Tall Enough to Coach: Elements of Leadership of Coaching and Life

Marsha Sharp has been the coach of the Texas Tech Lady Raiders basketball team for over twenty years, and this book traces Sharp's basketball journey from her West Texas beginnings through her twenty-third season with the Lady Raiders. A 2003 inductee into the national Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, Sharp has consistently guided her teams through numerous conference and postseason NCAA victories. The Lady Raiders have enjoyed a steady following of fan support, beginning with about 200 loyal fans when Sharp began to achieving consistent attendance of 14,000 fans per game in the 2003-2004 season. Her program has also recently been cited as the only women's program in the Big 12 Conference that is actually a revenue-producing program. This story examines the secrets of the Lady Raiders' success under Coach Sharp's careful guidance and passes along those insights to other coaches, fans, players, and leaders in any arena who would appreciate guidelines for leadership that do not compromise integrity.

Marsha Sharp has enjoyed many successes, including sixteen NCAA tournament appearances and an NCAA Championship. Her 99 percent player graduation rate and the Marsha Sharp Center for Student Athletes, her two proudest achievements, attest to the fact that Sharp daily reaches her goal of teaching her players to win in the game of life. Emily Sharp is a freelance writer and the cofounder of the Lubbock, Texas, Race for the Cure and the Lubbock Area Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.