Some things transcend rivalry.

As Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph prepares her team for a trip to Knoxville to play its biggest rival, that's clear.

For Ralph, the name on the floor at Thompson Bolling Arena means something. Pat Summitt isn't just the name of a legendary coach, it's more than that.

"I’m thankful for all that she did for our sport not only as a player but as a coach because I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her," Ralph said. "If there’s ever a time we can honor Pat Summitt in any way I’ll be the first in line to do so."

The Vanderbilt head coach isn't all talk, either.

Thursday's matchup with Auburn was dubbed "We back Pat" day as Vanderbilt honored Summitt and showed its support for the "We back Pat" foundation. Summitt's foundation works to fight Alzheimer's disease.

Thursday's promotion was personal for Ralph.

"There’s a story behind that," Ralph said. "She recruited me but she played with my mom in the World University Games before there was an olympics for women. They played together, they were good friends. She recruited me when I came out of high school. She’s a really, really good woman."

Ralph's mom, Marsha Lake, and Summitt went on to go 5-2 in the event. The pair earned a silver medal while representing America.

Lake and Summitt were part of the first American team to win a medal in a major international competition in the Title IX era.

Ralph ended up choosing to play her college basketball for Uconn coach Geno Auriemma over Summitt but was still left with an impression from the former Tennessee coach.

"She coached with passion and energy," Ralph said. "Now as I sit in the head coaching seat I know how hard what she did is. Especially for as long as she did it. That’s hard. That deserves respect from everyone in the country."

Ralph doesn't only think that because of on-court production.

"She deserves to be honored," The Vanderbilt head coach added. "Not just because she’s not here but because what she did is hard to do and I'm grateful for her representation as a woman, as a mother, as a basketball player and as a coach.”

As Ralph looks back at Summitt's teams years later, she sees things that she wants to instill in her group.

"I was grateful to come up against her teams because you knew they were the teams that were never gonna quit."

As Ralph and her team travel to Knoxville this weekend, she knows that playing in that arena against that team is a big deal. Not just because of the in-state rivalry, but also because of the program that Summitt built.

"I mean, they're the Lady Vols," the Vanderbilt coach said. "They're Tennessee. They have a storied tradition of excellence."

"I know it's an in-state rivalry and I'm starting to learn at Vanderbilt what that really means, but we didn't like them so much when I was at Connecticut either," the third-year head coach added.

That attitude didn't directly correlate to Summitt, though.

“I mean it does in the sense that I’m always aware that I’m grateful. I never felt competitively towards Pat Summitt like ‘I don’t like Tennessee’ I never felt that. I’m always grateful to come up against a competitor like her."

As Ralph rides the bus and rides past Pat Summitt plaza in Knoxville, she'll be thinking of her team. Perhaps she'll be filled with some gratitude, as well.

“She was a great basketball coach, obviously but she was a great person. An even better person. I’m just super grateful for all she’s done for our game and for me”