of course, you should go into every game wanting to win, but don’t let that be your only focus. It’s more about the journey of getting there and striving to be better every time you step on the court or field.
9. Keep Fighting
“When you learn to keep fighting in the face of potential failure, it gives you a larger skill set to do what you want to do in life. It gives you vision. But you can’t acquire it if you’re afraid of keeping score.”
It’s important to never give up, no matter what you’re afraid the outcome will be. Don’t let the idea of failing keep you from playing the game. When you keep fighting to overcome failure and get better, you’ll end up growing as an athlete and as a person.
10. Competition
“There is always someone better than you. Whatever it is that you do for a living, chances are, you will run into a situation in which you are not as talented as the person next to you. That’s when being a competitor can make a difference in your fortunes.”
Don’t let the idea of competition scare you. There will always be someone better than you. Let that competition push you to become stronger, not just in sports but in all aspects of life.
2nd Annual Tennessee Legend Classic
The 2nd Annual Tennessee Legend Classic will be held at Rocky Top Sports World April 13-14, 2019. It’s open to girls’ basketball teams in 4th through 11th grade. The event is hosted by the GBA National Staff and benefits the Pat Summitt Foundation. The Pat Summitt Foundation was founded by Coach Summitt soon after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2011. It awards grants to nonprofits that conduct research for a cure, provide support for patients and caregivers, and promote education and awareness of Alzheimer’s disease.
Learn more about the 2nd Annual Tennessee Legend Classic and how you can participate!
