BACK TEAM LAWSON SO WE CAN BACK PAT!

During my tenure at LSU, I coached against some of the greatest Lady Vol players to have donned a Tennessee uniform, including Chamique Holdsclaw, Temika Catchings and Candace Parker.  But I feared none more than Kara Lawson.  She was simply the most competitive player that I've coached against and one of the greatest clutch players to play the game.  If her team needed a stop she would grab a steal or take a charge...if they needed a rebound she'd bang among the giants...if they needed a score she'd drain a dagger 3.  The best way for me to describe Kara is to say that on a nightly basis she was going to find a way for her team to win.

That's why I annually support her and her husband Damien Barling who form Team Lawson, running in the New York Marathon to raise money for The Pat Summitt Foundation.  To learn more about Kara and her honoring Coach Pat Summitt read this article that she wrote for ESPNW.  I know because of her competitive spirit and love for Coach Summitt that Team Lawson is going to find a way to win.

It's hard to imagine too many people that don't know someone in someway that has been afflicted by this terrible disease. It is so important that we join together and help in any way that we can.  Just as she would with her championship Lady Vol teams, Coach Summitt and her foundation have a well thought out plan.

The Pat Summitt Foundation Fund believes no family should have to hear a diagnosis like Pat's: early onset dementia, Alzheimer's type. The Fund will make grants to nonprofits which provide:

1. Education and awareness of Alzheimer's, its onset and treatment.

2. Support services to patients, their families and caregivers.

4. Research to treat, prevent, cure, and ultimately eradicate this disease.  

I make a donation to this wonderful cause each year and I am asking everyone else to as well.  Kara and Damien are committed to making a difference and as coaches and athletes, I think it is incumbent upon us to help -- simply do what you can...give what you can!

If you are involved in the sport of women's basketball -- in any capacity -- you owe a great deal to Coach Summitt.  She has elevated the game of women's basketball like no one in any other sport.  She is in large part responsible for our salaries that have increased over the years, the facilities that we continue to build, the television coverage we gain each season, the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame -- and so much more.

This is our chance to give back!

All you have to do is go to:
 http://grouprev.com/teamlawson

Click on "Donate Now" and complete a short form.

It's easy.  It's simple.  But it's very important!

BACK PAT!