Tennessee Coach Pat Summitt Diagnosed with Dementia: Report

Legendary Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt has been diagnosed with dementia, according to a CBS Sports report.

Gregg Doyel of CBSSports.com reported on Tuesday that Summitt, 59, has been diagnosed with dementia and that an official announcement was expected for later that day.

Summitt is considered by many to be the most successful women's basketball coach in NCAA history. She has won 1,071 games, eight national championships, led the U.S. to a gold medal, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000.

Summitt plans to continue coaching at the University of Tennessee, and according to GoVolsXtra.com story, the school's administration supports her continued coaching.

I'm comfortable because I know her as a person and I know her as a coach,'' Tennessee athletic director Joan Cronan told GoVolsXtra.com. And I feel like if it wasn't the right thing for her or us she wouldn't be going forward.

According to the story, Summitt was concerned with months of erratic behavior and decided to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to figure out what was wrong with her. The doctors came back and told her that she had early onset dementia.

I feel better just knowing what I'm dealing with, Summitt told GoVolsExtra.com. And as far as I'm concerned it's not going to keep me from living my life, not going to keep me from coaching.

Summitt initially had some difficulty accepting the diagnosis, according to her son Tyler, but ultimately was able to respond to it the best she could.

Nobody accepts this,'' Tyler said. And there was anger. Why me? was a question she asked more than once. But then, once she came to terms with it, she treated it like every other challenge she ever had, and is going to do everything she possibly can to keep her mind right and stay the coach.