June 29, 2016
Quick Slant is an array of brief insights and occasionally opinionated overviews of collegiate athletics in general and the Vanderbilt Commodores in particular.
The untimely death of Pat Summitt was shocking in its speed, even to those among us who have family experience with dementia. There were scores of tributes from the sports world, political figures, friends and long-time foes. Isn’t it a bit ironic as we sort out our feelings that we now grieve for a coaching legend that as one-time rivals was the face of that rivalry? If we are honest about it, we had some envy for Coach Summitt’s vast abilities and with her passing that envy quickly transformed into admiration. Sports can bring out the best – and sometimes nearly the worst – in us.
Belated congratulations to our former tennis star Bobby Reynolds, who recently became the head coach at Auburn. Bobby had spent last year as the assistant coach at Oklahoma after a dozen years on the pro tour. We wish Bobby and his wife Josie – former Vandy track star Josie Hahn – the best of luck in every match but one.
It is darn near impossible not to be around our new basketball staffs and not feel the excitement. Stephanie White and Bryce Drew – the new faces of Vanderbilt Basketball – will bring the Magic back to Memorial.
Did you notice that our first-team All-American golfer Matthias Schwab won the decisive match in the Palmer Cup between Europe and the USA? Matthias – incidentally the only first-team All-American not turning professional this summer (his education is important to him) – was selected by players on both teams as winner of the Arnold Palmer Legacy as the Palmer Cupper who best embodies the values of the great one and carries an exemption to the 2017 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Commodore sophomore Will Gordon was on the USA’s Palmer Cup team.