Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin could ‘feel Pat Summitt’s spirit’ in win vs. Tennessee

When the buzzer at the SJB Pavilion sounded Sunday and Ole Miss women’s basketball’s 80-75 victory against Tennessee was sealed, Rebels coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin was admittedly emotional.

To that point, the Volunteers had been one of just three SEC teams she hadn’t defeated since being hired at Ole Miss in 2018. In reality, though, the win carried an extra significance for an entirely different reason.

“I have so much love for Pat Summitt’s legacy,” McPhee-McCuin said. “Pat Summitt was the first female coach that I was able to witness. I had never seen a woman coach until I saw Pat Summitt. I love Pat Summitt.”

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Like many women’s basketball coaches, the legendary Tennessee women’s basketball coach played a prominent role in shaping McPhee-McCuin’s exposure to and love of the sport.

Twelve years after her last game and eight years after her death at the age of 64, Summitt is still perhaps the most towering figure in the history of college basketball, men’s or women’s, at any level.

Summitt led the Volunteers to eight national championships, was a five-time Naismith Coach of the Year recipient and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. Her 1,098 wins are the third-most of any women’s college basketball coach ever. Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease forced her to retire in 2012 at only 59 years old.

For McPhee-McCuin, Summitt’s accomplishments and legacy loom whenever Ole Miss faces off against Summitt’s former program.

“This means a lot,” McPhee-McCuin said. “Every time we play Tennessee, y’all, I swear I feel Pat’s spirit. It’s not like I played for her. I only met her a couple of times. But this is someone who mentored me from afar. So, for me, beating Tennessee means a lot. More importantly, it puts us in a good position as far as our standings are concerned.”

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Before Sunday’s win, McPhee-McCuin had been 0-7 against the Volunteers, one of the SEC’s historic powers.

At least some of those shortcomings could be attributed to Ole Miss’ standing as a program before McPhee-McCuin took over. At the time of her hiring, the Rebels had missed out on the NCAA Tournament in 11 consecutive seasons and had finished seven of those seasons with a losing record.

Now in her sixth season in Oxford, McPhee-McCuin has taken Ole Miss to the NCAA Tournament in consecutive years, including a Sweet 16 appearance last season. The Rebels are 63-23 since the start of the 2021-22 season, including a 15-5 mark this season.