Sports anchor Robin Roberts recently shared how late Tennessee Lady Volunteers coach Pat Summitt may have been solely responsible for her rivalry with Geno Auriemma‘s UConn Huskies.
On Wednesday, March 25, the “Post Moves” show, hosted by former Tennessee star Candace Parker and Indiana Fever standout Aaliyah Boston, posted a clip on the show’s Instagram page.
Roberts was a guest on the show and discussed the iconic rivalry between Summit and Auriemma, two of the greatest coaches in the sport. Roberts focused her thoughts on Summitt and how the Lady Volunteers legend may have instigated the rivalry between herself and Auriemma.
“ Connecticut, Tennessee series, man, oh man, oh man. And again, it started because Pat said, ‘I’ll go. I’ll do it’ when nobody else wanted to. They went there, they played Connecticut. It was just a ruckus. And that’s when UConn was starting to take off, and that great rivalry between the two of them. But that was Pat. She didn’t just want the best for the Lady Vols. All she wanted was what was best for women’s basketball, what was best for the sport,” Roberts said.
“The origin of the UConn-Tennessee rivalry 🍿 ‘It started because Pat [Summitt] said I’ll go when no one else wanted to,'” @postmovesshow on Instagram captioned with an emoji.
Summit died in 2016 at the age of 64. She left a lasting legacy for women’s hoops, as she was an eight-time national champion with the Lady Volunteers and dominated the SEC for over a decade. As previously mentioned, she had an intense rivalry with coach Auriemma, who has the most national titles (12) for a women’s college basketball coach, last winning it all in 2025.
Robin Roberts Wishes That More Coaches Today Emulated Pat Summitt’s Mindset
Later during her interview on the “Post Moves” show, Robin Roberts expounded on her sentiments regarding today’s coaches, saying she wished more coaches emulated Pat Summitt’s mindset.
For Roberts, Summit always wanted what was best for women’s basketball as a whole, no matter the circumstance.
“When you have someone like that, I miss that. And I wish that more people had that quality in thinking beyond themselves, beyond their playing field, and just thinking about the big picture. And she was really a big picture kind of person,” Roberts shared (0:25).
Read More: Geno Auriemma vs Pat Summitt Rivalry: Analysing Heated History Between UConn and Tennessee
Also Read: After Dawn Staley’s Comment on SEC Tournament Loss, Candace Parker And Aliyah Boston Compare Pat Summitt And South Carolina HC
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