A permanent Pat Summitt exhibit has officially opened at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and is well worth a trip to downtown Knoxville.

Invited guests and media got a sneak peek at the exhibit two days before the induction of the 2025 class into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (WBHOF) – that ceremony was covered HERE in last week’s column – and included Holly Warlick, who both played for and coached with Summitt.

“Fabulous,” Warlick said after she toured the exhibit. “Captured Pat and every aspect as a player, as a coach, all through her career. It’s wonderful. The videos are so awesome. They captured her. I mean, she’s intense and then they capture her with her arms around kids. It was a lot of fun to see.”

The exhibit includes full coverage of her career at Tennessee and also family photos and her days as a player at Cheatham High School, UT Martin and USA Basketball. Two video screens play on loop with snippets of interviews throughout her life, game clips and other moments with Summitt that are both informative and poignant.

“I think sometimes they see this demonstrative person, and she’s all that, but there was such a great side,” Warlick said. “Pat had a great sense of humor. Enjoyed life and loved people. Loved meeting people. Never met a stranger. It’s fun to see her and for people to see her away from basketball and just how much fun she had.”

I posted the below photo on social media with this caption: I took photo of photo at unveiling this week. Got Debby Jennings to tell me circumstances as Pat is dancing atop a glass table and trophy is visible in lower right. It was 1989 after the second national title in Tacoma, Washington, with win over Auburn at the after-party at a donor’s island house. Pat said if the Lady Vols won, she would dance on a table. And she did. Pat would have been 73 today on June 14. She was taken far too soon at 64 in 2016. Keep dancing, Coach.

Pat Summitt dances after Tennessee won its second national title in 1989. (WBHOF)

The WBHOF originally was going to open in Jackson, Tennessee, but fundraising stalled, and the hall was in jeopardy. Summitt was asked to take the lead, and she spearheaded the campaign to save the project and bring it to Knoxville. No one said no to Summitt when asked to contribute. It is the only facility of its kind in the world that is dedicated to all levels of women’s basketball.

The class of 1999 was the first to be inducted – and Summitt was in that landmark group of 25 that also included Margaret Wade, Uijana Semjonova, Billie Moore, Cheryl Miller, Nancy Lieberman, Jody Conradt, Luisa Harris Stewart, Nera White and Senda Berenson Abbott, who is often referred to as the “mother of basketball.”

Warlick entered the WBHOF in 2001, and Mickie DeMoss, another longtime assistant for Summitt, joined them in 2018.

Pat Summitt exhibit at WBHOF. (Maria M. Cornelius)

“The reason why the Hall of Fame is here is because of Pat Summitt,” Warlick said. “We talk a lot about Pat with Tennessee and the Lady Vols, but it was her vision for women’s basketball. She wanted to take it to another level, and she made it her mission to do just that. And you come in here, and it’s not just about Tennessee.

“There’s a lot of Tennessee things here, but it’s about women’s basketball and the growth and you see where it started and where it is now. You can tell the different uniforms, the ball size, the shoes, everything. And you understand the importance of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.”

The WBHOF is located near the Knoxville Civic Coliseum and James White’s Fort and has free parking. Fundraising is still ongoing for the Pat Summitt exhibit, and donations to support the WBHOF can be made HERE. Yearly memberships also are available that allow unlimited admission and can be bought HERE. It’s worth the price because it takes multiple trips to take it all in and exhibits also rotate.

The Summitt exhibit is a permanent one with new items that can be added at various times.

“She had a lot to do with this Hall of Fame, so I think she’s well deserving of an exhibit,” Warlick said. “A lot of teams and coaches strive to be Pat Summitt in Tennessee. I think she’s well deserving of having her own little corner in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.”

Pat Summitt exhibit.

Summitt coached her final season in 2011-12. She died June 28, 2016, from Alzheimer’s disease. The exhibit will help keep her legacy intact – and should be a destination for all young players.

“It’s history,” Warlick said. “It’s why you have the opportunity to play on a team you’re playing on right now and getting the exposure and possibly making all this money that’s available now. It’s because of the pioneers like Pat Summitt and the people who came before.

“Give everybody this opportunity to come through here and see where it was, and then build your own dream, build your own legacy. This is a great foundation, and you can take off from it.”

DIANA CANTÚ

Lady Vols golf coach Diana Cantú has earned a contract extension through the 2030 season after leading Tennessee to the 2025 NCAA Championships, the first appearance for the program since 2019.

Now in her fourth season at the helm, Cantú also helped the team reach match play quarterfinals at the SEC Championships. The Lady Vols compiled an overall record of 109-62-4 and eclipsed the 100 head-to-head wins mark for the first time since 2019.

“The progress of our women’s golf program under Diana’s leadership has been exciting to witness,” Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White said. “The team returned to nationals for the first time since 2019, and the high-caliber student-athletes she has recruited and developed on Rocky Top position us well for continued success!”

Coach Diana Cantú (Tennessee Athletics)

Cantú also has developed players individually with Kyra Van Kan earning SEC All-Freshman team honors and three Lady Vols notching multiple top-10 finishes throughout the season.

“I am honored to be part of what I believe is the premier athletics department in the nation,” Cantú said. “I am especially grateful for the steadfast support and confidence shown by Chancellor Donde Plowman, Director of Athletics Danny White, Cam Walker and Angie Boyd-Keck – both in me, my staff and the long-term vision we share for this program. It is a privilege to continue leading the Lady Vols golf program, and I look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.”

Cantú, who is from Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, played golf at Tennessee and graduated in 2010. She played in three NCAA Championships and earned NCAA All-East Region honors in 2010.

“As a proud LVFL, I hold immense pride in representing the University of Tennessee and contributing to its rich tradition of excellence,” Cantú said. “Since returning to Knoxville, my staff and I have worked diligently to reenergize this program and return it to national prominence. I consider it a true blessing to work alongside such talented, dedicated and competitive young women. While we are proud of the progress we have made, our journey is far from over.”

Maria M. Cornelius, a senior writer/editor at MoxCar Marketing + Communications since 2013, started her journalism career at the Knoxville News Sentinel and began writing about the Lady Vols in 1998. In 2016, she published her first book, “The Final Season: The Perseverance of Pat Summitt,” through The University of Tennessee Press and a 10th anniversary edition will be released in 2026.