Life's Work - by Michelle Smith (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The definitive story of Tara VanDerveer, Stanford women's basketball, and an unmatched legacy of excellence

By the time Tara Vanderveer stepped down from nearly four decades at the helm of Stanford women's basketball, she had surpassed both Pat Summitt and Mike Krzyzewski to become the winningest head coach in NCAA college basketball history. Along the way, she'd led the Cardinal to three national championships and 14 Final Fours, and served as head coach for the 1996 Team USA Olympic team that was a launching pad for professional women's basketball.

How did this upstate New York native whose own antiquated basketball experience was a reflection of the limited opportunities available to women in sports prior to Title IX, whose first coaching job was her sister's recreation league team, become a legend, a Hall of Famer and a standard-bearer for excellence and success?

Retracing countless seminal moments in Stanford Cardinal history, Life's Work details the construction and maintenance of an elite women's program and an unmatched legacy in sports. VanDerveer built upon a foundation of relentless competitiveness, intellectual curiosity, and a desire to change with the times and her teams. Beyond the accolades, she established a culture for young women in which they given the opportunity to improve, thrive and emerge into the world after basketball ready to lead.

Through extensive research and conversations with VanDerveer, Michelle Smith communicates the unflappable vision of a coach who is a mentor, an example, and a touchstone for a sport that finds itself on the cusp of mainstream success like never before.

Review Quotes

Megdal does a fine job capturing the legacy of these women who shared a passion for basketball, from pre-Title IX days to those advancing a path of inclusion and leading the sport today. -- Booklist

About the Author

Michelle Smith has covered women's basketball for nearly three decades, a journey that began when she was assigned to report on her first Stanford women's basketball game in 1995. She was the first-ever women's basketball columnist for CBSSportsLine and ESPN.com, served as a Stanford beat writer for the San Francisco Examiner and San Francisco Chronicle, and has also written for publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, The Athletic and SLAM Magazine.