Home › Women's Basketball
Lady Vols go back to the White House
STORY TOOLS
More Women's Basketball
- Bench of Lawson, Catchings, Parker plenty for U.S.
- DelleDonne spurns UConn, will attend Delaware
- Catchings scores 11 in another U.S. rout
Share and Enjoy [?]
Get Reprints
WASHINGTON - It was a fitting finale to a remarkable season.
As a lively rendition of "Rocky Top" blared over loudspeakers, Coach Pat Summitt and the Tennessee women's basketball team arrived triumphantly on Tuesday at the White House, where President Bush congratulated the Lady Vols for winning back-to-back national championships.
"It's hard to become a champ, and that's why we love to honor people here at the White House when you become one," the president said during a ceremony on the South Lawn.
The Lady Vols clinched their second consecutive NCAA championship title last April with a 64-48 victory over Stanford. They were one of 20 championship teams from 13 states recognized during Tuesday's ceremony.
"Even more impressive than winning the national title is becoming a repeat champion," the president said, noting that the Lady Vols and several other teams had accomplished that feat.
Before the official ceremony, Summitt and the seven team members who made the trip met privately with Bush and had their photo taken with him.
Senior guard Alberta Auguste of Marerro, La., presented the president with a UT basketball signed by the team members, two baseball caps and a windbreaker for first lady Laura Bush.
The president seemed to know a little bit about the team, Auguste said.
"He shook each individual hand," she said. "He basically knew who we were. He said, 'Oh, Tennessee, that's the national champions, right?' And he winked his eye at me. He was pretty familiar with who we are."
The president also showed a real sense of humor, Auguste said.
"He took the basketball and actually he dribbled it while they were taking the picture, so that was pretty funny," she said. "He told me his wife can't touch the net. Then he said, 'Wait a minute, I can't touch the net either.' He was just hilarious. He was really enjoyable."
It was the eighth time that Tennessee's women's basketball teams have been honored at the White House since 1987, when Ronald Reagan paid tribute to the first Lady Vols squad to win the national championship.
Summitt said the congratulatory event at the White House "puts the stamp of approval on what we accomplished."
"It's truly a tremendous opportunity for these young women to have a chance to visit the White House and to personally get to meet, greet and have a photo with the president of the United States," she said. "Very few people arrive at this position. And fortunately, we've been able to be here back to back. I think that's even more significant for our program."
Earlier Tuesday, members of Tennessee's congressional delegation honored the team at a luncheon at the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum, which recognizes the history of women's equality.
Four departed seniors - Candace Parker, Nicky Anosike, Shannon Bobbitt and Alexis Hornbuckle - are now playing in the WNBA and were unable to attend the festivities because their teams had games scheduled for Tuesday.
Forward Vicki Baugh, who will return next year as a sophomore, said the absent teammates were missed.
"We've been in this from the beginning together," Baugh said. "The team is such great players, and it's good to see how far we've got. We opened this opportunity up for ourselves by coming together as a team, and playing really just brings us closer."
Guard Angie Bjorklund, another returning sophomore, remembered standing outside the White House fence when she was in Washington for training with the USA Basketball Women's U19 World Championship Team just a year ago.
"I've been looking forward to this ever since we won," she said of Tuesday's festivities. "I'm really honored."
© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
- NCAA clears Warren to play for Vols
- Jones' can-opener dedicates UT aquatic center
- Mattingly: Vols stepped from dark ages in 1972
- DelleDonne spurns UConn, will attend Delaware
- Freshman DelleDonne won't return to UConn
- Poole not in over his head
- Strange: Phelps everywhere, and so is the SEC
- Cooper enjoys smash-mouth football
- UT's new assistants good pitchmen
- UCLA to start Craft at QB against UT
Please download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player, or enable JavaScript for your browser to view the video player.
Posted by BillVol on June 25, 2008 at 1:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Just a thought here. When the day comes, I have a feeling Holly will take over.
Posted by mparker on June 25, 2008 at 5:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Pat would like her son to take over some day. You never know...
one thing I'd wonder with Holly: can she pull all the different roles together like Pat does?? maybe she can, we obviously don't see her day-to-day work. Holly may be one of those best-suited to assistant head coach duties.
Pat has been LV basketball since the 70's. I can't imagine her leaving sooner than 10 years from now...but, as I said, you never know.
Posted by ETorange on June 25, 2008 at 6:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I think your next head coach is getting expierence at UCLA. Time will tell.
Posted by ladivolfan on June 25, 2008 at 7:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Just hope it's a looooooooog time before that happens.
Posted by VOLinATL on June 25, 2008 at 8:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I am just glad that they didn't wear flip-flops to the White House like the girls from Northwestern did a few years ago...
Posted by vol88 on June 25, 2008 at 8:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
no prez in the picture. Hmmm.
Posted by nola_vol on June 25, 2008 at 8:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"...here's something worth looking for: if most of the LVs who had the WH experience last year aren't there Tuesday, then it will be the first WH experience for most who ARE there.
Now THAT's an object lesson CPS can utilize: 'Ladies... Candice, Nicky, Shannon and Alexis are no longer here--YOU are the players who now represent our championship program. Did you enjoy the experience of meeting the most powerful man in the world? Do you want to come back again? How much do you want it?'"
--Posted on June 18, 2008
-----
Well, it's not the kind of motivation that will get a player through December, but it's probably sufficient to motivate their running & lifting through August--especially if, like most young people, they expect and would LOVE to be greeted by a President Barak Obama.
(Please, no political replies here: I'm just acknowledging ordinary demographic-political leanings. As Bismark, Churchill, Disraeli, Woodrow Wilson, and others throughout the 20th century observed, "He who is not a socialist by age 19 has no heart. He who is not a conservative by age 30 has no brain." I know my first time voting--on the recommendation of my heart--I voted for the "change" candidate: Jimmy Carter. Whatever your assessment of my early political judgement, my point here was simply about young Lady Vols finding additional motivation from this experience for the next few months.)
Posted by General_Watermelon on June 25, 2008 at 9:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Congrats ladies. Soon Coach Fulmer will be following your footsteps.
Posted by bobbarbilly on June 25, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I say assign the Lady Vols their own room in the White House and give them a permanent pass.
Posted by volboy81 on June 25, 2008 at 10:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Congratulations again, Lady Vols. You always make Tennessee proud!
Posted by BillVol on June 25, 2008 at 10:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Here is a picture of the team with the President:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releas...
Posted by Einstein on June 25, 2008 at 11:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Congratulations Lady Vols. We are proud of you both academically and athetically. Pat is a great coach and is always able to reload with both players and assistant coaches. This is because of who Pat is and the winning tradition at Tennessee. When players come in they know they have to earn their playing time.
NEXT YEAR PAT GETS 1000 WINS. I HOPE THE GAME IS ON TV. SURELY IT WILL BE.
Dr. Walter, MSEE UT 1968
Posted by ETorange on June 25, 2008 at 3:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I can't believe it. I'm outraged at the lack of respect that some National Championship teams get. We need to write to our senators and congressman and complain. I honestly CAN NOT for the life of me understand how the bowling champs from Vanderbilt were not listed in any of the photos. Maybe they were asked and could not attend due the making of the new "KINGPIN". Still a great loss to the school not being mentioned and having photo opp with " W" .
Posted by LadyVolsEighTimes on June 25, 2008 at 6:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
As a UT Graduate working at the White House in the 80s it was really neat to see the Lady Vols there.
Marine Band does a really great Rocky Top as well.
NOLA Vol, so your the One? I had heard that somebody was admitting to voteing for Carter.
Posted by pdhuff on June 25, 2008 at 8:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Congrats ladies.
Guess it was safe since Clinton wasn't around.
Posted by tedpat on June 25, 2008 at 8:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I am glad that picture of the wonderful Lady Vols was not messed up by having G. Bush in it. Nwxt year maybe you will have someone in office that you will be proud to join in the picture.
Posted by MillisaAnn on June 25, 2008 at 9:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Congratulations to Pat Summitt and The Lady Vols!!! :) :) :)
And I agree with you bobbarbilly,they should give them all permanent passes.
Posted by foreverorange on June 26, 2008 at 9:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Careful tedpat, last time I critized the president on here I was told to leave the country, haha.
pdhuff, that hilarious
Posted by ncvol on June 26, 2008 at 9:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We love our Lady Vols and rightfully so. They are the best ! Go Vols !!
Posted by vol4gzus on June 30, 2008 at 12:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
tedpat get over your dislike of OUR President please! They have a picture with President Bush so there! Keep your political persuasion (along with nolavol) out of article about Lady Vols. Article celebrating them , not the president you dislike. Thanks Lady Vols(glad you thought President Bush was nice)for representing us with class as usual!
(Requires free registration.)
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.