Looking back on his family’s trip to Knoxville, Tyler Summitt wishes he had done it sooner.
The son of former Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt hasn’t brought his kids to his hometown often, or for very long. He and his wife, Brooke, took them to Summitt’s statue last year, but it wasn’t an extended trip.
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It was something he put off for one reason or another — the kids were young, it’s a trek from Ohio with three of them, and there are all of the emotions of going home.
This June, though, the Summitts took a six-day trip to Knoxville, which overlapped with former Lady Vols star Candace Parker’s induction to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame on June 27. Their last day in town was June 28, which was the 10th anniversary of Pat Summitt’s death.
“It just really felt like the stars aligned, it was meant to be,” Summitt told Knox News. “It was like God had a plan for us to be there, and I’m so glad we did it.”
Tyler Summitt and Candace Parker’s kids meeting
The line winding through the WBHOF came to a halt for a few minutes during the autograph session on June 27.
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When Summitt brought the kids to Parker’s table, her face lit up. She hugged each of them tightly before embracing Tyler and Brooke.
The kids, who also saw the Pat Summitt exhibit, found their way to the locker room area. Lakelyn, Rocky and Breck took a seat on the bench as the video of Pat Summitt’s locker room speech played, eyes glued to the screen.
“The kids know who their grandmother was, but they don’t really know,” Summitt said. “It was really neat to see their reactions, because they’re starting to understand.”
