Tamika Catchings is widely regarded as one of the most popular and successful Lady Vol basketball players in the program’s history, and for good reason. Catchings was a freshman on the undefeated 1997-1998 Lady Vols team, a four year All-American and would be picked No. 3 overall by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA draft in 2001.
After she left Tennessee, she only built upon her resume. In 13 seasons in the WNBA, she has been named a WNBA All-Star nine times, was named the WNBA Most Valuable Player in 2011, helped lead the Fever to the 2012 WNBA Championship and is a three-time Olympic gold medalist in women’s basketball.
Catchings has had a storied career, but she hasn’t forgotten where she got her start. She still keeps tabs on the Lady Vols and remembers what her former head coach, Pat Summitt, instilled in her at Tennessee.
“I think I was just as heartbroken as the ladies when they lost to Maryland,” Catchings said of this year’s Lady Vols team. “They play with so much heart, so much grit.
“You look at that game they played against Gonzaga when they came back from 17 points to win. That’s a big deal and was good to watch. I’m so proud of them and what they did.”
Catchings played for Summitt, one of the nation’s most successful and legendary coaches, during her time at Tennessee. She helped Summitt win one of her eight National Championships and was part of Tennessee’s only undefeated basketball season in program history. But she learned just as much from Summitt off the court as on it.
“I love that (Summitt) always demanded excellence on and off the court,” Catchings said. “I appreciated that because I had such high aspirations for myself. She never just focused on us as basketball players. She wanted us to be great on the court, in the classroom and in the community.”
Even though she is 14 years removed from her Tennessee career, Catchings hasn’t forgotten the lessons Summitt taught. Catchings started her own foundation, Catch the Stars, in 2004 as a youth outreach program in Indianapolis. And for the last three years, Catchings has been part of the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team, an organization designed to highlight young women who are exceptional basketball players and community leaders.
“I’m really excited about meeting these young ladies this year and teaming up with them,” Catchings said of this year’s WBCA Good Works Team. “I’m very community oriented here in Indianapolis and was at the University of Tennessee as well.”
Catchings has had a legendary career on the court as a basketball player, and she hopes that through her work in her community she can help young women reach their goals like Summitt helped her.
“People looked at Pat like ‘Man, she’s always so tough on her players,’ but I appreciated it because she always had my best interests in mind,” Catchings said. “Her overall thing was always ‘I want you guys to be great people, not just great players.’”
