1
00:00:01,160 --> 00:00:03,360
Speaker 1: Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're wondering

2
00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:06,080
Speaker 1: if your local women's sports bar has a March Madness

3
00:00:06,080 --> 00:00:09,360
Speaker 1: event we can crash. It's Tuesday, March third, and on

4
00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:11,600
Speaker 1: today show, we'll be talking to Naismith Hall of Famer

5
00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:14,720
Speaker 1: and legendary hoops writer Michelle Smith. We talk about her

6
00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:17,760
Speaker 1: new book, Life's Work, how Tara Vanderveer and Stanford women's

7
00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:21,079
Speaker 1: basketball changed the sport forever being the first ever regular

8
00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:24,280
Speaker 1: women's basketball columnist in the nineteen nineties, and how Tara

9
00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:26,639
Speaker 1: and Stanford hoops made the Bay Area place where the

10
00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:30,480
Speaker 1: Golden State balkyries could thrive. Plus the triumphant end of

11
00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:34,200
Speaker 1: an odyssey arose, blooms again, and turns out we don't

12
00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:37,800
Speaker 1: need acls or MCLs. It's all coming up right after

13
00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:49,360
Speaker 1: this welcome back slices. Here's what you need to know today.

14
00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:54,560
Speaker 1: Let's start with college hoops, where Yukon officially finished the

15
00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:58,720
Speaker 1: regular season undefeated, a perfect thirty one to zero. The

16
00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:00,959
Speaker 1: Huskies closed with an eighty five forty nine win over

17
00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:03,640
Speaker 1: Saint John's on Sunday, and they did it at Madison

18
00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:06,640
Speaker 1: Square Garden in New York in the venue's first standalone

19
00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:09,399
Speaker 1: women's college basketball game, i e. Not part of a

20
00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:12,560
Speaker 1: tournament or a multi game lineup. Yukon women's basketball has

21
00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:15,920
Speaker 1: now gone undefeated eleven times in program history, and their

22
00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:18,920
Speaker 1: plus thirty seven point eight scoring margin this season is

23
00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:22,559
Speaker 1: the third highest in D one history, trailing who else

24
00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:26,200
Speaker 1: too previous Yukon teams. In addition to kappin off their

25
00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:30,080
Speaker 1: perfect season, Sunday's win marked the team's forty seventh straight victory.

26
00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:33,959
Speaker 1: That's the fifth longest winning streak in NCAA women's basketball history.

27
00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:36,680
Speaker 1: The Huskies will next take the court in the quarterfinals

28
00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:39,319
Speaker 1: of the Big East Tournament on Saturday at Newon Eastern

29
00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:42,000
Speaker 1: at the Mohegan Sun Arena in southern Connecticut. You can

30
00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:45,480
Speaker 1: watch that game on Peacock. Also want to shout out UCLA,

31
00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:49,320
Speaker 1: who defeated crosstown rival USC seventy three fifty Sunday night

32
00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:52,320
Speaker 1: to go eighteen to zero in conference play, becoming the

33
00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:55,120
Speaker 1: first women's basketball team to go undefeated in Big Ten

34
00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,640
Speaker 1: play since Maryland did it in the twenty fourteen to

35
00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:00,680
Speaker 1: fifteen season. The number two Bruins. He went twenty eight

36
00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:03,640
Speaker 1: to one overall for the regular season, losing just one

37
00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:07,840
Speaker 1: game against Texas in November. Ucla grad student Charlie ledger

38
00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:11,080
Speaker 1: Walker led the way on Sunday, matching her season high

39
00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:14,639
Speaker 1: with twenty points. Both leder Walker and Gianna Neepkins broke

40
00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:17,080
Speaker 1: the career two thousand point mark in the win. The

41
00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,880
Speaker 1: Bruins will enter the Big Ten Tournament as the top seed.

42
00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:24,040
Speaker 1: Game start Wednesday at Gainbridge Field House in Indianapolis. More

43
00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:27,080
Speaker 1: College hoops in Iowa States ninety three seventy nine victory

44
00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:30,239
Speaker 1: over Kansas State on Sunday, Junior center Audie Crooks had

45
00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:33,720
Speaker 1: forty one points and thirteen rebounds in thirty minutes of play.

46
00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:37,720
Speaker 1: The game marked Crook's fifth forty plus point game, tying

47
00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:40,880
Speaker 1: former Baylor and current Atlanta Dream center Britney Griner for

48
00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:44,560
Speaker 1: the most forty point games in Big twelve history. The Cyclones,

49
00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:47,519
Speaker 1: who endured an ugly five game losing skid in January,

50
00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:50,440
Speaker 1: have bounced back to win eight of their last eleven games.

51
00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,040
Speaker 1: They head to the Big Twelve Tournament as the seventh seed,

52
00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:55,720
Speaker 1: with their first game tipping off on Thursday against the

53
00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:58,760
Speaker 1: winner of the Arizona versus Arizona State opening round matchup.

54
00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:01,960
Speaker 1: More Sunday, when Scollege hoops to catch up on number ten.

55
00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:04,959
Speaker 1: Louisville fell to unranked Notre Dame sixty five sixty two,

56
00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:08,240
Speaker 1: thanks in large part to Irish star Hannah Hidalgo. The

57
00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:11,160
Speaker 1: junior guard recorded her seventh double double of the season

58
00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:14,600
Speaker 1: and led the team in rebounds, assists, and steals, putting

59
00:03:14,639 --> 00:03:18,080
Speaker 1: up thirty points, ten boards, seven assists, and five steals.

60
00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:21,440
Speaker 1: The latest Associated Press Top twenty five women's basketball poll

61
00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:24,280
Speaker 1: reflects stability at the top and a big leap for

62
00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:27,079
Speaker 1: one team near the bottom. The top nine teams remained

63
00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:34,040
Speaker 1: the same in order. That's Yukon, UCLA, South Carolina, Texas, Vanderbilt, LSU, Oklahoma, Michigan,

64
00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:36,760
Speaker 1: and Iowa rounding out the top ten or the TCU

65
00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:40,280
Speaker 1: Horned Frogs moving up one spot since last week. Ohio

66
00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:43,240
Speaker 1: State also moved up from thirteenth to eleventh, and North

67
00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:46,280
Speaker 1: Carolina had the biggest jump, going from twenty one to sixteen.

68
00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:48,840
Speaker 1: We'll link to the whole standings in the show notes.

69
00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:52,960
Speaker 1: On Sunday, the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee revealed its latest

70
00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:55,760
Speaker 1: look at the top sixteen seats, and the real came

71
00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:58,560
Speaker 1: before a few regular season finales went final, so things

72
00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:02,119
Speaker 1: might change a little two big takeaways are certain Texas

73
00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:05,120
Speaker 1: is the fourth number one seed and seven Big Ten

74
00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:07,560
Speaker 1: teams are in the top sixteen. We'll link to the

75
00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:10,280
Speaker 1: latest bracketology from ESPN's Charlie Cream if you want to

76
00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:12,680
Speaker 1: see if your favorite squad is in, out or on

77
00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:16,360
Speaker 1: the bubble. To athletes Unlimited. AU Pro Basketball closed out

78
00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:19,120
Speaker 1: its four week season this past weekend in Nashville and Odyssey.

79
00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:22,479
Speaker 1: Simms took top honors, averaging twenty six point two points

80
00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:25,480
Speaker 1: per game as the twenty twenty six AU Pro Basketball champion.

81
00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:28,600
Speaker 1: In the final week of competition, Sims dropped an AU

82
00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:31,479
Speaker 1: career high forty four points to take a big lead

83
00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:34,520
Speaker 1: entering Sunday's finale, and she closed out her winning style

84
00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:37,280
Speaker 1: with thirty points in her final game. Sims was the

85
00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:40,159
Speaker 1: runner up in both twenty twenty four and twenty twenty five,

86
00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:43,880
Speaker 1: so this was a long awaited moment on top. Anissa Morro,

87
00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:47,760
Speaker 1: Rebecca Gardner, and Tina Charles rounded out the top four finishers.

88
00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:50,919
Speaker 1: The Valkyrie Caitlin Chen was named AU Newcomer of the

89
00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:53,800
Speaker 1: Year and Natasha Mack earned Defensive Player of the Year.

90
00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:56,719
Speaker 1: Ja C. Sheldon was named Impact Player of the Year.

91
00:04:56,839 --> 00:04:59,960
Speaker 1: That's awarded for civic leadership through athlete cause and community

92
00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:03,760
Speaker 1: engagement to unrival Chelsea Gray's year plus on top took

93
00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:06,120
Speaker 1: a hit when her roseby C squad got ousted from

94
00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:08,880
Speaker 1: the Unrivaled playoffs over the weekend, but she quickly got

95
00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:11,599
Speaker 1: back to her winning ways on Monday, earning twenty twenty

96
00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:15,160
Speaker 1: six Unrivaled Most Valuable Player honors, decided by combining the

97
00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:17,839
Speaker 1: votes of players, coaches, fans, and a national panel of

98
00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:21,799
Speaker 1: sports writers and broadcasters. Gray averaged twenty four point two points,

99
00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:25,000
Speaker 1: five point six rebounds, and six point one assists, and

100
00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:27,360
Speaker 1: led the league in total points, three point field goals,

101
00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:30,159
Speaker 1: and assists per game. Gray also won the Unrivaled one

102
00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:33,120
Speaker 1: v one tournament, taken home a cool two hundred thousand

103
00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:37,039
Speaker 1: dollars to the PWHL. The second game in Sunday's doubleheader

104
00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:39,680
Speaker 1: saw the Toronto Scepters top the Vancouver Golden Eyes two

105
00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:42,800
Speaker 1: to one behind twenty five saves from Sceptors goalie Reagan Kirk.

106
00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:46,120
Speaker 1: That's two dubs for Toronto post Olympics and they slide

107
00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:48,599
Speaker 1: into a tie with Ottawa for fifth in the standings.

108
00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:51,839
Speaker 1: Speaking of the standings, we got a new top dog,

109
00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:55,119
Speaker 1: the Montreal Victoire chased down and passed the Boston Fleet

110
00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:57,360
Speaker 1: and now sit atop the table with thirty three points

111
00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:00,479
Speaker 1: on the season. Victoire in action again tonight versus that

112
00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:03,360
Speaker 1: streak in Toronto team a seven pm Eastern puck drop

113
00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:07,520
Speaker 1: at Coca Cola Coliseum in Toronto. More PWHL. As teams

114
00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:09,440
Speaker 1: have returned to the ice, there are lots of Olympic

115
00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:12,680
Speaker 1: players who remain absent due to injuries. That list includes

116
00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:17,400
Speaker 1: Minnesota's Kendall Coin Schofield, Seattle's Hillary Knight, and Montreal's Aaron Ambrose,

117
00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:20,000
Speaker 1: who were all placed on long term injury reserve upon

118
00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:22,920
Speaker 1: their return from the Olympics. On Monday, during an appearance

119
00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:26,000
Speaker 1: on CBS Mornings Night, actually revealed that she competed in

120
00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:30,479
Speaker 1: Italy on a torn MCL cool, So both acls and

121
00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:34,720
Speaker 1: MCLs are optional now for Olympians. Damn Hillary, hope you

122
00:06:34,839 --> 00:06:38,120
Speaker 1: heal up soon. To soccer, where competitions to decide the

123
00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:40,680
Speaker 1: field for the twenty twenty seven World Cup have begun.

124
00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:43,719
Speaker 1: The twenty twenty six AFC Asian Cup kicked off this

125
00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:47,000
Speaker 1: past weekend as the year's first World Cup qualifying tournament.

126
00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:50,599
Speaker 1: Australia's hosting with games in Perth, Gold Coast and Sydney

127
00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:52,720
Speaker 1: over the next few weeks, and the host nation got

128
00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:55,119
Speaker 1: off to a great start on Sunday, with Matilda's captain

129
00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:57,760
Speaker 1: Sam Kerr scoring the lone goal in the one zero

130
00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,520
Speaker 1: group stage win over the Philippines. It was hers first

131
00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:04,120
Speaker 1: international goal since November twenty twenty three. She since battled

132
00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:06,200
Speaker 1: her way back from an acl tair, had a kid,

133
00:07:06,279 --> 00:07:08,599
Speaker 1: and gotten married to US women's national team player at

134
00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:11,560
Speaker 1: Christy muis solid way to spend the time off the field.

135
00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:14,800
Speaker 1: The AFC Asian Cup ends on March twenty first, and

136
00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:18,160
Speaker 1: the top six nations, four semi finalists plus two additional

137
00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:21,280
Speaker 1: teams will directly qualify for the twenty twenty seven Women's

138
00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:24,120
Speaker 1: World Cup. In addition, two teams will advance to the

139
00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:26,520
Speaker 1: FIFA playoff tournament for a chance to secure a spot

140
00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:29,320
Speaker 1: in Brazil next summer. We'll keep you posted as countries

141
00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:32,360
Speaker 1: punched their ticket to the World Cup. More soccer. We

142
00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:34,640
Speaker 1: mentioned on yesterday show that the US kicked off their

143
00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:37,160
Speaker 1: She Believes Cup run with a win against Argentina on

144
00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:39,880
Speaker 1: Sunday to nil. It was the third straight victory for

145
00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:42,119
Speaker 1: the US women's national team after they took down Chile

146
00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:45,760
Speaker 1: and Paraguay in January. It wasn't all good news, though,

147
00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:48,480
Speaker 1: because defender Lilly Reel took the field in the second half,

148
00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:52,240
Speaker 1: but was taken out shortly thereafter following a tough tackle. Then,

149
00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:54,640
Speaker 1: in stoppage time, Trinity Rodman took a knee to the

150
00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:57,160
Speaker 1: back and was forced to leave the game after receiving

151
00:07:57,160 --> 00:08:00,000
Speaker 1: medical attention on the field. Now she walked off the pitch,

152
00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:04,200
Speaker 1: but still particularly concerning considering her recent history with back injuries.

153
00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:08,200
Speaker 1: More soccer An NWSL news. Gabby Portio, who helped goth

154
00:08:08,200 --> 00:08:11,200
Speaker 1: Them FC to last year's NWSL title, has been traded

155
00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:13,600
Speaker 1: to the San Diego Wave in exchange for one hundred

156
00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:16,920
Speaker 1: and seventy five thousand dollars in transfer funds. Portillo, who

157
00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:19,880
Speaker 1: plays for the Brazil national team, had seventeen appearances and

158
00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:23,200
Speaker 1: eleven starts Forgot Them last season, contributing three goals and

159
00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:27,160
Speaker 1: three assists to alpine skiing fresh offered double gold medal

160
00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:30,840
Speaker 1: performance in front of a home crowd. Italian superstar Federica

161
00:08:30,880 --> 00:08:33,720
Speaker 1: Brinoni announced on Monday she's opting to sit out of

162
00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:35,560
Speaker 1: the rest of the World Cup season in order to

163
00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:39,439
Speaker 1: prioritize her continued recovery. You remember that Brinoni won both

164
00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:41,520
Speaker 1: of her gold medals at the Olympics just ten months

165
00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:44,880
Speaker 1: after sustaining multiple left leg fractures and a torn acl

166
00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:47,440
Speaker 1: last April, and she returned to World Cup racing just

167
00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:50,559
Speaker 1: two weeks before the Milan Courtina Olympics. In a statement,

168
00:08:50,559 --> 00:08:52,840
Speaker 1: Brinoni said that she pushed her body, passed its limit

169
00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:54,840
Speaker 1: to return in time for the Olympics and wants to

170
00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:58,160
Speaker 1: give herself the best opportunity to continue her rehab process

171
00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:01,400
Speaker 1: to the Paralympics. Team USA has officially named its seventy

172
00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:04,640
Speaker 1: two member roster for the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics.

173
00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:08,560
Speaker 1: Those athletes include twenty women, and yeah quick mental math

174
00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:11,480
Speaker 1: says there's a lot fewer women than men. More on

175
00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:14,360
Speaker 1: why that's the case in tomorrow's show. Leading the team

176
00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:18,200
Speaker 1: will be veterans including paranordic skiers Oksana Masters and Kendall Gretch,

177
00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:22,360
Speaker 1: plus para alpine skier Lourie Stevens and para snowboarder Brenna Huckabee.

178
00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:25,600
Speaker 1: The Paralympic action kicks off with wheelchair curling on Wednesday,

179
00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:28,080
Speaker 1: and the opening ceremony is Friday. We'll link to the

180
00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:30,679
Speaker 1: full roster and competition schedule in the show notes, and

181
00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:33,320
Speaker 1: be sure to tune into tomorrow's show. We'll go through

182
00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:36,680
Speaker 1: everything you need to know ahead of the games. Finally,

183
00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:39,040
Speaker 1: let's go to the Middle East, where US and Israel

184
00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:42,199
Speaker 1: strikes on Iran and Iran's retaliatory strikes on Gulf States

185
00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:45,120
Speaker 1: and US assets across the region continue and the number

186
00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:48,040
Speaker 1: of deaths rise. The sports world is far from immune

187
00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:50,920
Speaker 1: to these conflicts, especially with the Paralympics set to officially

188
00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:54,400
Speaker 1: begin Friday. Nearly seven hundred athletes will represent their countries

189
00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:57,800
Speaker 1: on the world stage, including athletes from Iran, Israel, and

190
00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:02,000
Speaker 1: the US. The airstrikes breach the symbolic Olympic Truce, approved

191
00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:04,520
Speaker 1: by the United Nations and observed by both the Olympics

192
00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:08,040
Speaker 1: and Paralympics. According to NPR, the tradition of that true

193
00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:11,160
Speaker 1: states back to the ninth century BC, and it urges

194
00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:14,280
Speaker 1: nations to suspend all military activity until the end of

195
00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:17,840
Speaker 1: the Paralympics. Now, it's been broken before, most recently in

196
00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:20,760
Speaker 1: twenty twenty two, when Russia launched its full scale invasion

197
00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:24,120
Speaker 1: of Ukraine in between the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics. As

198
00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:27,199
Speaker 1: a consequence, Russian and Bela Russian athletes were banned from

199
00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:30,800
Speaker 1: the Paralympics just one day before that opening ceremony. The

200
00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:34,120
Speaker 1: International Paralympic Committee has so far not suggested they're considering

201
00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:36,880
Speaker 1: the same consequence for athletes from the US or Israel.

202
00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:39,400
Speaker 1: The IPC did release a statement Monday saying that the

203
00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:42,480
Speaker 1: organization is monitoring the situation and assessing how it will

204
00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:46,960
Speaker 1: impact games operations, including stakeholders traveling to Italy will keep

205
00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:49,240
Speaker 1: you updated on how athletes are impacted as the game

206
00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:53,400
Speaker 1: straw closer. We got to take a break. When we

207
00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:56,600
Speaker 1: come back. It's Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Michelle Smith

208
00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:07,720
Speaker 1: joining US now. She's now the Senior director of Strategic

209
00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:10,880
Speaker 1: Communications at her alma mater, San Jose State University, and

210
00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:14,000
Speaker 1: an author and freelance writer. A former Stanford writer for

211
00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:16,920
Speaker 1: the San Francisco Examiner in San Francisco Chronicle, she was

212
00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:20,640
Speaker 1: ESPN dot COM's first ever regular women's basketball columnist in

213
00:11:20,679 --> 00:11:24,120
Speaker 1: the nineteen nineties and has written for outlets including AOL FanHouse,

214
00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:27,440
Speaker 1: WNBA dot com, The Next Hoops A, NCAA dot com.

215
00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:30,000
Speaker 1: She was inducted into the Natesmith Basketball Hall of Fame

216
00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:32,520
Speaker 1: last year after receiving the twenty twenty five Kurt Goudi

217
00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:35,360
Speaker 1: Media Award. She's the author of the new book Life's Work,

218
00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:38,439
Speaker 1: How Tara Vanderveer and Stanford Women's Basketball Changed the sport

219
00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:42,199
Speaker 1: Forever out just last week. It's Michelle Smith. Hi, Michelle,

220
00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:43,080
Speaker 1: thanks for joining.

221
00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:46,560
Speaker 2: Us, sir Spain. Thank you for having me so excited.

222
00:11:46,679 --> 00:11:49,760
Speaker 1: Long time no see, I'm so excited to chat with you.

223
00:11:49,760 --> 00:11:52,160
Speaker 1: Your new book tells the story of friend at the show,

224
00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:55,480
Speaker 1: Stanford legendar Vanderveer and for those who need a reminder,

225
00:11:55,640 --> 00:11:58,720
Speaker 1: Tar arrived at Stanford women's basketball in nineteen eighty five

226
00:11:58,880 --> 00:12:01,120
Speaker 1: and really built it from a fl ledgling program to

227
00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:05,000
Speaker 1: something massive. Three times national champion, fourteen Final four appearances,

228
00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:07,120
Speaker 1: also led the Women's Dream Team to gold at the

229
00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:09,640
Speaker 1: ninety six Olympics, and she herself was inducted into the

230
00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:12,640
Speaker 1: Nasmith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in twenty eleven. Truly

231
00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:14,760
Speaker 1: one of the best to ever do it, and your

232
00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:18,200
Speaker 1: relationship with targoes back thirty years. So I want to

233
00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:20,360
Speaker 1: know if you actually remember the very first time you

234
00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:20,800
Speaker 1: met her.

235
00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:23,920
Speaker 2: I do in the old days. I was working at

236
00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:27,079
Speaker 2: Hayward Daily Review Oakland Tribune in the East Bay, and

237
00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:31,800
Speaker 2: our other women's sports writer had left the staff, and

238
00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:34,880
Speaker 2: as the other only women's sports writer, they went, Hey,

239
00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:38,600
Speaker 2: cover Stanford women because that's how we did things back then, right.

240
00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:43,000
Speaker 2: So I went to Maples Pavilion and it was, you know,

241
00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:44,920
Speaker 2: the start of a new season. They had come off

242
00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:49,120
Speaker 2: another Final four. It was I walked into Maples and

243
00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:51,640
Speaker 2: it was full, and you know, and it was just

244
00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:53,880
Speaker 2: it was a huge crowd of Maples Pavilion. The band

245
00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:57,160
Speaker 2: was playing, they were doing intros for the players. And

246
00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:00,680
Speaker 2: as a former student athlete myself and just somebody who's

247
00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:04,800
Speaker 2: just loved to watch that sort of energy be directed

248
00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:08,319
Speaker 2: toward women and female athletes, that was I always say.

249
00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:11,320
Speaker 2: I was hooked, and I stayed hooked for thirty thirty

250
00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:15,040
Speaker 2: five years now, I guess, But you know, meeting Tara

251
00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:18,720
Speaker 2: after that and admitting that I don't know what I

252
00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:21,120
Speaker 2: thought she was going to be like, but she was.

253
00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:25,200
Speaker 2: You know, Tara can come off as dry, professorial sort of.

254
00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:29,200
Speaker 2: She's not as big a personality as some of her

255
00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:31,679
Speaker 2: colleagues in the game at that time. Whether it was

256
00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:36,040
Speaker 2: Vivian or Pat or even Geno, right, but starting to

257
00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:41,400
Speaker 2: understand very quickly this fundamental through line that she has

258
00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:45,680
Speaker 2: from where that moment was back in the early nineties

259
00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:47,360
Speaker 2: and even back to her time in the eighties and

260
00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:48,680
Speaker 2: where we are now with the game.

261
00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:51,120
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know you said professorial. That's such a good

262
00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:53,440
Speaker 1: word for her, and I think someone like that can

263
00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:56,520
Speaker 1: seem very intimidating, even if it's early in a Hall

264
00:13:56,559 --> 00:13:58,480
Speaker 1: of Fame career, even if they haven't accomplished all the

265
00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:00,720
Speaker 1: things that she eventually went on to do. There can

266
00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:03,840
Speaker 1: be something that feels a little intimidating about that. You know,

267
00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:07,000
Speaker 1: the thirty years that you spent covering her ended up

268
00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:09,400
Speaker 1: informing the title of the book, not being just about her,

269
00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:10,480
Speaker 1: but about you too. Right.

270
00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:12,880
Speaker 2: Yeah, I really did feel that that that was a

271
00:14:12,920 --> 00:14:15,760
Speaker 2: double meaning for me. At the end of her retirement

272
00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:18,560
Speaker 2: press conference, Kate Pay said that she was grateful that

273
00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:21,440
Speaker 2: Tara was trusting her with her life's work, and that

274
00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:24,320
Speaker 2: really stuck with me, And it also resonated with me

275
00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:27,400
Speaker 2: that this really was Tara's life's work, but in many

276
00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:30,000
Speaker 2: ways it was mine as well. I was a traveling

277
00:14:30,080 --> 00:14:33,400
Speaker 2: beat writer with that team where outside of maybe Knoxville

278
00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:36,080
Speaker 2: and stores, there weren't a lot of traveling beat writers

279
00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:40,120
Speaker 2: covering women's basketball and print media. I raised my kids

280
00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:43,000
Speaker 2: through the entire time that I covered Stanford and can

281
00:14:43,160 --> 00:14:47,400
Speaker 2: trace so many moments of my own journey as a

282
00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:51,680
Speaker 2: working mom through my time covering Stanford, and so it

283
00:14:51,840 --> 00:14:54,760
Speaker 2: just felt really sort of resonant to me. But really,

284
00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:59,440
Speaker 2: this is this is about Tara, and it's about the program.

285
00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:02,840
Speaker 2: It's not just a biography. It's about the program that

286
00:15:02,920 --> 00:15:06,640
Speaker 2: she built and those moments in the program that are

287
00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:11,360
Speaker 2: historic that are relevant. The COVID season in twenty twenty

288
00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:16,200
Speaker 2: one where they went on this odyssey of hotel rooms

289
00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:19,480
Speaker 2: and not being able to return to campus and then

290
00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:22,520
Speaker 2: ended up winning a national championship, and it was twenty

291
00:15:22,600 --> 00:15:25,720
Speaker 2: nine years between her national championships. I mean, when you

292
00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:29,360
Speaker 2: talk about somebody who's you know, there weren't they weren't

293
00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:31,800
Speaker 2: piled up. You know, there's one way to do it,

294
00:15:31,880 --> 00:15:33,880
Speaker 2: and there's you know, obviously Gino with a lot of

295
00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:35,680
Speaker 2: them in a room, whatever. But when you go twenty

296
00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:40,880
Speaker 2: nine years between championships, you are I felt like that

297
00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:44,480
Speaker 2: was pretty remarkable. And then the players, you know, when

298
00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:48,840
Speaker 2: you talk about who if you look around Neko Goo mackay,

299
00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:53,360
Speaker 2: the president of the WNBA Players Association, Cheney's, you know,

300
00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:58,040
Speaker 2: sort of groundbreaking work at ESPN doing NBA work. And

301
00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:00,920
Speaker 2: then not just the broadcasters, but I would share like

302
00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:03,640
Speaker 2: somebody with like Kate Starbird, who was a National Player

303
00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:05,400
Speaker 2: of the Year in nineteen ninety seven, who is one

304
00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:09,760
Speaker 2: of the world's foremost experts on misinformation, and she testifies

305
00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:13,920
Speaker 2: in front of Congress and she has this just incredible

306
00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:16,480
Speaker 2: story about what she's been through by the way sharing

307
00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:20,600
Speaker 2: information about misinformation in this country and around the world,

308
00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:24,120
Speaker 2: like this place has birth a lot of leaders, and

309
00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:26,320
Speaker 2: again Tara is the heartbeat of all of that.

310
00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:29,920
Speaker 1: I wonder, you know how the book idea came about,

311
00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:33,240
Speaker 1: because at any point during those thirty years of greatness,

312
00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:36,600
Speaker 1: she could have inspired a book about one of those

313
00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:38,640
Speaker 1: championships or one of those teams.

314
00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:41,560
Speaker 2: Why now, there was an invitation about ten years ago

315
00:16:41,640 --> 00:16:43,240
Speaker 2: for her to take me. She said, come meet me

316
00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:45,200
Speaker 2: for dinner. I want to talk to you. So we

317
00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:47,120
Speaker 2: sat and she said, I want to do a book

318
00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:49,960
Speaker 2: about the program. And I said great. I said, what

319
00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:51,920
Speaker 2: do you think you want that book to be about?

320
00:16:52,280 --> 00:16:54,560
Speaker 2: And her answer was, well, the men's program has one

321
00:16:54,600 --> 00:16:57,440
Speaker 2: and more better than them, and that would sir, I

322
00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:00,880
Speaker 2: got it. I thought, well, not sure, it's as.

323
00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:02,280
Speaker 1: On a book topic. That's not a book.

324
00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:05,199
Speaker 2: Topic, But I take your point. And then it was

325
00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:08,800
Speaker 2: really a matter of my wanting to do this project

326
00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:11,119
Speaker 2: and finding the time and space to do it in

327
00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:14,600
Speaker 2: my own life, and having made a career change away

328
00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:19,080
Speaker 2: from full time sports journalism into something else. And so

329
00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:22,680
Speaker 2: when the PAC twelve imploded, then I knew I had

330
00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:24,679
Speaker 2: to do it. And I didn't know even at that

331
00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:27,600
Speaker 2: point she was going to retire. And the day she

332
00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:29,920
Speaker 2: announced her retirement, I had a moment of panic about

333
00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:32,840
Speaker 2: what it would mean for the book. And it turned

334
00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:34,240
Speaker 2: out what it meant was I got to put a

335
00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:37,640
Speaker 2: bow on it. I got to finish her story as

336
00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:41,119
Speaker 2: it related to Stanford, which I think ultimately was great.

337
00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:44,399
Speaker 2: And you know, but I, you know, I still and

338
00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:45,960
Speaker 2: I know there's a few of us still out there.

339
00:17:46,040 --> 00:17:49,560
Speaker 2: I still take the breakup of the PAC twelve incredibly hard.

340
00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:55,119
Speaker 2: I in terms of women's basketball context, this scattering of

341
00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:58,159
Speaker 2: these teams in this conference to these places across the

342
00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:01,520
Speaker 2: country still just doesn't make sense to me. But for

343
00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:04,880
Speaker 2: somebody who sort of built packed twelve women's basketball, as

344
00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:08,479
Speaker 2: I believe that Tara did. To have that end of

345
00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:11,200
Speaker 2: that conference, com felt like it was time to start

346
00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:12,399
Speaker 2: to pull these stories together.

347
00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:15,240
Speaker 1: Yeah. You know, when you're writing a biography, you can

348
00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:19,120
Speaker 1: focus on just the accomplishments and the major tent pole events.

349
00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:21,600
Speaker 1: You can try to dive into the psyche of a

350
00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:24,600
Speaker 1: person why they found such great success. You can try

351
00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:28,280
Speaker 1: to mind for childhood impact or inspiration. What was your

352
00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:31,320
Speaker 1: approach in telling the story and what was your goal

353
00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:35,000
Speaker 1: beyond just explaining what she had done for basketball.

354
00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:37,639
Speaker 2: I think it was to take the seminal moments in

355
00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:41,200
Speaker 2: the program's history and tie them to the space where

356
00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:43,720
Speaker 2: the game is today. I write a chapter about the

357
00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:46,920
Speaker 2: Harvard game from nineteen ninety eight when they were a

358
00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:49,560
Speaker 2: sixteen seed and they lost to a one and they

359
00:18:49,640 --> 00:18:53,400
Speaker 2: lived with that sort of notorious distinction for twenty years

360
00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:55,120
Speaker 2: until it happened in the men's tournament.

361
00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:58,679
Speaker 1: And what's interesting about that too is the injuries on

362
00:18:59,119 --> 00:19:01,400
Speaker 1: the part of the number one seed Stanford that get

363
00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:04,680
Speaker 1: lost in the retelling. So you know, it's always this

364
00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:08,359
Speaker 1: funny sort of like pain point. I think for Tara

365
00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:10,879
Speaker 1: to have to talk about it without feeling like she

366
00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:13,080
Speaker 1: needs to provide a more context for like, this is

367
00:19:13,119 --> 00:19:15,520
Speaker 1: what happened, there's more to it. Congrats to Harvard, we

368
00:19:15,560 --> 00:19:18,480
Speaker 1: loved them, but also we had these injuries and all this.

369
00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:21,000
Speaker 1: You know. So I imagine that was a very carefully

370
00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:24,040
Speaker 1: written chapter to make sure that Tara Felt had accurately

371
00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:27,000
Speaker 1: discussed this seminal moment that also had a little more

372
00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:28,640
Speaker 1: to it than some people remember.

373
00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:30,399
Speaker 2: It does, and she doesn't like to talk about it.

374
00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:32,080
Speaker 2: She asked me, do you have to write a chapter

375
00:19:32,119 --> 00:19:34,439
Speaker 2: about Harvard? I said, I think that, I really really do.

376
00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:38,960
Speaker 2: And you know what came after Harvard Stanford had this

377
00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:42,280
Speaker 2: amazing run. She left for a year to coach the

378
00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:45,440
Speaker 2: Olympic team, which no college coach had ever done. Came

379
00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:48,119
Speaker 2: back to the program, they had a heartbreaking loss in

380
00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:51,280
Speaker 2: ninety seven to Old Dominion. They lost in this first

381
00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:54,639
Speaker 2: round game to Harvard, and it really set the program back.

382
00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:57,080
Speaker 2: It set them back in recruiting, It set them back

383
00:19:57,119 --> 00:20:00,960
Speaker 2: in a lot of ways for almost a decade before

384
00:20:01,359 --> 00:20:03,800
Speaker 2: Candae Wigans shows up. And in the meantime there's some

385
00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:07,960
Speaker 2: great players there. But it also just shows how programs

386
00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:10,600
Speaker 2: are going to move up and down, how can you

387
00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:13,960
Speaker 2: sustain that success and for her to sustain that success

388
00:20:14,359 --> 00:20:18,240
Speaker 2: in ways that few coaches have done for this length

389
00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:20,760
Speaker 2: of time. I think that's going to be a story

390
00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:23,439
Speaker 2: that's going to be less common than.

391
00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:23,959
Speaker 1: It used to be.

392
00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:27,200
Speaker 2: I also think that this is a story about Tar's

393
00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:30,239
Speaker 2: generation of coaches, the coaches who did not have an

394
00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:33,800
Speaker 2: opportunity to participate. When she talks about how envious and

395
00:20:33,840 --> 00:20:37,119
Speaker 2: how wistful she is about the opportunities that her players

396
00:20:37,119 --> 00:20:40,600
Speaker 2: have gotten that she never got. This generation of coaches,

397
00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:42,560
Speaker 2: they're almost at the end of their careers. We can

398
00:20:42,600 --> 00:20:46,320
Speaker 2: probably count some of this generation on one hand. Pat

399
00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:50,600
Speaker 2: is gone, Vivian isn't coaching anymore, you know, no more

400
00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:53,520
Speaker 2: Sylvia Hatchell. I mean, like, think about that generation, that

401
00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:56,280
Speaker 2: group of coaches. You know, Tara was one of the

402
00:20:56,359 --> 00:20:59,040
Speaker 2: last of that group, and there's probably not going to

403
00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:02,480
Speaker 2: be that any of them still coaching as we move forward.

404
00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:04,720
Speaker 2: But that group of women, when we say you have

405
00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:07,280
Speaker 2: to see it to be it, they didn't see it.

406
00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:09,719
Speaker 2: They had to figure out how to be it and

407
00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:11,480
Speaker 2: create that opportunity for other people.

408
00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:15,000
Speaker 1: We had Tara on the show with another great former

409
00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:17,879
Speaker 1: Notre Dame coach Buffett McGraw, and we asked them about

410
00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:20,159
Speaker 1: some of their battles in the NCAA tournament in the

411
00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:21,959
Speaker 1: times they faced each other, but we also ask them

412
00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:24,480
Speaker 1: about their thoughts on the changing landscape of women's college

413
00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:28,679
Speaker 1: hoops with nil the transfer portal NCAA versus House allowing

414
00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:31,560
Speaker 1: for schools to actually pay players directly. There is such

415
00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:34,640
Speaker 1: a different job for coaches. But one thing that came

416
00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:37,240
Speaker 1: up in our conversation with them was them remembering playing

417
00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:39,679
Speaker 1: pick up against each other when they were coaching at

418
00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:43,760
Speaker 1: camps and the love of basketball and how much they

419
00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:46,399
Speaker 1: just don't want that love of the game to be

420
00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:50,080
Speaker 1: lost to the players that now have to see it

421
00:21:50,119 --> 00:21:52,159
Speaker 1: as a business. And yes, it's great the players are

422
00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:54,080
Speaker 1: getting paid and that they're able to help themselves and

423
00:21:54,119 --> 00:21:57,840
Speaker 1: their families, but also what's lost in the transactional quality

424
00:21:57,880 --> 00:22:00,119
Speaker 1: of the game that wasn't there for the years that

425
00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:03,439
Speaker 1: they were helping lead young people. And you've been covering

426
00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:05,160
Speaker 1: the game for decades, so I wonder what you make

427
00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:08,119
Speaker 1: of those shifts and what it might mean for having

428
00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:12,119
Speaker 1: generational thirty year long coaching stints like the ones we

429
00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:13,600
Speaker 1: saw from the names you just mentioned.

430
00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:18,120
Speaker 2: You know, I think it is much more transactional. And

431
00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:20,679
Speaker 2: it's not only the money and the nil stuff, but

432
00:22:20,720 --> 00:22:24,280
Speaker 2: it's the transaction of playing time. It's the transaction of

433
00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:27,399
Speaker 2: feeling whether you as a player feel you valued and

434
00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:30,080
Speaker 2: whether or not you want to try something else immediately,

435
00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:33,120
Speaker 2: and whether coaches are going to get to develop players.

436
00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:36,439
Speaker 2: I watched your interview last week with Corey Close and

437
00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:38,879
Speaker 2: the lead up to the UCLA documentary, and she talked

438
00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:44,200
Speaker 2: about learning how to be different a general manager, learning

439
00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:46,240
Speaker 2: how to be I think in some ways you know

440
00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:50,439
Speaker 2: a financial manager. How all of these coaches have to

441
00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:52,480
Speaker 2: recruit their own teams again at the end of the

442
00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:55,080
Speaker 2: season because you're not going to presume that you're going

443
00:22:55,119 --> 00:22:59,119
Speaker 2: to get people back. And it's I don't see the

444
00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:03,720
Speaker 2: longevity because I think that that style of coaching, depending

445
00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:06,040
Speaker 2: on why you got into the game, is going to

446
00:23:06,119 --> 00:23:08,080
Speaker 2: burn a lot of people out. I think there's a

447
00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:12,080
Speaker 2: high propensity for having to keep people or trying to

448
00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:15,159
Speaker 2: keep people happy all the time, or understanding that if

449
00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:17,800
Speaker 2: you don't keep people happy because you're doing what you

450
00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:19,800
Speaker 2: need to do as a coach, then in a few

451
00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:21,840
Speaker 2: months you're going to have to recruit four or five

452
00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:26,080
Speaker 2: new players because people couldn't hang. It's just it's such

453
00:23:26,119 --> 00:23:29,040
Speaker 2: a different way to see the game. I'm also very

454
00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:33,200
Speaker 2: sappy and sentimental about the four year experience through the

455
00:23:33,320 --> 00:23:35,960
Speaker 2: years of teams that have been together, and they have

456
00:23:36,119 --> 00:23:39,440
Speaker 2: this experience together and good and bad and their adversities

457
00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:41,879
Speaker 2: and their successes, and when they're at the end of

458
00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:45,959
Speaker 2: their college careers at their school, they're sad. They're you know,

459
00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:49,840
Speaker 2: like those those Final four losses or those NCAA Tournament losses.

460
00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:53,960
Speaker 2: There's just such genuine sadness that it's over. And I

461
00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:56,399
Speaker 2: feel like we're going to miss that too, that when

462
00:23:56,480 --> 00:23:58,880
Speaker 2: it's over, it was you know, I was at three

463
00:23:58,880 --> 00:24:02,880
Speaker 2: schools in six years, or you know, or we whatever

464
00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:05,840
Speaker 2: it was, or I didn't. It's just different. I don't

465
00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:07,320
Speaker 2: know that I like it, I'll be honest.

466
00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:09,200
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I think for those of us who

467
00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:12,199
Speaker 1: have a nostalgia about a simpler time, there's a negative aspect,

468
00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:14,600
Speaker 1: but we also remember that we were the ones pushing

469
00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:19,159
Speaker 1: for better resources, more investment, more players being able to

470
00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:21,439
Speaker 1: earn at the peak of their earning, which for some

471
00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:24,800
Speaker 1: of these athletes is in college. So yeah, it's hard

472
00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:26,400
Speaker 1: to get all the good without some of the bad.

473
00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:30,879
Speaker 1: You know, you mentioned Tara's success across a title in

474
00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:33,120
Speaker 1: one year and then another twenty nine years later, which

475
00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:36,880
Speaker 1: is insane. But it's not just about longevity in the job,

476
00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:40,160
Speaker 1: but it's about continuing to connect with athletes who stay

477
00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:43,320
Speaker 1: the same age as you're now almost thirty years older

478
00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:45,560
Speaker 1: in working with them. What did you learn from her

479
00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:48,160
Speaker 1: or what did she say about being able to stay

480
00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:51,840
Speaker 1: connected to college aged students as she got older and

481
00:24:51,880 --> 00:24:53,280
Speaker 1: further away from her playing days.

482
00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:55,719
Speaker 2: Well, I think her players who coach for her now,

483
00:24:55,760 --> 00:24:57,840
Speaker 2: the people who've been with her over that span, would

484
00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:01,000
Speaker 2: say she softened a lot over the years, a little intense,

485
00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:03,320
Speaker 2: a little rigid, right as you're a younger coach and

486
00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:07,160
Speaker 2: you have different relationships with players than you have later.

487
00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:10,400
Speaker 2: I mean, when we saw Tara doing the electric slide

488
00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:13,719
Speaker 2: after the Final Four on a video and doing TikTok videos,

489
00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:16,520
Speaker 2: you're like, what is happening here?

490
00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:17,760
Speaker 1: Was? You know?

491
00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:20,600
Speaker 2: But things change? But I think that's another way in

492
00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:23,400
Speaker 2: which Tara always had to shape shift and adapt. I mean,

493
00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:25,359
Speaker 2: she would look at the players she had on her

494
00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:27,640
Speaker 2: team and she would change her offense and she would

495
00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:30,640
Speaker 2: go tap into her friends in the NBA and talk

496
00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:32,600
Speaker 2: about how do I run the triangle or how do

497
00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:35,160
Speaker 2: I run this offense Princeton or whatever.

498
00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:35,399
Speaker 1: Like.

499
00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:39,159
Speaker 2: She changed with she changed with her teams, she changed

500
00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:41,960
Speaker 2: with the times, and I think as you get older,

501
00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:45,359
Speaker 2: I think you soften a little bit and you're less

502
00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:48,720
Speaker 2: about rigidity and more about relationships. And I think all

503
00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:51,919
Speaker 2: of that happened with Tara as she moved through. And

504
00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:55,639
Speaker 2: I think being more relational probably certainly helped her with

505
00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:58,680
Speaker 2: this next generation of players, because I think players are

506
00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:02,679
Speaker 2: looking for more of that relational or that relationship with

507
00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:06,400
Speaker 2: their coaches as opposed to do what I say right right.

508
00:26:06,840 --> 00:26:08,560
Speaker 1: Dictatorship doesn't work as well.

509
00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:12,000
Speaker 2: No, Tar was never a yeller, but very intense, and

510
00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:14,800
Speaker 2: I think it's you know, I think in her younger

511
00:26:14,840 --> 00:26:17,920
Speaker 2: days she was a lot for some people, and even

512
00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:20,440
Speaker 2: during we know from stories from the ninety six Olympic team,

513
00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:23,399
Speaker 2: she was a lot. You know those players, you know,

514
00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:26,600
Speaker 2: Lisa Leslie and Don Staley and those players, and mending

515
00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:29,600
Speaker 2: those fences with Rebecca after you know, you know her

516
00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:32,280
Speaker 2: and Rebecca Lobo and Rebecca being on that team. I mean,

517
00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:36,000
Speaker 2: there's a lot of softening that's gone on for Tara,

518
00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:38,160
Speaker 2: and I think that's age, and I also think that's

519
00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:41,840
Speaker 2: just the instinct to be more relational.

520
00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:45,159
Speaker 1: Did Tara have any pushback on parts of the book?

521
00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:48,639
Speaker 1: I assume she saw it before it went to final print.

522
00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:52,320
Speaker 1: Was there anything she really wanted to change, either because

523
00:26:52,359 --> 00:26:54,000
Speaker 1: she said, I don't know if you got it quite right,

524
00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:57,040
Speaker 1: or it's you know, inaccurate, or here's some context. What

525
00:26:57,119 --> 00:26:59,200
Speaker 1: was most meaningful to her to make sure you got right?

526
00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:01,639
Speaker 2: I think the origin stories, making sure I got the

527
00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:04,920
Speaker 2: details of her family life in that period of time

528
00:27:04,960 --> 00:27:07,719
Speaker 2: where they moved a lot, and basketball was kind of

529
00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:10,720
Speaker 2: her the place that she could go back to. And

530
00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:12,679
Speaker 2: then also, you know, it was funny she read it

531
00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:14,960
Speaker 2: and she said, you know, she goes, I feel like

532
00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:18,080
Speaker 2: I sound like a hard ass, and I said, well,

533
00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:22,840
Speaker 2: sometimes you were. And I don't think she perceived herself

534
00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:26,600
Speaker 2: quite as much that way as you know, even the players,

535
00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:28,480
Speaker 2: some of the players said the year she took off

536
00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:30,920
Speaker 2: in ninety six, they felt like the warden had left

537
00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:33,080
Speaker 2: for a little while and they were going to enjoy

538
00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:36,040
Speaker 2: the year. You know, I mean, but all of it

539
00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:38,359
Speaker 2: is really sort of honest, and all of it is

540
00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:41,800
Speaker 2: real coach really, you know, how coaches deal with players,

541
00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:43,880
Speaker 2: but I think she thought she came off a little

542
00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:45,560
Speaker 2: bit tough in a couple of places where I don't

543
00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:48,400
Speaker 2: think she feels or doesn't see it that way anymore.

544
00:27:48,560 --> 00:27:52,040
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, you're doing a book launch event in

545
00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:55,479
Speaker 1: Palo Alto mid February. You're standing next to Tara, this

546
00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:57,679
Speaker 1: person that you have I wouldn't say been in the

547
00:27:57,680 --> 00:27:59,760
Speaker 1: shadow of for thirty years, but the roles were that

548
00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:02,800
Speaker 1: you was doing things and you were writing about them

549
00:28:03,040 --> 00:28:06,760
Speaker 1: and giving commentary on them. Now she's there to support

550
00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:09,920
Speaker 1: you in this book. What did it feel like, first

551
00:28:09,960 --> 00:28:11,840
Speaker 1: of all, to be done with the ten years after

552
00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:14,320
Speaker 1: she first asked you if you would write it, and

553
00:28:14,359 --> 00:28:15,879
Speaker 1: then also for it to actually be out there for

554
00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:16,919
Speaker 1: other people to see.

555
00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:19,960
Speaker 2: It's very fulfilling. It's a bucket list project for me

556
00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:22,720
Speaker 2: in the sense that it really does culminate in something

557
00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:25,640
Speaker 2: I spent so much time invested in, and again it's

558
00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:28,159
Speaker 2: a very personal investment. I think when you're a working

559
00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:30,000
Speaker 2: mom too, I would go back to that right like

560
00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:32,199
Speaker 2: I think about you know, my daughter was born at

561
00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:34,159
Speaker 2: the end of March. Clearly I did not plan that

562
00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:37,199
Speaker 2: well because NCAA tournaments and things, there was a lot

563
00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:40,239
Speaker 2: of guilt gift buying during NCAA tournament trips because I

564
00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:42,880
Speaker 2: had missed the birthday party, which was getting pushed off

565
00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:46,280
Speaker 2: till the following week. Or I have friends that I've

566
00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:49,000
Speaker 2: traveled with and Killian from the San Francisco Chronicle. Her

567
00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:51,520
Speaker 2: and I were travel buddies with Stanford Women for a

568
00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:53,600
Speaker 2: long time and have built up a close friendship, Like

569
00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:55,640
Speaker 2: there's a lot of things that are in my life

570
00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:58,760
Speaker 2: that tie directly to that time, So this feels very

571
00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:02,560
Speaker 2: much like a culmination me and Tara has been really supportive.

572
00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:04,840
Speaker 2: She wants to be there for as much as she can,

573
00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:09,840
Speaker 2: but she's the busiest retired person I know. She's got

574
00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:12,160
Speaker 2: a million irons in the fire. I asked her if

575
00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:14,080
Speaker 2: she could do one specific date and she said, no,

576
00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:18,640
Speaker 2: I'm skiing that weekend. She's taking her her springtime to

577
00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:20,920
Speaker 2: do the things she's always wanted to do, but to

578
00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:23,239
Speaker 2: have her sit next to me and sign books and

579
00:29:23,280 --> 00:29:26,280
Speaker 2: support the book and tell people to buy it and

580
00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:29,480
Speaker 2: buy a stack for donors. And you know, she's teaching

581
00:29:29,480 --> 00:29:31,760
Speaker 2: her class at Stanford and I'm going tomorrow night, on

582
00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:33,640
Speaker 2: the last night of her class, with three boxes of

583
00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:36,320
Speaker 2: books because she said everybody wants them, and she's gonna

584
00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:37,640
Speaker 2: sit and she's gonna sign Yeah.

585
00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:38,200
Speaker 1: I love that.

586
00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:40,240
Speaker 2: I love it too. There's also this little part of

587
00:29:40,240 --> 00:29:42,040
Speaker 2: me that's like, I don't want to bug you every time,

588
00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:44,800
Speaker 2: But I'm hoping to grab some of the Stanford players

589
00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:47,440
Speaker 2: in these areas where I go and have them talk

590
00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:50,400
Speaker 2: about their experience, because this really is not only a

591
00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:52,720
Speaker 2: story of Tara, that's a story of the program. So

592
00:29:53,160 --> 00:29:55,920
Speaker 2: I'm hoping to get a couple some of the former

593
00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:58,040
Speaker 2: Stanford players out there with me to talk about their

594
00:29:58,120 --> 00:30:01,200
Speaker 2: experience playing for Tara and playing in this program that

595
00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:03,640
Speaker 2: has been a springboard for so many of them to

596
00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:07,760
Speaker 2: the places they are as leaders. To be honest, I mean,

597
00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:10,960
Speaker 2: Jana Pel said, Tara didn't say every day be a leader,

598
00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:14,400
Speaker 2: but it happened because of the foundation she laid for

599
00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:15,040
Speaker 2: all of us.

600
00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:18,480
Speaker 1: Who is now with the WNBPA doing big things being

601
00:30:18,520 --> 00:30:22,480
Speaker 1: a leader. Jana Pel, you know, I wonder if, because

602
00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:25,600
Speaker 1: of your relationship covering Tara for so long, if any

603
00:30:25,600 --> 00:30:28,320
Speaker 1: part of you ever thought about doing an unauthorized biography

604
00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:32,080
Speaker 1: and having free reign to write without her say, or

605
00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:34,440
Speaker 1: did you always know that you wanted it to be

606
00:30:34,480 --> 00:30:35,600
Speaker 1: in conjunction with her.

607
00:30:35,880 --> 00:30:38,480
Speaker 2: I didn't think about doing an unauthorized I feel like

608
00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:44,440
Speaker 2: she's earned the you know, she's earned, if not the

609
00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:46,880
Speaker 2: right to control her story, because that's not really what

610
00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:50,440
Speaker 2: happened here, but she's you know, she's earned the right

611
00:30:50,520 --> 00:30:54,280
Speaker 2: to talk about her experiences in a way without somebody

612
00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:59,120
Speaker 2: trying to find something, get something, you know, gotch to something.

613
00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:01,000
Speaker 2: I didn't want to do it that way. I didn't

614
00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:04,280
Speaker 2: feel like that was what she deserves after a Hall

615
00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:06,560
Speaker 2: of Fame career in which she has put women first

616
00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:10,400
Speaker 2: in so many ways. I wanted to make sure that

617
00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:13,440
Speaker 2: she was there for this and that she was supportive.

618
00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:16,200
Speaker 1: Well, it also feels like the subject of a biography

619
00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:19,880
Speaker 1: decides in some part whether it feels like an unauthorized

620
00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:22,239
Speaker 1: version is either worth it because there's so much that

621
00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:24,560
Speaker 1: needs to be said that they might not consent to,

622
00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:26,760
Speaker 1: or also the relationship you have, And if you have

623
00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:30,560
Speaker 1: a relationship with someone and we'll get better richer storytelling

624
00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:34,400
Speaker 1: working with them, then you know that that is is

625
00:31:34,440 --> 00:31:36,600
Speaker 1: the choice to make, especially when it's as far as

626
00:31:36,640 --> 00:31:39,040
Speaker 1: I know, there's not a ton of skeletons in her closet,

627
00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:41,280
Speaker 1: but maybe there's a follow up that we're going to

628
00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:44,440
Speaker 1: find out about later. You know, you mentioned potentially connecting

629
00:31:44,480 --> 00:31:46,600
Speaker 1: with former athletes in some of the cities. I love

630
00:31:46,640 --> 00:31:48,840
Speaker 1: that and I also think you know, I was listening

631
00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:50,440
Speaker 1: to an interview you did about the book, and you

632
00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:52,720
Speaker 1: talked about the through line from Tara and what she

633
00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:56,200
Speaker 1: created at Stanford to the Bay Area and it's embrace

634
00:31:56,240 --> 00:31:58,120
Speaker 1: of women. Soops and what we're seeing with the Golden

635
00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:02,000
Speaker 1: State Valkyries. You cannot get to the Valkyries without building

636
00:32:02,360 --> 00:32:04,760
Speaker 1: the foundation that was in part because of what Tara

637
00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:08,160
Speaker 1: did at Stanford. So for younger folks who maybe don't

638
00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:12,280
Speaker 1: remember the times when Tara started out or when you

639
00:32:12,320 --> 00:32:14,880
Speaker 1: had to fight so hard just to play, what does

640
00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:18,160
Speaker 1: it mean to build that foundation and create a culture

641
00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:20,920
Speaker 1: in a place so that when you bid the WNBA

642
00:32:21,080 --> 00:32:23,160
Speaker 1: for a team, they say the Bay Area is a

643
00:32:23,160 --> 00:32:25,440
Speaker 1: place that's going to support a professional franchise.

644
00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:27,880
Speaker 2: Yeah, this market was primed, I think even more than

645
00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:30,640
Speaker 2: some of us realized, except that when those season tickets

646
00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:33,400
Speaker 2: deposits started coming in, you're like, whoa or the Barry's

647
00:32:33,440 --> 00:32:37,000
Speaker 2: ready for this? But it's in large part because of

648
00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:39,280
Speaker 2: what Tara built. There's teams that have had their moments.

649
00:32:39,280 --> 00:32:41,200
Speaker 2: I mean Cal certainly had their moments. They went to

650
00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:43,360
Speaker 2: a Final four during this, But I think the folks

651
00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:45,800
Speaker 2: that Cal would also say that what Tara built made

652
00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:49,400
Speaker 2: it possible for them to bring in players, bring in interest,

653
00:32:49,440 --> 00:32:51,080
Speaker 2: all of that. But if you go all the way

654
00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:54,960
Speaker 2: back to when Tara started at Stanford and you think

655
00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:57,720
Speaker 2: about the times, I would even say the NCAAA was

656
00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:01,840
Speaker 2: counting on Stanford to deliver and it didn't always happen.

657
00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:04,680
Speaker 2: By the way, the ninety nine to final four was

658
00:33:04,720 --> 00:33:07,880
Speaker 2: in San Jose, and that was based on large part

659
00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:10,920
Speaker 2: with an expectation that this team that had always gotten

660
00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:13,480
Speaker 2: to the final four made a deep tournament run could

661
00:33:13,480 --> 00:33:16,480
Speaker 2: possibly do it again. Ninety eight the year before, when

662
00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:19,200
Speaker 2: they lost to Harvard, the regional was scheduled for Oakland,

663
00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:22,400
Speaker 2: and you know that everybody in Oakland and the NCAA

664
00:33:22,560 --> 00:33:27,160
Speaker 2: really really wanted Stanford in that regional. There was you know,

665
00:33:27,480 --> 00:33:31,120
Speaker 2: she built something to the point where the NCAA and

666
00:33:31,160 --> 00:33:35,320
Speaker 2: then you know, thirty years later, the WNBA was counting

667
00:33:35,360 --> 00:33:38,640
Speaker 2: on that foundation to be able to move product, move

668
00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:41,720
Speaker 2: the product forward. And that's pretty powerful too. I Mean,

669
00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:44,840
Speaker 2: we know the places where the NCAA places tournament games.

670
00:33:44,880 --> 00:33:46,720
Speaker 2: We know they place them in places where they think

671
00:33:46,760 --> 00:33:49,520
Speaker 2: that they've got interest, where they can draw crowds, where

672
00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:51,360
Speaker 2: they can get teams in there that are going to

673
00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:53,959
Speaker 2: bring interest in spotlight and exposure to the game. And

674
00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:56,600
Speaker 2: Tara did that in the Bay Area. And then to

675
00:33:56,680 --> 00:33:59,640
Speaker 2: see you know, I was at so many Valkyries gaves

676
00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:01,840
Speaker 2: lesson and to see that place so full and to

677
00:34:01,880 --> 00:34:04,720
Speaker 2: see what joy there is there and how excited the

678
00:34:04,720 --> 00:34:07,280
Speaker 2: Bay Area was to have a team like you have

679
00:34:07,360 --> 00:34:10,000
Speaker 2: to you have to go back to what Tara built

680
00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:13,120
Speaker 2: at Stanford and say that they made this a women's

681
00:34:13,160 --> 00:34:14,120
Speaker 2: basketball market.

682
00:34:14,280 --> 00:34:16,640
Speaker 1: Yeah, it could be some cool intersections with the vow

683
00:34:16,640 --> 00:34:19,279
Speaker 1: assuming there's a season with the Valkyries and you and

684
00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:22,600
Speaker 1: Tara and the book could have some crossover appeal for

685
00:34:22,719 --> 00:34:25,759
Speaker 1: some events. Before I let you go, I want to

686
00:34:25,760 --> 00:34:28,719
Speaker 1: ask about the Kurt Goudi Award, because Tara's role in

687
00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:32,120
Speaker 1: women's basketball in the Bay Area is a bit akin

688
00:34:32,239 --> 00:34:35,680
Speaker 1: to your role covering women's professional basketball. You were the

689
00:34:35,760 --> 00:34:38,600
Speaker 1: first official you know, dot comed ESPN beat writer, and

690
00:34:39,080 --> 00:34:41,360
Speaker 1: you know, winning that award was an acknowledgment not just

691
00:34:41,440 --> 00:34:44,440
Speaker 1: for you, but the idea that they recognized someone who

692
00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:48,080
Speaker 1: spent a career covering women's basketball as Hall of Fame worthy,

693
00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:51,000
Speaker 1: and you went in alongside Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowls

694
00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:53,239
Speaker 1: and Maya Moore, which was such a cool group. But

695
00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:54,839
Speaker 1: how important do you think it is for the Hall

696
00:34:54,920 --> 00:34:58,080
Speaker 1: to recognize people like you who cover women's basketball and

697
00:34:58,120 --> 00:35:01,560
Speaker 1: give it the same respect as so often has gone

698
00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:03,040
Speaker 1: to men's journalists in the men's space.

699
00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:05,400
Speaker 2: Yeah, that was my first feeling when I got the call.

700
00:35:05,719 --> 00:35:07,760
Speaker 2: And if we've had a sense that it's been building

701
00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:10,200
Speaker 2: over the last few years, they you know, Michael Voppel

702
00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:12,960
Speaker 2: was honored, Holly Rowe has been honored. On the broadcast side,

703
00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:16,400
Speaker 2: Debbie Antonelli that the Hall is really making an effort

704
00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:20,959
Speaker 2: to acknowledge the people who have covered the women's game

705
00:35:21,040 --> 00:35:23,919
Speaker 2: over an extended period of time and acknowledge that there

706
00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:26,399
Speaker 2: are folks who have been doing this for a long

707
00:35:26,440 --> 00:35:29,160
Speaker 2: time and really chronicling the rise of the game that

708
00:35:29,280 --> 00:35:31,680
Speaker 2: gets us to the moment that we're at. And I

709
00:35:31,719 --> 00:35:34,600
Speaker 2: think it's important that they continue to do so. I

710
00:35:34,640 --> 00:35:39,160
Speaker 2: think there are people who we know this the I

711
00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:41,360
Speaker 2: think you can probably I hope that I can say this.

712
00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:42,840
Speaker 2: I used to be able to say the number of

713
00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:45,319
Speaker 2: people nationally who cover women's basketball, I could count them

714
00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:47,640
Speaker 2: on one hand. I hope it's maybe two or three

715
00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:50,719
Speaker 2: hands now because of different media outlets really expanding and

716
00:35:50,840 --> 00:35:55,360
Speaker 2: prioritizing that space. But there's you know, it's been such

717
00:35:55,440 --> 00:35:59,000
Speaker 2: a long haul, and myself, I've had to do it

718
00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:03,080
Speaker 2: for ten different outlets maybe right, Like, it's not been

719
00:36:03,239 --> 00:36:08,000
Speaker 2: like one place this whole time. It's been finding a

720
00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:11,600
Speaker 2: space and for whatever reason, that space goes away or

721
00:36:11,600 --> 00:36:13,880
Speaker 2: it doesn't work, or it's time to move on, and

722
00:36:13,920 --> 00:36:15,880
Speaker 2: then you find the next space in the next space.

723
00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:18,080
Speaker 2: And so the end of my speech, I ran a

724
00:36:18,160 --> 00:36:20,319
Speaker 2: list of all of the places that I've worked for

725
00:36:20,640 --> 00:36:24,960
Speaker 2: in this thirty year career covering women's basketball, and that

726
00:36:25,239 --> 00:36:28,080
Speaker 2: is what it took then to keep a women's basketball

727
00:36:28,080 --> 00:36:30,520
Speaker 2: writer in the game. And I hope it's not quite

728
00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:33,160
Speaker 2: the same for everybody that comes after. But acknowledging those

729
00:36:33,200 --> 00:36:35,239
Speaker 2: folks that have been in the women's basketball space and

730
00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:40,279
Speaker 2: have institutional history about the game and these stories, I

731
00:36:40,320 --> 00:36:42,440
Speaker 2: think it's important, and I would the last thing I

732
00:36:42,480 --> 00:36:43,920
Speaker 2: think I would just say is I think that we,

733
00:36:44,320 --> 00:36:46,520
Speaker 2: you know, we have a recency bias around the women's

734
00:36:46,520 --> 00:36:48,960
Speaker 2: game in terms of the players and who we see

735
00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:51,239
Speaker 2: as the greats, and the coaches and who we see

736
00:36:51,239 --> 00:36:54,840
Speaker 2: as the greats. And this history of the game is long,

737
00:36:55,040 --> 00:36:58,279
Speaker 2: and there are incredible players who were there at the

738
00:36:58,280 --> 00:37:00,439
Speaker 2: beginning of the w there are incredible place payers who

739
00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:02,960
Speaker 2: never got to play professional basketball or played in a

740
00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:05,560
Speaker 2: league that lasted a year and a half, or you know,

741
00:37:05,760 --> 00:37:08,240
Speaker 2: like we really need to make sure that we're honoring

742
00:37:08,320 --> 00:37:10,320
Speaker 2: that fullsome history of the game.

743
00:37:10,600 --> 00:37:13,719
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, the book is life's work. How Tara Vanderveer

744
00:37:13,800 --> 00:37:17,279
Speaker 1: and Stanford women's basketball change the sport forever. Michelle, thanks

745
00:37:17,280 --> 00:37:18,840
Speaker 1: so much for coming on and we're so excited to

746
00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:19,200
Speaker 1: read it.

747
00:37:19,360 --> 00:37:19,799
Speaker 2: Thank you.

748
00:37:22,520 --> 00:37:24,560
Speaker 1: Thanks again to Michelle for the chat. We got to

749
00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:27,480
Speaker 1: take another break. When we return. Let us help you

750
00:37:27,920 --> 00:37:39,400
Speaker 1: help us. I'll explain in a minute. Welcome back, slaces.

751
00:37:39,440 --> 00:37:40,960
Speaker 1: We love that you're listening, but we want you to

752
00:37:40,960 --> 00:37:43,040
Speaker 1: get in the game every day too. So here's our

753
00:37:43,080 --> 00:37:45,520
Speaker 1: good game play the day. Pick up a copy of

754
00:37:45,560 --> 00:37:48,000
Speaker 1: Michelle's book. We'll link to it in the show notes.

755
00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:49,799
Speaker 1: We always love to hear from you, so hit us

756
00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:52,680
Speaker 1: up on email, Good Game at wondermedianetwork dot com or

757
00:37:52,760 --> 00:37:54,960
Speaker 1: leave us a voicemail at eight seven two two oh

758
00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:59,040
Speaker 1: four fifty seventy. Also, don't forget to subscribe, rate and review,

759
00:37:59,640 --> 00:38:02,520
Speaker 1: and we'll we always say it's easy. Shout out to

760
00:38:02,560 --> 00:38:05,480
Speaker 1: doctor Donna Blair, who wrote in to say maybe it's not.

761
00:38:06,200 --> 00:38:09,960
Speaker 1: Doctor Blair wrote, quote, I'm seventy, not a complete computer newbie,

762
00:38:09,960 --> 00:38:11,919
Speaker 1: but wanted to rate and review and can't figure out

763
00:38:11,920 --> 00:38:14,280
Speaker 1: how to do it. You're in my library of podcasts,

764
00:38:14,320 --> 00:38:17,840
Speaker 1: but I'm stumped. End quote. Thank you doctor Blair for

765
00:38:17,880 --> 00:38:20,600
Speaker 1: asking this question. Here's how it works and also why

766
00:38:20,640 --> 00:38:22,839
Speaker 1: it might not be as intuitive as it should be.

767
00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:25,759
Speaker 1: So first off, not every podcast app lets you rate

768
00:38:25,760 --> 00:38:28,600
Speaker 1: and review, but if you're using Apple Podcasts or Spotify

769
00:38:28,719 --> 00:38:32,279
Speaker 1: or pocket casts, you should have the option. In Apple Podcasts,

770
00:38:32,400 --> 00:38:33,959
Speaker 1: you just go to the main Good Game with Sarah

771
00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:36,080
Speaker 1: span Landing page, scroll all the way down past the

772
00:38:36,120 --> 00:38:38,680
Speaker 1: ten most recent episodes, and you'll see a section called

773
00:38:38,800 --> 00:38:41,600
Speaker 1: ratings and Reviews. Now, there should be a place that

774
00:38:41,640 --> 00:38:44,319
Speaker 1: says tap to rate, and obviously you'll click the five

775
00:38:44,320 --> 00:38:47,600
Speaker 1: star option, and then you can click write a review. Well,

776
00:38:47,640 --> 00:38:49,080
Speaker 1: even link to a guide in the show notes that

777
00:38:49,160 --> 00:38:52,719
Speaker 1: includes screenshots of how the process works. Now, even if

778
00:38:52,760 --> 00:38:54,560
Speaker 1: you're using a different app to listen to the pod,

779
00:38:54,600 --> 00:38:56,880
Speaker 1: you could still open Apple Podcasts to leave us a

780
00:38:56,920 --> 00:39:00,680
Speaker 1: review there. Like Wally, who wrote quote, I listened to

781
00:39:00,719 --> 00:39:03,760
Speaker 1: this podcast during my commute every day. My only complaint

782
00:39:03,800 --> 00:39:06,120
Speaker 1: is that I didn't start listening sooner. The show has

783
00:39:06,160 --> 00:39:10,200
Speaker 1: amazing guests and Sarah is an awesome interviewer. It's hilarious, informative,

784
00:39:10,200 --> 00:39:12,560
Speaker 1: and a fun listen. She hits the hard topics with

785
00:39:12,640 --> 00:39:16,760
Speaker 1: facts and opinions and nothing is taboo. Big fan end quote.

786
00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:21,239
Speaker 1: Thanks Wally and now doctor Blair and everyone else. It's

787
00:39:21,239 --> 00:39:24,840
Speaker 1: your turn, rate and review. Thanks for listening, See you tomorrow.

788
00:39:25,239 --> 00:39:28,759
Speaker 1: Good game, Michelle, Good game, yukon every game for the

789
00:39:28,840 --> 00:39:33,799
Speaker 1: last forty seven straight. Thank you a MCLs and every

790
00:39:33,800 --> 00:39:42,200
Speaker 1: other ligament taken away our faves. Good Game with Sarah

791
00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:45,000
Speaker 1: Spain is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with

792
00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:47,600
Speaker 1: Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on

793
00:39:47,640 --> 00:39:51,399
Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

794
00:39:51,560 --> 00:39:54,920
Speaker 1: Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers are Alex Azi

795
00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:58,520
Speaker 1: and Bianca Hillier. Our executive producers are Christina Everett, Jesse

796
00:39:58,640 --> 00:40:02,080
Speaker 1: Katz Jenny Kaplan, and m la Our. Editors are Emily Rutterer,

797
00:40:02,160 --> 00:40:05,680
Speaker 1: Lucy Jones, Britney Martinez and Gianna Palmer. Production assistant from

798
00:40:05,680 --> 00:40:08,280
Speaker 1: Avery Loftus and I'm Your Host Sarah Spain