15. Bev Smith: The Canuck Duck

The Canadian Larry Bird. Duck women’s basketball great Bev Smith was an early pioneer of the women’s game, and people in her native country knew all about her skills on the court. At 6′1″, Smith was playing center for her high school team, but she knew she had to develop a different skillset for her to advance her athletic career. Her skill development took her to the University of Oregon, where she became the school’s first All-American in women’s basketball, and her success with the Ducks took her around the world to play, where she represented the Canadian national team in two Summer Olympic games and played professionally in Europe for 15 years. After coaching her alma mater for eight seasons and serving as an assistant on the Canadian National Team, Smith is now using her worldly basketball knowledge to help the youth of Eugene understand the life lessons and positivity that come from playing sports.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.