News Stories

Mystics Tap Summitt, Stanley
By Kathy Orton
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, April 4, 2002; Page D01

Pat Summitt will be named player personnel consultant to the Washington Mystics and Marianne Stanley will be introduced as the team's head coach today, sources close to the Mystics confirmed yesterday.

Stanley will attend today's news conference; Summitt will speak to the media from Knoxville, Tenn.

Summitt and Stanley are two of the most successful coaches in women's basketball. Summitt, 49, who will remain the Tennessee women's basketball coach, has won six NCAA national championships and is tied with Texas Coach Jody Conradt atop the career wins list with 788 victories. She was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in October 2000.

Stanley, 47, spent 20 years in college coaching, winning three national titles -- two AIAW and one NCAA. The past two years, she has worked as a WNBA assistant coach.

She will be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame later this month.

Summitt, who recently agreed to a five-year contract extension reportedly worth $550,000 per year with Tennessee, signed a one-year contract with the Mystics. Stanley's contract terms were not available.

As a consultant, Summitt will advise Washington on personnel matters. Her role will be similar to that of former general manager Melissa McFerrin, who resigned on Jan. 4.

Summitt will make the selections for the Mystics in the April 19 WNBA draft in which Washington has two top five picks. In addition, she will provide input to Stanley on the team's current strengths and weaknesses.

Her duties will not include coaching.

Summitt just completed her 28th season at Tennessee. The Lady Vols went 29-5 and reached the Final Four for the 13th time under Summitt.

Her role as the Tennessee coach does not prevent her from pursuing employment with a professional sports organization. The NCAA removed such restrictions in August, leaving those decisions to the university.

Joan Cronan, Tennessee's women's athletics director, has met with Summitt to discuss her role as a consultant for the Mystics.

"I can't find any reason she couldn't do it if she meets the standards," Cronan said. "Pat Summitt is the ultimate professional. Tennessee will always come first. I don't worry about that."

Stanley joined the organization last season as an assistant under former Mystics coach Tom Maher, who resigned Jan. 4. When she was just 24, she became the head coach at Old Dominion, becoming the youngest NCAA Division I coach to take a team to the national championship.

The Lady Monarchs won two AIAW titles in Stanley's first three seasons and an NCAA title in 1985.

In addition to Old Dominion, Stanley coached at Pennsylvania, Southern California, Stanford and California. Her overall record is 415-224.

She also was a two-time all-American guard at Immaculata College, winning AIAW titles her first two seasons.

After leaving college coaching, she was an assistant with the Los Angeles Sparks before coming to the Mystics.

Last season, the Mystics tied for the WNBA's worst record (10-22) despite having six Olympians and two all-stars on their roster. Entering their fifth season as a WNBA franchise, the Mystics have yet to post a winning record.

Stanley is their sixth coach. Summitt is, in essence, the team's third general manager.

© 2002 The Washington Post Company

Printed without permission from the Washington Post website. Read the story along with additional history on this story at the Washington Post website.

[back to top]