I think Pat helped, although probably not in that way. Pat's most effective contribution was a "traveling road show" that exposed people to women's basketball. I think the resurrection at OU was probably more due to the fact that it just insulted a lot of women in a state in which we had had girl's basketball for eighty or more years at the time. I don't think it is wise to insult women in this state. The closure of the program was a reflection of the complete lack of understanding of the issue by the older folks of this state, especially men. I don't think they thought anyone would object. They certainly didn't put much into it when the reinstated it.
Pat kind of created a different market for basketball. Prior to Pat, the powers that be in the world of women's basketball didn't exactly influence other power conference schools to build a program. Who wants to build something to compete with Old Dominion, Delta State, Wayland Baptist, Louisiana Tech, or Cheyney State? USC breathed a little life. Texas and Texas Tech kept it barely alive. But, Pat was the one who generated an enthusiasm within the power conferences. Suddenly, most schools in the SEC, Pac Ten, and Big Ten began to build programs. The ACC and Big Eight seemed to lag a little. But, all of these became involved, and Tennessee was the first one to use its light as a beacon. It became the program to aspire to. Pat was a rather fortunate. Not always do the builders get to live in the promised land, and she did. She was no longer on top, but she was the one that had established a top for it to get to.
