KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee coach Holly Warlick remains upbeat amid an extraordinarily difficult year.Pat Summitt, her predecessor and mentor, died in June after battling early-onset dementia, Alzheimers type. That followed a trying season in which Tennessee had a school-record 14 losses but surged down the stretch to reach an NCAA Tournament regional final.The upcoming season hasnt started, yet Warlicks team already is down to nine healthy scholarship players. Athletic director Dave Hart, who hired her to replace Summitt, just announced his pending retirement.No wonder shes so eager to turn the page with a new school year.Nobodys going to feel sorry for myself or this program, Warlick said. I just have to keep focusing on what I need to do to get better and the positive part of this team. Personally, yeah, it was difficult. It was extremely difficult.The toughest part came with the death of Summitt, who led the Lady Volunteers to eight national titles and 1,098 victories. Warlick played for Summitt and worked as an assistant coach on her staff for 27 seasons before taking over the program in 2012. Warlick said the sudden nature of Summitts death was a little bit of a shock to me.Id just seen her two weeks before and was going out for her birthday and (was told) she was asleep, Warlick said, I said, `Dont wake her up. Ill see her next week. And the next week led to, `You need to get over here. Pats not doing well and may not make it through the night.Warlick savored all the opportunities to talk basketball with Summitt, who remained on staff as head coach emeritus. Warlick said Summitts declining health prevented them from having in-depth conversations about the game, but they could still talk about general things such as whether the team needed to play harder or rebound better.Just having that presence there and knowing she watched the game, those things were important to me, Warlick said.Warlick said Tennessees current players gained a new appreciation for Summitt from the tributes that poured in after her death. Now they want to honor her by building on the momentum established during their surprising postseason run.That will require correcting the problems that arose during a 22-14 season. Warlick has raved about the teams offseason approach and particularly noted the leadership of senior guard Jordan Reynolds.At times we didnt lead by example last year, Warlick said. Sometimes wed get a little consumed about ourselves. It doesnt have that feel right now. It doesnt have that feel of, `Im worried about me. Its (about) trying to get this team in the right direction. Its a great feeling right now.The Lady Vols will need that kind of effort to overcome their lack of depth.Tea Cooper, the teams fourth-leading scorer as a freshman last year, will miss the entire 2016-17 season with a knee injury. Andraya Carter, who made 82 career starts, is forgoing her final season of eligibility due to a series of injuries. Warlick said the absence of those two guards could require Tennessee to play zone more frequently and to press less often.The uncertainty surrounding Tennessees athletic department makes this an intriguing season for Warlick, who has led the Lady Vols to regional finals in three of her four years on the job.Hart announced on Thursday he was stepping down June 30. Warlick had no head coaching experience when Hart chose her to run the program in 2012, but was the programs longtime assistant. Warlick noted his efforts in getting a statue of Summitt built on campus, planning locker-room improvements for the Lady Vols and aiding the athletic departments switch to Nike as its main apparel provider.When your athletic director leaves, I think all of us -- coaches, administrators, anybody here -- should be concerned, Warlick said. Daves the one that went out on a limb and hired me. Im appreciative of that.Warlick is responding to this latest challenge the same way shes faced every other obstacle.Its all about your attitude, Warlick said. I see the glass as half full. Stitched China Jerseys . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. China Jerseys Wholesale . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. https://www.chinasjerseys.com/ . The FA rejected Wilsheres appeal that the length of his punishment was "clearly excessive" and said Thursday his suspension begins with immediate effect. He will miss league matches against Chelsea on Monday and West Ham on Dec. China Jerseys 2020 . Third-seeded Murray had the easiest path to victory on New Years Eve, barely breaking a sweat during his 6-0, 6-0 win over 2,129th-ranked Qatari wildcard recipient Mousa Shanan Zayed. Nike China Jerseys . During the athletes parade, the 23-strong Ukrainian team was represented by a lone flagbearer in an apparent protest at the presence of Russian troops in Ukraines Crimean peninsula.Fourth seed John Isner crashed out of the Rio Open after letting three match points slip away in his opening round defeat by Guido Pella. The American fell in the first round at Buenos Aires last week and suffered another early exit after losing to Pella 7-6 5-7 7-6.Pella failed to take any of his four break-point opportunities against the big-serving Isner, but stubbornly protected his own service games as he fended off 10 of 11 break points. The Argentine also had chances to close out the match before the deciding tie-break, spurning a match point at 5-4 in the second set and another while leading 5-4 in the third.Isner then had three channces to seal victory in the tie-breaker, but Pella stood firm and moved to 9-8 before securing a second round match with either Santiago Giraldo or Gastao Elias.dddddddddddd I had a lot of chances and I did not play the right way, Isner said. I had high expectations for this trip. I hope to come back and play better.Watch live action from the Rio Open on Tuesday night, starting at 7pm on Sky Sports 1. Also See: Cowan: Nadal must win in Rio Sky Live: Rio Open ATP schedule Tennis on Sky ' ' '