Charli Turner Thorne was an up-and-coming college basketball coach in an up-and-coming program when she nervously picked up the phone and called three big-time coaches to ask for a helping hand.
Turner Thorne wanted to host the first NCAA women's outdoor game at Bank One Ballpark in December of 2000, but she needed an attractive opponent to draw media attention and help put her Sun Devils on the map.
"Pat Summitt was the only one of the three to say 'yes,'" Turner Thorne said Tuesday. "The truth of it is, it was much worse for their schedule than the other two teams. Tennessee had this brutal schedule where they were zig-zagging across the country but Pat put the growth of the game ahead of her own program. She was so gracious.
"We went on to win back-to-back Pac-10 championships those two years (regular season in 2001 and Pac-12 Tournament in 2002). It helped our confidence and exposure so much. We wouldn't be where we are today without Pat Summitt."
Summitt, a Hall of Fame coach, a pioneer and a champion of the women's game, died Tuesday morning at age 64. She led the Volunteers to eight national titles in her 38 seasons at the school. She amassed 1,098 victories -- the most in Division I college basketball history (men or women) -- before retiring in 2012, one year after announcing she had early onset dementia, Alzheimer's type.
Turner Thorne was riding an exercise cycle (the only thing she can do after breaking two bones in her foot) when she flipped on a TV, saw the news and lost all motivation.
"A woman who was that young and that strong…" said Turner Thorne, her voice trailing off. "You don't see anything like this happening. She was way too young."
Once the Vols and Sun Devils had met on that historic day in 2000, Turner Thorne said Summitt always treated her like an old pal and she could "pick up the phone and ask her anything." They'd see each other at coaches conferences and Turner Thorne always marveled at the big-picture perspective Summitt had on the game and on life.
"I believe one of the biggest reasons for her success is she just got it on all levels. It's about who we are. It's about mentoring and it's about caring about our athletes," Turner Thorne said. "Here's somebody who had unprecedented success and could have been this look-at-me-and-what I-have-done personality and instead she was actually self- reflective.
"When I heard (former Vol) Kara Lawson talking about her (on Tuesday) on TV I almost cried because it rang so true what she was saying. I hear Pat's voice every day and it's almost like a guide to make sure I'm not cutting corners or being dishonest.
"Some coaches just want to recruit and coach, but we're not football. People don't just show up. You have to focus on every facet of the game and as much of a celebrity as she was, she did all the little things to promote the game, whether it was national interviews or going to the cafeteria to get students to come out to the games."
One of the biggest complaints about the women's game is that there is not enough parity -- a point critics drive home by pointing to Connecticut's four straight national championships. Turner Thorne understands that critique, but she wonders where the women's game would be without the Geno Auriemmas and Pat Summitts of the world.
"Because of her great success, she became a great story and the media latched onto it," Turner Thorne said. "They didn't want to cover women's basketball overall but they wanted to cover Tennessee.
"I don't know that we have everything we have -- more money, more TV coverage and more opportunities in women's basketball -- if not for Pat Summitt. Pat was our biggest star."