Tennessee's Pat Summitt struggling with Alzheimer's, family admits

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Pat Summitt's family said Sunday that the last few days have been difficult for the former Tennessee women's basketball coach as her Alzheimer's disease progresses.

Amid reports of Summitt's failing health, her family issued a statement asking for prayers and saying that the 64-year-old Summitt is surrounded by the people who mean the most to her. It also asked for privacy.

The statement was posted on the Pat Summitt Foundation's website and was issued by Erin Freeman, a spokeswoman for the Summitt family.

Her only child, Tyler Summitt, said in 2012 after her diagnosis on "CBS This Morning" that his mother is stepping into a new role. She will become head coach emeritus at the school and focus on her efforts as spokesperson in the fight against the disease through The Pat Summitt Foundation Fund.

"We've always known that God has had a bigger plan for her than just coaching basketball," he said. "And so, she's stepping into a new role where she can still mentor her players and be a role model for them."

Former Tennessee player Tamika Catchings was flying to Knoxville to visit the coach instead of returning to Indiana with the WNBA's Fever. Other former players and those in the University of Tennessee and the women's basketball communities were issuing support on Twitter through the "PrayForPat" hashtag.

Summitt stepped down as Tennessee's coach in 2012, one year after announcing her diagnosis of early onset dementia, Alzheimer's type. She went 1,098-208 with eight national titles. She has the most career wins of any Division I men's or women's basketball coach.

Since her diagnosis, Summitt has played a leading role in the fight against Alzheimer's. She launched the Pat Summitt Foundation, which is dedicated to researching and educating people about the disease while also providing services to patients and caregivers. The Pat Summitt Alzheimer's Clinic is scheduled to open at the University of Tennessee medical center in December.

"When she fights this disease, what she has taught all of us is how to do it with courage," former Tennessee women's athletic director Joan Cronan said at a 2015 charity event honoring Summitt. "She's done that from Day One. It's been about (how) we can find a cure for this disease, and she has done it facing it straight-on and she's done it giving back as she always has."

Summitt continues to hold a position as head coach emeritus of the Tennessee women's basketball team. She attended nearly every home game and many practices in the first year after stepped down as coach, though she had a less visible role in subsequent seasons. She cut back on public appearances in recent years.